Search Results for: nutrition

June 2, 2022 By GOQii 5 Comments

How You Can Manage Stress With Nutrition!

Stress and nutrition have always been linked – it’s a fact that has been in existence for years. It’s no rocket science to realize that someone with a healthy and balanced diet is likely to be far less stressed than someone with a poor diet.

Stress has become a common factor in one’s life. Various factors such as pressures from home or work, some unforeseen circumstances or situations completely beyond our control that lead to stress. What’s even more common is that while stressed, people tend to eat. This involves a lot of comfort food like macaroni and cheese, pizza, and ice cream.

All these high-fat foods are usually the worst possible choices because they can make us feel lethargic and unable to deal with stress. To add to this, stress can drive up our blood pressure and raise serum cholesterol levels, wreaking havoc on our arteries and increasing risk of heart attacks.

Best solution? Low-fat, high-fiber, carbohydrate-rich meals with plenty of fruits and vegetables. They soothe us without sapping our energy and give us the nutrients we need to boost our immune system.

Which Foods Help You Manage Stress?

Water: It hydrates a person, makes one more energetic and less stressed!
Asparagus: I know, these slender stalks are known to make your urine smell funny, but they are high in folate, which is essential for keeping your cool
Avocados: These creamy fruits stress proof your body. Rich in glutathione, a substance that specifically blocks intestinal absorption of certain fats that cause oxidative damage, avocados also contain lutein, beta-carotene, Vitamin E and more folate than any other fruit.
Berries: Blueberries have some of the highest levels of antioxidants known as anthocyanin and they have been linked to all kinds of positive health outcomes, including sharper cognition. But, all berries, including strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are rich in vitamin C which has been shown to be helpful in combating stress.
Chocolate: besides the healthy antioxidants in this treat which push chocolate to the top of most heart-healthy food lists, Chocolate also has an undeniable link to mood but, moderation is key to it.
Green tea: has an amino acid called theanine. This slimming food is a brain booster as well as enhances mental performance.
Oatmeal: a complex carbohydrate, Oatmeal causes your brain to produce serotonin, a feel-good chemical.
Fresh fruits and vegetables: Vegetables have high fiber content, which is helpful in treating constipation -another long term effect of stress. Fresh fruits and vegetables provide an array of vitamins and minerals that are great for reducing stress.
Fish: such as Mackerel contain Omega fatty acids, which are extremely good for the heart and can protect you from heart diseases. Fish also contains choline – a great memory booster.
Yoghurts: provide minerals including calcium, essential to maintain well functioning nerve impulses.
Herbal Products: Herbal items such as Dandelion, Chamomile, and Passion flower to name a few, relax both the body and mind.

Having said the above, there are certain foods and drinks that can aggravate stress. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you should avoid some of them completely but, it is advised that you consume them in moderation.

Foods That May Trigger Stress

Tea, coffee, cocoa, energy drinks: These drinks contain neuro-stimulators like caffeine and theobromine, which are proven to heighten stress.
Fast foods and takeaways: contain high levels of protein, fats and carbohydrates that don’t contain vital minerals and vitamins, which in turn induce stress.
Sugar: Stress causes an increase in blood glucose levels, which can in turn lead to a higher risk of developing diabetes.
Soda, Alcohol, soft drinks and chocolate drinks: The high level of carbon dioxide and sugars in beverages can aggravate stress. Soft drinks need to be considered as an unnecessary addition to your diet.

So before you go in to grab that cold aerated beverage or have a cheesy burger to relieve your stress, think twice and instead go for the healthier food options suggested above!

We hope this article helps you manage stress with nutrition! For more tips to help you manage stress better, check out Healthy Reads or ask an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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February 19, 2022 By Shivani Dalvi 1 Comment

Is Quinoa Really Worth The Nutritional Hype?

With the rise in awareness about the right food for good health, people are changing what they eat. New foods or superfoods specifically, are added to the everyday routine foods to get an add on benefit. One such highly popular or highly trending food is “Quinoa” (pronounced as keen-wah)

What is Quinoa?

