GOQii, Author at GOQii

March 16, 2020 By GOQii 2 Comments

7 Foods To Build Immunity Against the Coronavirus

With the Coronavirus pandemic consuming one victim after another, it has become increasingly important to protect ourselves against it. Apart from all of the other safety measures which we can take, including wearing a mask while traveling to crowded places, avoiding crowded places or washing our hands with soap at regular intervals, one should also focus on building their immunity. A good immune system can help you fight off any virus or infection. One of the best ways to build your immunity is nutrition but before we get into that, let’s understand what Immunity is.

What Is Immunity?

As the old adage goes, ‘Prevention is better than Cure’. Build a good immune system to prevent disease. The Immune system is an amazing protection mechanism situated inside every human body. It is designed to defend you against millions of bacteria, microbes, viruses, toxins and parasites that love to invade the body. To understand the power of the immune system, all that one needs to do is to look at what happens to a living being when it dies. This might sound gross but it does tell us all something very important about our immune system.

When something dies, its immune system (along with everything else) shuts down. In a matter of hours, the body is invaded by all sorts of bacteria, microbes, and parasites. None of these things are able to get in when the immune system is strong, but the moment the immune system stops, the door is wide open for diseases to breed. Once you die, it only takes a few weeks for these organisms to completely dismantle your body and carry it away, until all that’s left is a skeleton. So safely, one can conclude that a strong immune system keeps all of that dismantling from happening when one is alive.

The immune system is complex, intricate and interesting. And there are at least two good reasons for every individual to know more about it. First, it is just plain fascinating to understand where things like fever, hives, inflammation, etc. come from when they happen inside your own body. You also hear a lot about the immune system in the news as new parts of it are understood and new drugs come in the market — knowing about the immune system makes these news stories understandable.

Now that we have understood what the Immune System is, I would like to take you through how the immune system works and how the immune system can be boosted with a proper diet.

Foods That Can Help You Build Your Immune System

It takes at least more than an apple a day to keep the doctor away. One should ensure that your body and the immune system function smoothly by rounding out your food plate with plenty of colorful servings of fruits and veggies, plus 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, at the very least. The following ingredients can add that extra virus-fighting punch to your meal plan.

1. Yogurt
Probiotics, or the “live active cultures” found in Yogurts are the healthy bacteria that keep the gut and intestinal tract free of disease-causing germs, although they’re available in supplement form. A study from the University of Vienna in Austria found that a daily 7 ounce dose of yogurt was just as effective in boosting immunity as popping pills.

Your optimal dose: 2 servings of 150gm each in a day.

2. Oats and Barley
These grains contain beta-glucan, a type of fiber with antimicrobial and antioxidant capabilities more potent than Echinacea, reports a Norwegian study. When animals eat this compound, they’re less likely to contract influenza, herpes, even anthrax; in humans, it boosts immunity, speeds wound healing, and may help antibiotics work better.

Your optimal dose: At least one in your three daily servings of whole grains.

3. Garlic
This potent onion relative contains the active ingredient Allicin, which fights infection and bacteria. British researchers gave 146 people either a placebo or a garlic extract for 12 weeks; the garlic takers were two-thirds less likely to catch a cold. Other studies suggest that garlic lovers who chew more than six cloves a week have a 30 per cent lower rate of colorectal cancer and a 50 per cent lower rate of stomach cancer.

Your optimal dose: Two raw garlic cloves a day and add crushed garlic to your cooking several times a week.

4. Tea
People who drank 5 cups a day of black tea for 2 weeks had 10 times more virus-fighting interferon in their blood than others who drank a placebo hot drink, according to a Harvard study. The amino acid that’s responsible for this immune boost, L-theanine, is abundant in both black and green tea—decaf versions have it too.

Your optimal dose: Drink in moderation. Recommended 2 cups a day. To get more antioxidants from your tea bags, bob them up and down while you brew.

5. Fish
Selenium, plentiful in shellfish such as oysters, lobsters, crabs, and clams, helps white blood cells produce cytokines—proteins that help clear flu viruses out of the body. Salmon, mackerel, and herring are rich in omega-3 fats, which reduce inflammation, increasing airflow and protecting lungs from colds and respiratory infections.

