Archives for February 2021

February 27, 2021 By Aruna Bhatia Leave a Comment

Healthy Eating: Black Sesame Seeds Chutney

There are mainly 3 types of sesame seeds – black, white and red or brown. Of these three, black sesame seeds rank the highest, white medium and red falls the lowest in nutritional qualities. Let’s look at a black sesame seeds chutney or a spice mix recipe which will be moist due to sesame oil from the seeds. We can store it in an airtight container and relish it with roti, bhakri, khakara, idli, dosa or even rice. This is a very easy way to include sesame seeds to your daily diet.

What You Will Need

Black sesame seeds – one small cup
Salt – to taste
Dry red chili – 7 to 8
Garlic pods – 7 to 8

How To Prepare

Dry roast black sesame seeds on medium flame. Remove them after they start popping and get roasted. Let them cool.
Next, roast red dry chilies till the moisture in them dries up. Remove this and let it cool.
Now, add sesame seeds and roasted chilly and grind it to a coarse powder in a mixer grinder.
Once it seems blended well, add the garlic pods and salt and grind them so that they blend together nicely.
Your black sesame seeds chutney is ready!

Benefits of the Black Sesame Seeds Chutney

Sesame seeds are an excellent source of copper, manganese, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1, B6, Niacin, zinc, molybdenum and selenium. They’re also rich in dietary fiber, proteins and carbohydrates.
Sesame seeds can prevent and control diabetes. They also aid in reducing the risks of cancer.
Improves and supports bone health.
As a strong anti inflammatory agent, they are known to reduce cardiovascular diseases and hypertension.
Reduces signs of premature aging and strengthens muscle tissue and hair.
Sesame seeds also protects DNA from harmful effects of radiation either from accidental or natural sources or by chemotherapy or radiotherapy

We hope you enjoy this Black Sesame Seeds Chutney. Do try it out and leave your feedback in the comments below. For more Healthy Recipes, checkout Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE cooking sessions on GOQii Play.

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February 26, 2021 By Neha Goyal Leave a Comment

7 Reasons Why You Should Avoid Caffeinated Drinks During Winter

Caffeine is a natural stimulant most commonly found in tea, coffee and cacao plants. Billions of people rely on caffeine to start their day and to get through their night shift or afternoon slump. It works by stimulating the brain and the central nervous system, helping you stay alert, reducing the onset of tiredness. Nothing is as comforting on a chilly morning as a hot cup of tea with a cozy blanket. For most people, intake of these caffeinated drinks increases during winter as they believe it provides warmth to beat the cold. But is that really so? Is there a reason to avoid caffeinated drinks? Let’s find out!

How Caffeine Works

While caffeine is considered safe, drinking too much raises some concerns. When you drink any caffeinated drink, your gut absorbs it very quickly and sends it to your bloodstream. From there, as it reaches your brain, it starts blocking the effects of a neurotransmitter called adenosine. Adenosine relaxes your brain and makes you feel tired. So by blocking its receptors, caffeine helps you stay awake and alert. But with alertness comes anxiety as well. At the same time, caffeine also stimulates our stress or “fight & flight” hormones.

Reasons To Avoid Caffeinated Drinks During Winter

Dehydration: During winter, most people feel less thirsty and their water intake automatically reduces. All caffeinated drinks are diuretic and tend to flush out water from the body through urine, making it deficient in not just water but also vitamins and minerals that are required for the smooth functioning of the body.
Amplified Heart Rate and Blood Pressure: Winter is not a good time for people with heart conditions and high blood pressure. They are always advised to stay away from low temperatures as it can constrict their blood vessels and lead to high blood pressure. Caffeine being a stimulant also increases heart rate and blood pressure. So it may increase difficulties for such people.
Empty Calories: Most caffeinated drinks are loaded with sugar and give you not just empty calories but a sugar crash later, which might make you feel more lethargic after some time.
Effect on Digestion: Being a stimulant, caffeine increases gut motility or the contraction of muscles that propel the contents in the gastrointestinal tract. This might be a reason why you feel like having tea or coffee with or after a heavy meal. But this actually isn’t good because it reduces the time your food stays in each part of your digestive system, not letting the nutrients fully absorb. In fact, too much can lead to diarrhea which is followed by dehydration.
Pregnancy & Lactation: Caffeine can easily cross the placenta and can reach breast milk. So, women who consume caffeinated drinks may need to limit their intake to avoid risk of miscarriage or low birth weight.
Interaction with Medication: Our body flushes out caffeine generally within 6-8 hours but while in the system, it can react with your medication and supplements, causing poor absorption or side effects.
Suppresses Appetite: Now this can be both good and bad for all weight watchers. Research shows that caffeine acts as an appetite suppressant but increases higher plasma levels of PYY & Leptin (anorexic hormones). It might make you eat less calories, but with less food, there is less nutrition as well. So beware of consuming too much caffeine, as our body needs more nutrition to maintain immunity.

