Archives for March 2021

March 13, 2021 By Meenakshi Sharma 3 Comments

Healthy Eating: Eggless Whole Wheat Jaggery Marble Cake

This Cake reminded me of my childhood Britannia cakes. We, as kids, could not stop at one slice. The minute that packet was opened, the whole cake vanished with no crumbs left behind. Marble Cake has both vanilla and chocolate flavors and two distinct colors are mixed together to create a marble effect. To top it all, this gorgeous marble cake is a stress buster for me and made my life super special over the weekend. It is a perfect cake to accompany a cup of Tea or Coffee. Bake a loaf and gift it to your loved ones. I am sure they will love it.

What You Will Need

(1 cup= 200 gm, 1 tbsp=15 gm , 1tsp= 5 gm)

Whole wheat flour – 2 cups
Odorless oil/Pure ghee – ½ cup
Jaggery powder/syrup (melt jaggery in ⅛ cup water) – 1 cup
Cocoa powder (unsweetened) – 1 tbsp
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Baking powder (7.5gm) – 1 ½ tsp
Baking soda (5gm) – 1 tsp
Warm water – 1 cup (can be replaced with milk)

How To Prepare

Preheat the oven at 350*F/180*C for 10 mins. Take a normal size Cake Loaf Pan (7-8 inches) and grease it lightly. You may also line it with a parchment paper for easy handling.
Take a big bowl and sift 2 cups of flour, baking powder and baking soda into it. Mix it well with a fork and set it aside.
In another bowl, add ghee/oil, curd and mix well. Add jaggery powder/syrup and beat the mixture till jaggery dissolves.
Add all the dry ingredients and mix gently with a cut and fold method. Add ¼ cup warm water/milk and fold it again. If you feel the batter is thick then slowly add warm water/milk till the batter is in flowing consistency (DO NOT OVERBEAT THE BATTER).
Now divide this batter into 2 equal parts.
In one part of the batter, add vanilla essence. Mix it well till incorporated in the batter. This is your vanilla Batter.
In the other half of the batter, add the cocoa powder. Mix well with a fork till well incorporated and therefore, the whole of this batter turns chocolate brown in color.
To pour the batter, add 1 tbsp vanilla batter first at the bottom of the greased pan.Then pour the 1 tbsp chocolate batter on top.Tap the pan on the counter a few times so that the batter settles down evenly with no gaps in between.You may pour the vanilla and chocolate batters in the pan in an alternate sequence or the sequence of your desire, could also be chocolate first and vanilla later. However you want to do it.
Keep it in the oven for 30-40 mins. at 180*C. After 30 mins, check the cake with a toothpick. If it comes out clean then remove the cake tin from the oven and keep it on a cool down wire rack . Demould the tin when it completely cools down. (If it sticks on a toothpick, then bake it for more than 10 min. at 160*C .Temperature may vary in different ovens/OTGs.
Cut it into small pieces according to your choice and store it in a steel or glass container in the refrigerator for a week. Enjoy a hearty slice of your Marble Cake with a cup of coffee or tea.

Why Is This Marble Cake Healthier Than A Bakery/Store Cake?

We are adding whole wheat flour in a cake which has more fibre, packed with B vitamins, while a bakery cake is made with maida (refined flour). Eating maida raises your bad cholesterol (LDL), makes you put on weight, clogs arteries, raises BP, disrupts blood glucose, keeps you hungry, causes you to crave for sweets, causes mood swings and ruins your health. People eat it because they’re probably unaware of its consequences.
We are using jaggery as a sweetener in cake, which is a good source of iron, helps in maintaining the electrolyte balance, aids digestion and helps prevent water retention thanks to its potassium content. Bakery cakes are loaded with white sugar and contain only empty calories without any nutrients. Excess sugar creates higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes and fatty liver disease.
In Bakery cakes, they use shortening and margarine, which are Trans Fats (Hydrogenated fats) that raise your risk of heart disease. They also raise your “bad” cholesterol levels, lower your “good” cholesterol and cause inflammation, therefore, hardening of your arteries.

We hope you enjoy this Whole Wheat Jaggery Marble Cake recipe. 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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March 12, 2021 By Mrinali Dwivedi 2 Comments

Vitamin C Supplements: Do You Actually Need Them?

While the COVID-19 pandemic made us realize the importance of health and immunity, there has been an unprecedented hype about taking nutritional supplements, especially those that are claimed to protect us from infectious diseases. One such supplement that gained a lot of popularity is Vitamin C. According to data by a research firm, The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), India sold around 171 crore pills of Vitamin C Supplements and 13 crore pills of vitamin C combined with other multivitamins in 2020. The growth in sales of vitamin C supplements in the year 2020 was almost 110%.

Health Benefits of Vitamin C

Vitamin C has numerous roles in our body and has been linked to some impressive health benefits!