Your optimal dose: Two servings a week (unless you’re pregnant or planning to be).

6. Mushrooms
For centuries, people around the world have turned to mushrooms for a healthy immune system. According to experts and several studies, mushrooms increase the production and activity of white blood cells, making them more aggressive. This is a good thing when you have an infection.

Your optimal dose: Shiitake, Maitake, and Reishi mushrooms appear to pack the biggest immunity punch; experts recommend at least ¼ ounce to an ounce a few times a day for maximum immune benefits. Add a handful to pasta sauce, or sauté with a little oil and add to eggs

7. Citrus Fruits :

When you catch a cold, it is recommended that we should have Vitamin C. as it helps build up your immune system. Vitamin C increases the production of white blood cells and these are key to fighting infections. Some popular citrus fruits include oranges, grapefruit, Kiwi and lemons. Because your body doesn’t produce or store it, you need daily vitamin C for continued health. Almost all citrus fruits are high in vitamin C. With such a variety to choose from, it’s easy to add a squeeze of this vitamin to any meal. Doctors have been recommending Vitamin C during this time of widespread infections

Your Optional Dose: Vitamin C supplement is recommended. But, before taking any supplement consult your doctor.

The above foods have proven to have boosted individuals’ immune system and produce more white cells in the body. Eat healthy and build your immune system. It will help you fight against all illnesses including the Coronavirus (COVID-19). So what are you waiting for? Get on the path of healthy eating and keep your immune system active and more energetic than ever.

For more tips and preventive measures against the Coronavirus, tune in to our experts on GOQii Play. Do leave your thoughts and queries in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

March 7, 2020 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Faith, Patience and Persistence – Kumarswamy Remala User Journey

What motivates you to push past your limits and achieve your goals? What drives you to stay active mile after mile? Is it determination? Is it a poster you read that charged you up? There may be many reasons such as building confidence, wanting to be there for your family and friends, the desire to live longer and healthier – but as we all know, motivation runs out as quickly as it comes. Determination without the right guidance is meaningless. But with the right guidance, faith in your coach, patience and persistence, anything is achievable. Don’t believe us? Ask our player Kumarswamy Remala.

Life Before GOQii

Kumarswamy Remala is a 33 year old working professional from Bangalore. Since childhood, he has been a complete foodie. However, to balance it out, he used to be very active. Cricket and badminton were his favorite in college. He even kept himself active intermittently after joining a workplace. In December 2015, he suffered a back injury which put a halt to all his physical activities for a while.

To add to this, he worked in rotational shifts which moved from morning shifts to late night shifts. This worsened his eating habits as pizzas, junk food and alcohol became a staple. His sweet tooth along with a penchant for trying different recipes added to his weight gain. He went from 80kg to slowly accumulating another 20-24kg over a period of time.

Motivation to Change and Joining GOQii

His health began taking a turn for the worse. He knew he had to change but the real motivation came through when his child was born in 2017. Kumarswamy Remala realized that he could not hold his child for a long time due to his back pain or even play with him due to his weight issues. This made him feel quite unhappy about himself and he finally decided to do something about it. He did not want to miss giving a 100% to his child. It was in 2019, approximately 6 months ago that one of his colleagues introduced him to GOQii.

Kumarswamy Remala Turns His Lifestyle Around!

After coming onboard GOQii, he began to strictly adhere to the habits set by his coach. His changes included:

Reducing rice intake. Although difficult, he managed to switch to less rice and began eating more salads for both meals. His plate now is 60% veggies!
Reduce the intake of sweets and consume natural sugars like dates, dark chocolate, etc.
Begin consuming plant protein powder supplements post-workout and chia seeds water to control the in-between hunger pangs.
Finish dinner before 9 during his night shift and just eat a fruit or muesli with milk if he feels hungry at night.
Drink ACV water in the morning to boost metabolism.
Get active for at least 5 days a week by working out in a gym.

Making the Shift!

Currently, Kumarswamy Remala weights 84kg. That’s a reduction of 16kg in a span of 6 months with GOQii. He says he feels really good about himself for having achieved his goal. He is able to concentrate on work better than before. In fact, he has begun pursuing his passion for badminton again as and when time permits and also enjoys spending time with his family like he couldn’t before!

