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Healthy Eating: Schezwan Dosa

schezwan dosa

Most of us are avoiding that delectable street food thanks to the monsoons. But, what can we do in those tiny moments of weakness when we crave it more during the rains? It’s only natural to feel this way after braving the scorching summer heat and facing the drop in temperature which makes our body crave for some nice warm, cozy, comfort food. While it may sound like a legitimate reason to indulge, let’s keep in mind that it needs to be healthy too! So here’s a mouthwatering street food recipe with a healthy twist – let’s learn to make some Schezwan Dosa! 

What You Will Need 

For Dosa:

  • Semolina – ½ cup 
  • Rice Flour – ½ cup 
  • Multigrain flour – ½ cup 
  • Curd – 1 cup 
  • Flaxseed powder – 1 tbsp 
  • Salt to taste 
  • Schezwan sauce – 2 tbsp 
  • Oil for cooking

For Stuffing: 

  • Oil – 2 tsp 
  • Chopped garlic – 1 tsp 
  • Spring onion – ¼ cup 
  • Carrot – ¼ cup 
  • Cabbage and capsicum – thin juliennes 
  • Schezwan sauce – 1 tbsp 
  • Salt to taste 
  • Lemon juice – 1 tsp 
  • Chopped Coriander – ¼ cup 

How To Prepare the Schezwan Dosa

  1. First, grind the Semolina into fine powder. 
  2. Now mix the rice flour, semolina powder, multigrain flour, flaxseed powder and curd together. 
  3. Whisk it and make a pouring consistency batter adding water. 
  4. Keep it aside for 15-20 minutes. Then add salt and whisk the batter once more.
  5. For the stuffing, heat oil in a pan and add all the vegetables along with salt. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. 
  6. Now add the schezwan sauce and lemon juice. Turn the gas off and cover the pan for 2 minutes.
  7. For the dosa, first heat a dosa tawa and spread a ladle full batter. Spread it over to get a round dosa. 
  8. Let it cook till the edges get light golden brown. 
  9. Now spread some schezwan sauce over the dosa and put the vegetable stuffing over it.
  10. By this time, the dosa is crispy and golden brown. Sprinkle some freshly chopped coriander leaves and fold the dosa over. 
  11. Serve hot with any sauce or chutney of your choice.

We’re sure you’ll enjoy this tasty, nutritious and delicious fusion of South Indian and Chinese cuisine, bringing back some of your fondest monsoon memories without compromising your health. Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below! 

For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

You can also purchase some nutrient-rich Schezwan Sauce from the GOQii Health Store within the GOQii app for a discount using your GOQii Cash! 

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Nikita Jain Battles A Rare Condition & Wins With The Right Coaching

Nikita Jain

The pandemic wasn’t easy on a lot of us. The entire lockdown, coupled with social distancing and movement restriction impacted a lot of people in different ways. A unique problem that one of our players Nikita Jain suffered from was Vocal Cord Dysfunction – a condition which was latent in her till the lockdown. Nikita Jain says that due to her location, her house gets less sunlight and ventilation. The need to stay indoors always along with the paranoia of contracting an infection if she stepped outside, aggravated her stress, causing panic attacks and breathlessness which was eventually diagnosed as Vocal Cord Dysfunction (VCD). 

When she consulted her local doctor, he assumed it was asthma and put her on a nebulizer. She did experience some relief, however, it was only for a short while. Later in August 2020, she consulted an Asthma and Allergy Specialist who diagnosed it as VCD and prescribed medication and some breathing exercises. Around the same time, she happened to see GOQii’s Brand Ambassador Akshay Kumar talk about the GOQii Smart Vital on YouTube. She then decided to buy a tracker and took a 3-month coaching subscription. 

Start of the Journey 

In their first conversation, her coach Mamta Joshi understood everything about her medical condition and lifestyle in general. Then she calmly explained the need to adopt healthy eating habits and minor modifications in her current diet. She introduced small tweaks in her meal pattern like reducing intake of carbs like roti and rice and switching them with protein sources. She started with fruits and salads which were not a part of her diet until then. She also started including soaked nuts and jeera water upon waking up. 

She used to skip breakfast all the time, which her coach said was not advisable. Every habit was inculcated slowly one by one so that she was able to follow them without difficulty. Nikita Jain rarely indulged in any physical activity apart from normal household chores. Her GOQii Coach asked her to start with yoga and meditation for a few mins every day. She regularly watches live GOQii Play sessions and follows Ronak Gajjar for meditation, Sheetal Tiwari for yoga and Mukesh Morwall for nutrition tips. 

