Archives for April 2021

April 26, 2021 By Roopa Tandur Leave a Comment

What Are The Best Sources of Calcium

Calcium, needed for healthy and strong bones and teeth, also helps in alleviating normal blood clotting, supports proper functioning of muscles and nerves. Most calcium is found in the bones of our body. If sufficient calcium is not included in the diet, then the body starts extracting calcium from bones making them weak and brittle and putting one at risk of Osteoporosis. Calcium requirements differ for each age group and gender. The most being required by the 50+ age group people as the body removes old bones faster than it rebuilds new ones. Let’s look into some of the best sources of calcium rich foods, including which will help us meet the daily recommended requirements for the mineral.

Best Sources of Calcium

Milk and Milk Products: like curds, yogurt, buttermilk, paneer, ghee, are all very good sources of calcium. Including milk and milk products regularly in the diet helps us meet 12-30% of daily calcium requirement with 1 glass of milk helping us meet 12% of daily requirements of calcium. But choosing the right type of milk and milk products helps us reach the goal of maintaining or reducing or increasing weight at the same time.
Leafy Greens: like spinach, kale, rhubarb and amaranth greens all have a good amount of calcium in them and can easily be incorporated in a diet. People following a vegan diet find it very easy to incorporate leafy vegetables and can complete their daily recommended dosage for calcium. People with kidney disease should follow restrictions which include these leafy greens as they also have large amounts of oxalates which are a reason for kidney stones – including good amounts of liquids helps minimize the oxalates effects on the body.
Nuts: like almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and dried figs have good amounts of calcium with almonds topping the list with 75 mg of calcium per 30 gms of almonds included. Nuts can be easily incorporated in snacks which are a healthy swap for all the unhealthy cravings in between meals. Incorporating a large quantity of nuts can also cause weight gain as they are very good sources of fats. Ensure that you control the portion size of nuts included.
Seeds: like sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds and poppy seeds are rich in calcium and can be easily included in any of the Indian meal preparations which will add to the nutrient content of the dish and makes it more appealing as well. What is more interesting is that a very small quantity of the seeds, around 1-2 tsp in a day, will give you 80-150 gms of calcium.
Vegetables: are rated quite low in terms of calcium but vegetables like broccoli, sweet potato, ladies finger and beans are good sources of calcium, between 70g-160g and are easily available all through the year and can be included in diet in the form of salads, sabji or mid meal snacks as well.
Sea foods: Sea animals like tuna, sardines, salmon provide us many of the micronutrients like potassium, selenium and magnesium along with calcium. These fishes have high levels of calcium as they have edible bones. They are also a good source of protein and Omega-3 fatty acids. But they also have high amounts of mercury so precaution must be taken to clean the fish well before using it for cooking
Fruits: Though fruits are not very good sources of calcium, fruits like grapefruit, kiwi and orange help us get around 30-50mg of calcium per serving. Including fruits in between meals help in better absorption of nutrients from them.

We hope these best sources of calcium help you! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! For more tips on nutrition, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

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April 23, 2021 By Srini Leave a Comment

Sleep Series: Sleepy Notes

In the previous articles, we went into what influences sleep and factors that guide it. Today, let’s take a look at some sleepy notes to help you improve your sleep!

Sleepy Notes To Improve Sleep

Measure: Sleep is measured both quantitatively and qualitatively and both are important to score perfect sleep. For you to say that you slept well – scored 10 out of 10, myriad things have to happen during the 6-8 hours. You could use some kind of sleep measurement tools like the GOQii Smart Vital. You will get lots of data – as CXO folks say, “What gets measured gets managed!”
Bedroom: We saw earlier that bedroom should be DARK. Buy darkening curtains and blinds.
Cool & Clean: It is ideal to sleep with the aircon on every day so that the temperature is uniform. Considering the air pollution, it is critical to keep an air purifier for Indian conditions with high levels of pollutants. Western blog writers have recommended 20 Degree Celsius – For Indian bodies, I reckon 24 is ideal, which is what I do.
Equipment: Sleep equipment includes the mattress, pillow, bedsheet and the comforter. Do your research – be as passionate as you are when buying a smartphone or car. You earned your sleep. Sleep comfortably! You spend one third of your life in it – this is NOT an expense – but an investment – Period. A good benchmark for investment is invest NOT LESS THAN the value of your CAR! You should also REPLACE them periodically.
- Mattress: You literally want to bounce back to life. A mattress should allow body heat dissipation , if possible make it cooler, provide for the spinal contours and curves and overall invite you to sleep. Most mattresses allow a 100 days sleep trial. Don’t forget to change your mattress every 7+ years or so – but do change it once a while. A mattress is definitely NOT for your lifetime. Also ensure that you clean the mattress once in six months at least. Many service providers do vacuum and dust mite cleaning. Very important. Do not let millions of dust mites sleep along with you on your mattress.
- Pillow: Choose a pillow that doesn’t cause any pain to your neck. Pillow varieties can be confusing – I use a Memory Foam pillow. Try a few and stick to what suits you. Once again, trial is allowed here as well and make sure you replace them once in 2-3 years.
- Bed Sheet: Choose one that allows heat dissipation to the mattress. Pure Cotton (bamboo is even better) and High Thread Count – Minimum 300 thread count is recommended for that 5 Star Hotel feel and conducting heat. Replace once in 2-3 years
- Comforter: Prevents heat dissipation and allows cooler air. Pure Cotton and high thread count. Replace them once in 2-3 years
Power Nap: An afternoon nap for 15-30 minutes is very refreshing and powerful. I am aware of many CXOs sleeping in the office with lights switched off, wearing noise cancel headphones and eye masks. I found it useful and do this occasionally. Just in case you foresee working late on any day, a nap will help you keep going at full power till late into night.
Alarm for Starting sleep: I strongly suggest that you keep an Alarm for STARTING sleep, most likely you WONT NEED an alarm to wake up. Starting sleep at the SAME TIME every day is extremely critical to have good sleep.
Sleep Positions: Sleep how you feel comfortable. Side position with bent knees (closer to Fetal Position) is what suits most people.