It is a powerful antioxidant that can strengthen your body’s natural defenses
May lower the risk of heart diseases
Has been linked to reduced blood uric acid levels and lower risk of gout
Can improve the absorption of iron from the diet and helps prevent iron deficiency, anemia
May boost immunity by helping white blood cells function more effectively, strengthening skin’s defense system and help heal wounds faster
Low vitamin C levels have been linked to an increased risk of memory and thinking disorders like dementia, while just about the right amount taken from food sources has been shown to have a protective effect

Does More Mean Better Health and Immunity?

Given all the benefits of Vitamin C, can you consume more than required? Well, when it comes to vitamins, more is not always better. In fact, more can sometimes be dangerous. As vitamin and mineral supplements are available over the counter and without any prescription of a doctor/nutritionist, the masses assume that they are safe at any dosage. In the case of Vitamin C, our body cannot store it, so when consumption exceeds 2000 mg/day, it will be eliminated by the kidneys through urine, as it is a water soluble vitamin.

Too much vitamin C can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb copper, a mineral that is essential to the human body for carrying out major functions. Dosages above a 1000 mg coagulate iron in the cells of the body and oxidise them, causing an actual rusting action! Too much vitamin C or calcium (a regular component of vitamin C supplements) might cause bloating and stomach upset, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, headaches, insomnia, and in prolonged uses, kidney stones. This means that your immunity can be rather compromised than being boosted by unjustified popping of supplement pills.

How Much Of Vitamin C Supplements Is Enough?

Vitamin C is an essential vitamin, which means your body cannot produce it and one has to provide it from the outside. Yet, the daily need of this vitamin can be conveniently met with a balanced diet containing a good amount from natural sources as opposed to going for supplements. Found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, vitamin C is most abundant in Amla, Guava, Oranges, Strawberries, Kiwi, Bell peppers, Green chillies, Radish greens, Bathua Greens, Broccoli, Kale and Spinach.

Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) of Vitamin C:

55-65 mg/day for normal healthy adults
25-35 mg/day for normal healthy children (1-18 years of age)

We hope this article on Vitamin C Supplements helps you make the healthier choice! 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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March 6, 2021 By GOQii 1 Comment

Sangeeta Jajodia goes from a Simple Housewife to a Super Woman!

They say being a housewife is a full time job, and quite rightly so. As one among many, 52 year old Sangeeta Jajodia from Mumbai, led a very busy life. Her routine revolved around tending to the needs and demands of her grown up children, cooking, cleaning and regular household chores. During her free time, she watched TV or browsed through her mobile – this is how she summed up her life before GOQii.

Apart from her daily chores and normal walks which were required, she never indulged in any physical activity. She had no restrictions on food, she would sleep late and wake up early to prepare food for her kids. All of this led to acidity, cholesterol, fatty liver and weight gain. She says that she had never been underweight nor obese.

In 2017, after a family wedding when browsing through the pics, she realized that she had gradually put on a lot of weight. She decided that she needs to lose weight. Not knowing where to start, she decided walking was the one thing she could do. Seeing her interest, her son gifted her a GOQii and with it, a key to a new life which began taking shape from January 2018.

Life after GOQii

Initially, Sangeeta Jajodia was very reluctant to follow her GOQii Coach’s instructions – even simple things such as adding a salad and fruits to her diet – something she hadn’t done before. Slowly, she began adding salads to her dinner and her lunch as well. Now, she includes them daily.

Apart from adding salads to her diet, some of the changes included:

Adding fruits in between her main meals to avoid the long gap she used to have before.
She had to exercise portion control while eating her meals.
Drinking 2 cups of green tea and cinnamon water before going to bed
Eat dinner by 8 PM
Regularize eating and sleep timings
Apple detox twice a week which includes adding a few pieces of apple and cinnamon powder to a jug full of water, leaving it overnight and consuming that water throughout the day. On these days, she avoids grains and dairy products
1 hour walk every day and does basic home workouts shared by her GOQii Coach
She takes her 10k step target seriously and walks even if she’s on vacation.

Sangeeta Jajodia Makes the Shift!

After implementing all of the small lifestyle modifications suggested by her GOQii Coach, Sangeeta Jajodia witnessed a lot of positive changes in her life. To begin with, her weight had reduced from 82kg to 73kg within a year of joining GOQii. Furthermore, her acidity was gone completely. Her cholesterol and fatty liver levels are in the normal range. Apart from this, she has participated in 4 5k runs and 1 8k run last year.

What Does Sangeeta Think About Her GOQii Coach?

Sangeeta completely trusts her GOQii Coach and follows her instructions and guidance diligently. Her coach follows up with her every day and reprimands her if she doesn’t follow a habit or cheats on her diet. What Sangeeta likes the most is that if she is in a difficult situation, her GOQii Coach modifies her habits – for instance, when Sangeeta’s mother-in-law was sick and she was stressed, her GOQii Coach asked her to start with breathing exercises and meditation which really helped her out during that time. Constant suggestions and a customized solution like this is what appeals to Sangeeta the most!

Like Sangeeta Jajodia, do you want to make a positive lifestyle change as well? Download the GOQii App and subscribe to our service now!

For more inspiring user journeys, read here: https://goqii.com/blog/category/user-stories/

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