Now, the purpose of all this information was not to coax you off caffeine but to ensure you control your intake. Controlled amounts can have some benefits too! Make sure you drink the right quantity and the right version. 1-2 cups of black tea, green tea and black coffee are better options than sugary and cream filled versions. Also ensure that you drink your last cup 6-8 hours before you sleep.

We hope this article on why you should avoid caffeinated drinks in winter helps you! Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below. For more on nutrition, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

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February 25, 2021 By Trupti Hingad 2 Comments

Which Is The Best Sleep Position?

Every wondered which is the best sleep position? The position you sleep in plays a vital role in improving the quality of your sleep. How do you sleep? Do you prefer sleeping on your back, side or stomach? Sleeping in the wrong position can have detrimental effects on your health. Let’s take a deeper look into these problems. Poor sleep posture could potentially cause back and neck pain, fatigue, sleep apnea, muscle cramping, impaired circulation, headaches, heartburn, tummy troubles, and even premature wrinkles.

What Is The Best Sleep Position?

Sleeping On Your Stomach: About 7% of people sleep on their stomach. In this position, the neck and spine are not in a neutral position and this can put pressure on nerves and cause numbness, tingling, and nerve pain. It is best to choose another sleep position if you are a stomach sleeper. If you can’t break the habit, prop your forehead up on a pillow, so your head and spine remain in a neutral position and you have room to breathe.
Sleeping On Your Back: on a regular basis may lead to lower back pain. If you have any existing pain, it can make the pain worse. Sleeping on your back if you suffer from snoring or sleep apnea may aggravate these conditions. Snoozing on your back can cause the tongue to block the breathing tube, making it a dangerous position for those who suffer from sleep apnea. Sleeping on your back with your head slightly elevated is the best sleep position for people suffering from heartburn. Also, this position does not lead to neck pain, like your neck, back and spine is in a neutral position.
Soldier Position: In this position, the person sleeps on his/her back with hands close to the body. Approximately 8% of people sleep this way and this is not a good position to sleep in for people who snore. This position may also prevent you from getting a restful night’s sleep.
Starfish Position: People who sleep in a starfish position sleep on their backs with their arms up over their head. Approximately 5% of people sleep this way. Compared to people who sleep on their backs, people who sleep in the starfish position are more prone to snoring and sleep problems.
Sleeping On The Side: Approximately 41% of people sleep this way, curled up on their sides with their knees bent. This is one of the best positions, also good for pregnant women because it facilitates circulation to both mom and the fetus. The position may be good for those who snore and also helps decrease acid reflux since your spine is elongated. It also wards off back and neck pain. This position may lead to wrinkles because half of your face pushes against a pillow, so use soft, silken pillows to avoid wrinkles on the face.
Fetal Position: Side sleepers who sleep with their legs bent and curled toward their torsos are the ones who sleep in the so-called fetal position. If sleeping this way hurts your hips, placing a pillow between your knees may help relieve the pressure. This position can leave you feeling a bit sore in the morning, particularly if you have arthritis in your joints or back. Prevent these woes by straightening out your body as much as you can, instead of tucking your chin into your chest and pulling your knees up high.

Sleeping positions which might help if you have sleeping issues

Do you snore? If you do, it is best to sleep on your side to minimize the risk of snoring. Sleeping on your back may aggravate snoring. If you can’t break the habit and want to sleep on your back, stack a few pillows underneath your head to reduce the risk of snoring.
Does your back hurt? Sleeping on your stomach or back, may aggravate your pain. Switch to side sleeping to minimize your risk of back pain. For further relief, put a pillow between your knees to keep your hips in alignment.
Are you pregnant? Sleeping on your stomach or back will be uncomfortable or impossible. You will be most comfortable sleeping on your side. Favour your left side to maximize circulation for both you and your baby. Placing a pillow under your belly can help relieve back pain.

So choose your sleeping position wisely and have a good mattress accompanied by soft pillows to wake up fresh and healthy! We hope this article helps you. Share your favorite sleeping position in the comments below! For more on sleep, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

Sleep well and #BeTheForce

February 24, 2021 By Divya Thampi 1 Comment

3 Super Simple Ways to Overcome Anxiety Induced Procrastination

procrastination

/prə(ʊ)ˌkrastɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/

(noun) the action of delaying or postponing something.

Amit wakes up with a feeling of dread. Even before his mind can tell him what is wrong, he can feel anxiety and guilt start to overpower him. Then it registers. He’s woken up late! Yet again!!

He was supposed to wake up at 6, do his yoga, meditate, get a few chores done and get started with work at 8.30 am. Instead, here he was, staring at the hands of the clock insisting that it was 8.30 am, and feeling miserable.

“I have ruined the day before it even started!!” he moans.

Trying to salvage the rest of his day, he quickly brushes his teeth, rushes through part of the morning routine and sits down at his desk at 10 am. As he starts wondering what tasks he needs to get done during the day, his mind comes up with one really important task.