He is thankful to his GOQii Coach for the inputs shared on portion control, suggestions and tips on how to eat healthy during his night shift and for sharing healthy recipes which appease the chef in him. He interacts with his coach regularly and logs his activities without fail every day. He purchases a lot of products from the GOQii Health Store, in fact, he purchases half his groceries from here. He has subscribed to GOQii Play coaches like Tufail Qureshi, Ronak Gajjar and Bhumika Uniyal for a mix of fitness and yoga.

In closing, he says that it is easy to manage your health when you have somebody guiding you at every step. He says this job is done extremely well by GOQii and all you need to do is have faith in your Coach, patience for results and be persistent in your efforts to achieve your goals!

We hope this story inspires you to get off that couch, Level Up and Get Active! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below.

#BeTheForce

March 6, 2020 By GOQii 6 Comments

Have You Tried The Raw Detox Diet? Try It Now!

I’ve always wondered what a raw detox diet is and how does one eat raw vegetables. Then, I found that a raw food detox diet is the dietary practice of eating only uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods. It can include raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouts, organic milk and organic milk yogurt. In India, most may not be comfortable with a long-term raw diet. However, including raw food in your diet as often as you can, definitely helps in detoxifying the system.

What is Detoxification?

It’s a way to recharge, rejuvenate, and renew your body. Detoxification can help you jump-start your body for a more active and healthier life. In our body, there is an ongoing process to remove the toxins which have been formed by the food we eat and also through the environment we are exposed to. Our body system is naturally designed to transform the toxins and excrete them out of the body. In order for this to happen naturally, our body should get a break from the regular exposure to processed foods, heavy diets, and environmental pollution.

Raw food is low in calories but contain good amounts of nutrients like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It also has high fiber content which eliminates toxins by managing bowel movement. The unhealthy diet has been the leading cause of headaches, fatigue, lack of concentration, feeling bloated, indigestion, bad breath, etc.

Including a raw diet will surely make you feel more fresh and energetic.

Remember to drink plenty of water when you are on a raw diet. It is the best detox food that you can have. Raw diet helps maintain your weight as well, it also saves your cooking time.

What Does a Raw Detox Diet Include?

Sprouts Salad: Sprouts provide good nutritious value and are easily digestible. They increase the vitamin and mineral content of the grain and decrease the carbohydrate and calorie content. Basically, any whole legume or grains can be sprouted. Some sprouts have a change in flavor after sprouting.

Avocado Salad: Avocado is a complete food with lots of nutrients. It is a very versatile fruit as it takes on both, sweet and savory taste, perfectly. It’s got a buttery texture and hence, can be used as a healthy substitute for butter with bread. This salad is very refreshing as an evening snack or as a side with roti. For those people under diet, this makes for a wonderful meal by itself.

Beetroot Pomegranate Juice: Pomegranates and beetroots, both contain good amounts of antioxidants and nutrients and are also rich in vitamin C. This colorful root vegetable contains powerful nutrient compounds that help protect against heart disease, birth defects, and certain cancers, especially colon cancer. Beetroot is well known for its blood purifying properties. Due to the rich iron content, it is said to be an indispensable cure for anemia.

Tricolour Fruit Salad (Orange/ Papaya + Kiwi/ Dragon Fruit/ Berries/Tomato’s + Cucumber/ Lichi/ Honeydew): These fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber and loaded with vitamins, minerals and water. It will help you to feel fresh and prevent any deficiencies of the same.

Cranberry Curds Salad: The possible health benefits of consuming cranberries include lowered risk of urinary tract infections, prevention of certain types of cancer, improved immune function, and decreased blood pressure.

Tender Coconut Smoothie: Tender coconut water is a natural, nutrient-rich isotonic drink. It is high in electrolytes, chlorides, potassium, and magnesium and has a moderate amount of sugar, sodium and protein. It’s also a good source of dietary fiber, manganese, calcium, riboflavin and vitamin C.