It is a pseudo-grain but because of its nutritional resemblance to grains, it is considered as a grain. If we look at its source, it is a seed available from the Chenopodium Quinoa Plant. It was widely produced only in South America and the Incas used to call it “the mother of all grains”.

In the year 2013, it was named “The International Year of Quinoa” by the UN because of its valuable qualities and potential to fight world hunger.

Is It Really Worth Including In Our Meals?

The answer is yes and there are several reasons for it.

Quinoa is non-GMO and a naturally gluten-free grain
It is one such plant-based food exception that it is a complete protein: a complete protein means where all the essential amino acids are present which the body cannot produce until we feed it through food. It specifically contains lysine, methionine and cysteine amino acids which generally all plant-based protein food lacks
High antioxidant and inflammation reducing capacity: It contains flavonoids like quercetin and kaempferol which help in acting as an antioxidant, anti-viral, anti-cancer and anti-depressant
Fibre-rich grain source: 17-27gm of fibre is found in 1 cup of Quinoa (185gm approximately) which is a lot more as compared to other grains, which helps in reducing the total fat/lipid percentage in the body
Helps in Improving Blood Sugar Control: One definitely because of its fibre-protein content and another because it contains compounds that inhibit alpha-glucosidase, one of the enzymes involved in digesting carbohydrates, resulting in the delayed breakdown of carbohydrates and hence slow release of sugar in the blood
Because of its high magnesium content (1 cup cooked quinoa can provide one-third of daily requirement), it is recommended to have it often to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
Helps in reducing weight: As Quinoa is high in fibres, proteins and has a low glycemic index, it can make one feel fuller for a longer time, reducing frequent hunger pangs
The nutritional content of one cup of cooked quinoa is 222 calories and 4 grams of fat; with 39 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fibre and 8 grams of protein

Quinoa also contains few anti-nutrients like saponins, phytic acid and oxalates. However, they do not affect health when cooked properly. It can be used as a replacement for any grain like rice, or can be added to cold salads, soups, sprouts, etc. Click here for some interesting recipes you can try using Quinoa.

We hope this article on Quinoa helps you! Do share your thoughts in the comments below! To learn more about grains, food and healthy eating in general, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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January 25, 2022 By Karishma Khot 2 Comments

7 Nutrition Tips For A Healthy Winter

Everyone likes the drop in temperature, hill station vacations, sitting around the bonfire while barbecuing delicious food, but do we really enjoy the cold and flu? Drying of our skin? Getting viral infections? And then the never ending consumption of cough syrups? The Winter season is one of cool breeze as well as the season of cold and flu, and to accompany it, we also have the ongoing Covid pandemic, which has the same symptoms to be tested positive. Hence, it is more important to take care of ourselves this year, and avoid getting any viral fevers, cold and flu. To help you with it, I have some healthy nutrition tips for you this Winter.