As soon as he gets ready to work on the first task his mind reminds him about the deadline for sending in suggestions for his team meeting. So he closes the file he had opened and goes on to open his email. And before he can get to the email with the attachment he is looking for, he is greeted by the deluge of new unread emails waiting to be opened. His heart beats faster, breath gets quicker and despite the cool morning, his palms get clammy with perspiration.

As he tries to quickly skim through the unread emails, his mind keeps reminding him that he is already behind with the things he’s supposed to get done today and simultaneously points out that had he woken up on time, he would have been done with at least two of these tasks.

Once again, he experiences a surge of hopelessness, guilt and shame wash through him. He gives into the routine of berating himself and thinking of all the times that he has done this before and hears his mind say things like:

“Who are you trying to fool? You know very well that this is who you really are – this lazy, undisciplined, good for nothing failure who is never going to amount to much! Stop telling yourself that you will somehow turn a new leaf, become disciplined overnight and transform into the epitome of efficiency, effectiveness and success. Just accept that this is never going to change. You are destined to live the life of a loser.”

Inexplicably, Amit feels exhausted and turns to his phone and thoughtlessly opens up Instagram. He scrolls down thinking that he will just check out a couple of posts. But the next time he looks at the clock it is already 12 noon. Feeling totally dejected, he decides to have some snacks and polishes off a large packet of wafers in no time. He spends the rest of the day feeling lethargic and getting very little done.

Does all this sound familiar? If it does, you are not alone. Even the most capable and intelligent people experience this every once in a while and more people than you could imagine, deal with this regularly.

But let’s take a closer look at what’s going on here. If you are thinking that the issue is Amit’s habit of waking up late, you are wrong. That is not the primary issue. While good sleep habits are important and need to be managed, life will invariably throw you curveballs that will disrupt your plan one way or the other. In this case, waking up late led to Amit losing about an hour of personal preparation time and 90 minutes of work time, which totals up to 150 minutes. If he had gone on to use the rest of the day well, He would have lost only about 2 hours of productive time. But the issue was that anxiety, guilt and shame overpowered him and made it impossible for him to utilise the rest of his time. And he lost over 5 hours instead of 2.5.

So you see, the biggest problem in most situations is not so much the interruption of plans, but our inability to manage our self talk and the resultant anxiety. Here are 3 simple steps you can take to overcome anxiety induced procrastination.

3 Simple Steps To Overcome Anxiety Induced Procrastination

Three top tasks for the next day: Before you finish for the day, write down the things that you’d like to get done the next day. Now circle the three most important things on the list. Make these very specific. For example, instead of writing “Get started on the report”, you could write “Have the first draft of the report ready”. Now rank them in the order in which you’d like to get it done and write down an approximate amount of time you expect each of these tasks to take. You see, when you are ready to start in the morning, your mind is ready for action mode, but if you give it the job of deciding WHAT TO DO, it is going to take up precious energy and working memory space, leaving very little of the energy and focus to actually get the job done. However, at the end of the day when your mind is still in work mode, it is far easier to think about what you’d like to get done the next day. And the next morning, you can channel all your enthusiasm into working on the tasks.
Tackle the anxiety: If things aren’t panning out the way you planned them to, take a few minutes to become aware of the self talk which tries to thrash you. Acknowledge the need behind the anxiety – The need to get things done. Focus on your breath for a few more minutes and ground yourself. Remind yourself that plans getting waylaid is a common occurrence in every one’s life and as long as you are human, it is going to happen once in a while. Ditch the “All or Nothing” thinking that your mind tries to sell you. Remember that if you were to stay calm, you can still achieve a big part of what you set out to do that day. If you notice the anxiety reappearing, schedule 30 minutes of “worry time” towards the evening – a slot of time where you give a free reign to worry and anxiety. And each time you notice anxious thoughts returning, remind your mind that you can do the worrying during the allocated half an hour, not before or after.
Time your tasks and take breaks: Look at your task list and start with task no 1, with a timer set to half an hour by your side. If your mind comes up with distractive thoughts while you are at the task, note down the thought in your physical or digital notepad so that you can look at it after you have worked on this task for a continuous half an hour. Same applies to any other external distractions you may face. Getting a phone call? Send them a text that you will call them back after half an hour; reminded of an email response you were supposed to send this morning? Jot down a reminder about it on your notepad and get back to the task you were doing. When you have put in a solid half an hour of focus, take a break and do any quick calls or messaging from your notepad list and get back to working on the task for another half an hour with a timer. Keep working with half an hour chunks of time with 5 min breaks in between. This will help your mind remain super focused.

Whether you are a working professional, a student, a consultant, a home maker or an entrepreneur, these steps are applicable to each one of you. Procrastination is not caused by laziness, rather it is the mind’s way of coping with increasing anxiety. The above mentioned steps are healthier ways to overcome anxiety induced procrastination, thus making it possible to take action, and to progress towards your goals.

We hope this article on 3 simple ways to overcome anxiety induced procrastination helps you! Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below! For more articles like this, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by our Emotional Wellness Expert Divya Thampi only on GOQii Play.

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