She was also experiencing a lot of back pain and ankle pain which has magically disappeared after practicing some stretches and yoga every day. The coach also suggested an oil concoction for her ankle pain which helped her a lot. 

Transformation and Leveling Up! 

Nikita Jain says that the major transformation in her is in terms of her energy levels. There is no lethargy whatsoever and she is able to stay active throughout the day. She doesn’t feel any weakness or pain nowadays which helps her stay happy and peaceful. 

She says, “Coach Mamta has brought back the smile on my face which was missing before and which was sorely missed by my family. More than me, it’s my Dad who is eager to see all my meal intake updated on the app for the coach to see and check if they are good enough.” 

She enjoys Coach Arooshi Garg’s cooking sessions on GOQii Play and tried the recipes from the sessions at home. Being a housewife, she used to cook before too but now she cooks not just tasty but nutritious food as well. So it isn’t just her who benefited from the GOQii Coaching Subscription but her entire family on all levels. 

What Does Coach Mamta Have To Say About Her Player Nikita Jain? 

Nikita joined GOQii with a goal to get relief from a rare kind of health issue that developed during lockdown. She experienced some rare and abnormal complications such as paralysis of the left side of her body, stretched arms and limbs, intolerable body pain, breathlessness and excessive sensitivity to smell.

In our first discussion, I read her plight in her withered voice .She was intensely insecure about her future too. After some evaluation, I figured it was her disconnection with nature and to get her back to it might be the only possible solution. So we planned habits like getting some indoor plants, keeping doors/windows open during the day, soaking in sunlight on the building terrace, plus an oil massage for pain relief, breathing exercise/meditation for stress management and gradually the results started appearing. She started eating a healthy, well-balanced diet and her energy levels/stamina improved. From an almost bedridden state, she now exercises 1.5 hours a day.

I am glad she mustered the courage and will to not only tackle the problems head on but overcome them as well. Though it was an uphill battle, she won! Her stress levels have gone down, she clocks in 10,000 steps daily, has lost some weight , got in shape and the journey is still going on! The best thing about Nikita is that she never took any of my suggestions lightly and always adhered to them religiously. She honestly updated and acknowledged me about her condition and progress logs from time to time. And the result is a big victory in a short span of time.

Does Nikita Jain’s Health Story inspire you to begin yours? Then subscribe for GOQii’s Personalized coaching now and get the right guidance and motivation to achieve your health goals! Subscribe here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

For more inspiring stories, check out Healthy Reads. 

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More Common Reasons For Not Losing Belly Fat

more common mistakes for not losing belly fatIn my previous article, we looked at some common mistakes for not losing belly fat. In this part, we’re going to go over some more reasons which make it difficult for an individual to lose belly fat. As mentioned before, losing belly fat that has accumulated over the years is no easy feat and these habits make the journey even more difficult. Let’s look at them!

Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Belly Fat 

  1. Lack of sleep: Sleep deprivation or disturbed sleep not only adds on to physical and mental stress, but also affects your choice of food items i.e. you end up eating junk/carbs when you are unable to sleep at night. The ideal procedure of fat loss, growth and development actually takes place when you are in deep sleep. I think now you can relate why people with high stress levels tend to gain weight day by day even when their portions are controlled. Sleeping for 6-8 hours daily is very important.
  2. Starvation: In my practice as a dietician, I have come across a lot of people who starve themselves to lose weight, most importantly, belly fat. It is one of the worst things that you can do to your body. The first thing that your body does when it has access to food post a long gap is to store all the calories in the form of fat and spend the least for various functions of the body as well as for other activities. Small frequent meals and not keeping your body starved for long hours will really help improve metabolism.
  3. Consuming fruits at night or post meals: Most people think that eating fruits at night is healthy and light. But, the fact is that fruits are a rich source of carbohydrates and supply constant energy. We are neither that active at night nor is our metabolism good post sunset. Thus, all the unused calories get stored in the body in the form of fat. With regards to having fruits with/post meals, it increases the carbohydrate load of the meal and all the excess and unused carbs is converted into fat. It is better to consume fruits as a mid meal snack before sunset or a great option to start your day to boost your metabolism.
  4. Sweets/Dessert post meals: Sweets such as ice-cream, pudding, cake or chocolates are sugar laden. Eating them after a meal is quite a bad idea as it leads to more fat deposition. That doesn’t mean you should not enjoy sweets and desserts. You can enjoy them as a mid meal snack. If you manage to have it during the first half of the day, nothing like it. If you are a person who cannot do without sweets post meals, opt for a piece of more than 70% dark chocolate, a small piece of jaggery, chikki made of jaggery and nuts or squeezed rasgulla.
  5. Dehydration: Consuming less water/fluids or increased consumption of caffeinated drinks like tea, coffee, pepsi, coke, etc. leads to dehydration of cells. In the state of dehydration, the cells and organs cannot function at their optimal level and metabolism falls. This aids in less energy utilization for various functions of the body and the unused energy or calories get converted into fat, which are generally stored in the belly region. When you drink less water, all the toxins that are present within the body do not get flushed out of the system and affect some functions of the organs like the liver, kidney, heart and other muscles which further reduces metabolism and effective calorie consumption of the body. This increases the conversion of excess energy into fats. Consuming at least 2.5- 3L of water and choosing fluids like lemon water, vegetable juices, buttermilk, and coconut water over caffeinated drinks, will help you hydrate and rejuvenate your cells.