We hope these sleepy notes help you! Do check out more from the Sleep Series by Srini on Healthy Reads. For tips on how to sleep better and meditation, tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

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April 22, 2021 By GOQii 1 Comment

The Importance Of Knowing If You’re Thirsty Or Hungry

Am I thirsty or hungry? That’s the question I have started asking myself when I get hunger pangs. This has happened to me quite often when I have just had a meal and I feel hungry within an hour. One day, I decided to conduct an experiment on myself wherein I just placed a glass of water and a bowl of almonds in front of me on my work desk and continued working. I had just finished my meal and was waiting for the hunger pang to hit me. I got the pang and before I reached out for the bowl of almonds, I grabbed the glass of water and gulped it down. Thereafter, I did not feel the need to eat the almonds.

Why Do We Confuse Thirst & Hunger?

What exactly happened? Let’s get into the science behind it. There’s a little part in our brain called the hypothalamus which controls hunger, thirst and many other bodily functions and behaviors. Because hunger and thirst are controlled by the same area of the brain, it so happens that thirst produces a similar reaction in our body as hunger does. For instance, we get those grumbling and growling noises in the stomach or may start feeling dizzy or low on energy. In all probability, when we get the hunger feeling, we may not necessarily be hungry at all but that we’re actually thirsty! In fact, research shows that about 40% of people mistake thirst with hunger.

This confusion causes many people to overeat and put on those extra kilos. Therefore, it’s very essential to react wisely to save yourself from the extra load of calories. The best way to clear the confusion is, when you feel the hunger pangs creeping in an hour after a meal, rather than breaking into some snacks, drink a glass of water and hold on for 15 minutes as it might take that much time for the hypothalamus to send a signal to let the nervous system know that the body was just thirsty and that the thirst has been quenched. Then, you will not feel the need to eat and the growling and grumbling noises or the feeling of dizziness and weakness will be totally shooed away. In this way, you can also cut down on unwanted food intake/or unnecessary snacking which then gets stored as fat. But, if after 15 minutes you still feel hungry, then you ought to eat as you may be actually hungry.

Another interesting trick is that if you stay hydrated through the day, you won’t even get trapped in this cue-confusion dilemma. Because you know you have already satiated your thirst and you can be sure that the signals that you are getting are surely for hunger. I would say you must try both the experiments and check which one works the best for you. You see it’s absolutely essential to differentiate between the dilemma of thirst or hunger before we fall prey to overeating and gain weight.

We hope this article helps you differentiate between thirst or hunger. For more interesting articles on improving your health, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

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April 21, 2021 By Madhu Soni Leave a Comment

Dietary Sources Of Minerals For Clear Skin

minerals for clear skin Who doesn’t want a radiant, glowing and youthful complexion? Little do we know, our skin is like the blueprint of what goes inside the body, stress levels, sleep and lifestyle in general!

Clear skin is not just determined by the lotion and creams that one applies but is predominantly influenced by the food that we eat. Health experts in this field say that minerals play an important role, so we need to feed our skin inside out. Apart from vitamins A, C, E, K, these minerals have a tremendous power to provide clear and youthful skin. Minerals are like spark plugs which keep our engine running!

Some Important Minerals For Clear Skin

Most of us pay attention to vitamins but neglect these minerals which are required in very minimum quantities. A few of them include:

Selenium: has great antioxidant properties which help in protecting against the harsh UV rays. It supports skin elasticity and flexibility. It is also said to protect against skin cancer. Dietary sources: fish, brazilian nuts, chicken
Zinc: Having sufficient amounts of zinc in your diet helps in reducing the amount of oil production in the skin. Excess oil in the skin can support bacterial growth and infection and block the pores. Having 8-11 gm of zinc helps in having acne free skin. Zinc also helps in healing injuries. Dietary sources: almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds.
Magnesium: is such an important mineral that magnesium deficiency can speed up ageing. Fast food, aerated drinks and alcohol can leech the body of magnesium. This mineral is not only good for skin but hair, teeth and the bones as well. Dietary sources: buckwheat, barley, coconut, walnuts, beetroot green, spinach.
Calcium: Commonly known for stronger bones and teeth, it is equally essential in providing healthy skin too by aiding skin elasticity and firmness. Dietary sources: milk and milk products, sesame seeds, oranges, chickpeas, and nuts.
Copper: is like a catalyst which speeds up the production of the protein elastin which keeps the skin flexible. It also prevents skin pigmentation. Dietary sources: walnuts, Brazilian nuts, sunflower seeds, cashew nuts, mushroom and soybeans.

We hope this article helps you get that clear skin you’ve always wanted, naturally with the right nutrition. Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below. For more skincare tips, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

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