7 Nutrition Tips For a Healthy Winter

Keep a check on your water intake: The most common negligence we do in winters is that we tend to forget to drink enough water. As the temperatures are down, we often do not drink water and consume it only while gulping down food. This leads to dehydration in the body, and further damages our skin, leaving a major impact on our bowel movements, due to which most of the time we are constipated. Make sure to drink at least 3-4 liters of water per day.
Build your immunity: Common cold & flu are 2 symptoms, which you will get quite often in the winter season. So the best thing will be following a healthy routine daily, so as to keep them at bay. Try drinking Saunth (dry ginger water), every alternate day just before you sleep or anytime once in a day. As dry ginger/Saunth has a bioactive compound called as Gingerol, which is anti-inflammatory and has other medicinal properties as well.
Avoid overeating: In winter as the temperatures are low, we always tend to overeat, consume hot and spicy meals, eat fried snacks, etc. All we know is the winter makes us hungry, but we need to realise that they also make us put on weight. Issues of bloating, gas and constipation take a toll on our health. To avoid this, we should not indulge in all the cravings. Instead, to beat the cold weather, we should consume hot soups, warm khichdi, seasonal green leafy veggies, and healthy homemade snacks like steamed muthiya’s, sprouts poha, idlis, and many more.
Restrict caffeine: Drinking tea/coffee every 2 hours to keep the body warm is not a good idea. We not only increase our sugar intake but also our caffeine intake. Caffeine leads to dehydration in the body, and as in winter we already have a tough time meeting our water intake, drinking caffeinated beverages will harm us further. In that case, we can consume antioxidant rich and caffeine free Green tea’s. Drinking or sipping on Green tea, turmeric water, cinnamon water, and herbal teas will also be a great deal.
Go seasonal: It is also advisable to eat things which are in season, as they are found in abundance. Bioavailability of the nutrients is high, and helps us with the essential vitamins and minerals as well. So winter season belongs to berries like strawberries, mulberries, blueberries and fruits like oranges, chiku, plums, guava. Green leafy vegetables and root vegetables as well. So snacking on a roasted sweet potato for your evening snack will be a great thing.
Consume superfoods to stay warm: There are a variety of ingredients or to be more precise, many dried foods and spices, which keep our body warm from the inside. Including these while cooking our food is definitely going to keep us warm from the inside. These ingredients include anjeer, figs, dates, sesame seeds, cinnamon, peppercorn, garlic, cloves, ginger, saunth and star anise.
Say no to processed: In the fast moving world, we often tend to have packaged soups, as they are more easy to make than actually chopping veggies and making it fresh. However, these packaged foods are high in preservatives and additives, which are very unhealthy for us. Instead of using them, try blending fresh veggies and make a healthy meal for yourself.

We hope these nutrition tips help you have a healthy winter! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more on staying healthy during Winter, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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January 20, 2022 By Swati Savla Leave a Comment

Nutrition Guidelines For Seniors During Winter

Maintaining immunity during winter is imperative, especially for seniors. It’s quite crucial to take care of their nutritional needs as they face the greatest risk of cold and flu viruses and issues like joint pain, hypothermia (which may also lead to stroke or heart attack), dry skin, aggravation of asthmatic attacks or respiratory problems. With this pandemic, seasonal challenges are all the more exacerbated. So, let’s look at some nutrition guidelines for seniors during winter!

Nutrition Guidelines For Seniors

Some daily dietary nourishment tips that can help seniors tackle common winter problems include:

Omega 3 fatty acids: Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds and avocado are some excellent sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are beneficial in reducing inflammation especially in arthritis, curbing heart disease and they also play a role in cognitive development in elderly.
Seasonal fruits and vegetables like all the leafy greens, berries, citrus fruits, root vegetables like beetroot, carrots and sweet potatoes. All of these are high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber which help easing the bowels.
Winters mean less exposure to the sun which may be a reason for Vit.D deficiency and impaired calcium absorption which affects bone health further. Hence, Vit.D fortified cereals, egg yolk, milk and milk products need to be a part of the diet regularly.
The cold climate leads to less water intake due to the urge to urinate frequently which can act as a hindrance to our elders to maintain optimal fluid intake. Inclusion of warm soups, decaffeinated beverages, warm milk, vegetable juices, citrus fruits and gourd vegetables help them in maintaining the hydration status. A well hydrated body aids good digestion, helps in transport of nutrients and also improves the performance of joints and muscles.
Habituate elders to have 5-6 small but frequent meals. It is essential for improving metabolism, regulating insulin levels and improving calorie intake in older individuals who face a diminished appetite.

Apart from good nutrition, maintaining some basic physical activity within the vicinity of the house is equally important to reduce joint pains and muscle stiffness by improving blood flow to all parts of the body and aiding better digestion and good metabolism.

We hope these nutrition guidelines for seniors during winter helps you take care of the elderly in your family and around you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more on healthy living for senior citizens, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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