While you might be making these common mistakes without realizing that they’re harming you, you now have a better idea of what needs to be done! After making these small changes to your life, you can bring about a great difference within you and work towards your health goals.

We hope this article helps you on your journey to losing belly fat and maintaining healthy weight. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

For more articles on weight loss, check out Healthy Reads or get the right advice, tailored to your goals, from an expert, by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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How To Correct Your Posture At Work

Correct your posture

You must have heard that sitting is the new smoking. You might have also started experiencing this in your life since the pandemic, where you might have been inactive and sitting in front of the laptop for long hours. People are getting more backaches and cervical issues due to long sitting hours, majorly due to bad posture. While you may not be able to swap your job to lead an active lifestyle, there is one thing that you can start doing right now and that is correct your posture, especially while sitting. 

How Can You Correct Your Posture? 

Good posture is when your muscles and ligaments that support your back and neck have to bear the least amount of strain while sitting. Besides standing and walking as much as possible, and taking a few breaks from sitting at the desk, the next best thing one can do is to have an excellent sitting posture.

  1. The very first step to find and correct your posture is to adjust your desk height for your eyes to look ahead on your computer screen without the need of flexing your neck to see your work. 
  2. Your ears should be in the same line as your shoulder which means no leaning forward. 
  3. Roll and pull back your shoulders to avoid protracting your shoulders. 
  4. Your feet should be flat on the floor. Neither tucked under the chair, nor stretched out too far away in front of you. Do not cross your legs either. 
  5. Your weight should be evenly spread over both of the hips & lower back. The buttocks should touch the back of the chair.
  6. Natural back curve should be maintained all the time. One can also place a rolled-up towel or lumbar roll.
  7. Your knees should be bent at a 90 degree angle or can be slightly higher than hip level. You can also place a low stool below your feet.

Some Additional Tips 

  • While sitting in a chair that rolls or pivots, rather than twisting at the waist, turn the whole body to prevent any jerks.
  • When standing up from a chair, first move to the front of the chair and then stand up by straightening your legs.
  • Try to avoid sitting for longer hours at a stretch in the same position.
  • Keep frequently used objects within close reach.
  • Keep the keyboard in the right position so as to leave a gap of 4-6 inch between the edge of the keyboard and the table so your wrists can rest while you type something.

Long Term Approach 

Knowing what’s right is definitely the first step if you want to improve your posture, but this is not a one time thing. It does take work and dedication on a regular basis along with some lifestyle changes to improve your posture in the long run. 

  • When you walk, stand, sit or run, make sure you are practicing good posture. If you notice that you are slouching or returning to old bad posture, correct your alignment right away.
  • If you are carrying around some extra weight, try to shed that as having the right body weight for height can do a lot to improve your posture.
  • Practice stretching regularly to ease up stiffness in the muscles that develop due to staying in the same posture for a long time, whether it’s prolonged standing or sitting.
  • Make strengthening exercises a part of your routine as it will improve muscle power to fight gravity and keep you upright in proper posture.

We hope this article will help you correct your posture. Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below! For more tips, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalised health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce 

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