Cucumber Juice: Cucumbers contain multiple B vitamins, including vitamin B1, vitamin B5, and vitamin B7 (biotin). B vitamins are known to help ease feelings of anxiety and buffer some of the damaging effects of stress. Cucumbers are rich in two of the most basic elements needed for healthy digestion: water and fiber

Fresh Tomato Salads: As an excellent source of the strong antioxidant called Lycopene, vitamin C, and other antioxidants, tomatoes can help combat the formation of free radicals known to cause cancer.

Fresh Fig Salads: Figs are high in natural sugars, minerals, and soluble fiber. They are rich in minerals including potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and copper and are a good source of antioxidant vitamins A, E and K that contribute to health and wellness.

If you have never tried a raw food detox diet, now is the time. Give it a go and do let us know how it helps you! Before you begin any diet plan or try any of the above, do check with your doctor, nutritionist or dietitian in case you have any allergies. For more tips, guidance and queries on nutrition, interact with experts LIVE on GOQii Play.

#LevelUp your lifestyle and #BeTheForce!

February 28, 2020 By GOQii 2 Comments

12 Foods You Have Been Consuming The WRONG WAY

foods

With all the LIVE sessions on GOQii Play and interactions within the app, most of us have understood “what to eat” in order to get the necessary nutrition for our body. But, have you ever wondered “how to eat”? Sounds silly? But it is not. It’s a valid question. The way we eat says a lot about how the nutrients will be best available to our body. However, it could get tricky here. While some vitamins can be destroyed during the cooking process, a little bit of heating enhances the absorption of certain nutrients.

You must have also heard your coach or diet expert say that eating foods in certain combinations enhances the absorption of various nutrients. To help you out, we’ve made a list of proper ways to consume these top 12 foods and beverages!

12 Foods You’ve Been Consuming The Wrong Way

1. Tomatoes: Cooking tomatoes makes them more nutritious and the longer you cook them, the better it is. Heat changes the “lycopene” present in them to a form our bodies can readily absorb. So you can either soup it up or cook tomatoes into pasta sauce and omelettes to benefit from its antioxidant, cancer fighting, bad cholesterol lowering properties in a full blown way.

2. Boiling Vegetables: Boiling vegetables is a no-no because water soluble vitamins like Vitamin C leach out and drain into the water. Moreover, it reduces the antioxidant content. This phenomenon is especially noticeable in Spinach. Of course, if you are going to consume the liquid when making soups, it’s a different thing. Steaming, roasting, sautéing methods of cooking result in more nutritious vegetables on your plate.

3. Going Absolutely FAT-FREE with Vegetable Juices/Salads: You can absorb more nutrients from your salads/green juices when you consume them with a wee-bit of fat because most nutrients in them are fat-soluble (Vitamin A, D, E, K). But, the type of fat can make a difference. For salads skip the mayo and instead, add cold pressed coconut oil, olive oil, avocados, egg yolks, nuts and seeds. For green juices, add a teaspoon of coconut oil for enhanced absorption.

4. Garlic: Unlike Vitamin C, Allicin is an enzyme found in garlic that benefits from exposure to air. If you mince it and quickly throw it in a pan, you are doing it wrong! This enzyme is not activated unless the cell walls are ruptured. Crush/Press those garlic pods instead of mincing. Let it sit for 10 minutes before exposing it to heat so that your finished dish contains maximum amount. With activated Allicin, you get to benefit from its anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal , anti-viral , anti-bacterial and cholesterol lowering properties.

5. Whole Grains, Beans & Pulses: Have you ever noticed how cloudy and dull the water gets once you soak your grains, beans or pulses in it? Well, it’s because of the presence of Phytates – the compound that binds the vitamins/minerals in the food and prevents them from being absorbed by the body. Soaking them overnight releases the phytates and you get the maximum amount of iron and zinc. Not only that! Soaking them overnight in warm water and then cold for 24 hours followed by cooking them negates the effect of gas formation. So you don’t end up feeling “gassy”.

6. Flaxseeds: If you have been sprinkling a spoonful of these into your morning smoothie or onto your yogurt snack, you have been doing it wrong! Our bodies are not capable of digesting “whole” flaxseeds and excrete them as it is. In order to reap benefits from these pods, chew them properly. You can either consume them raw or immediately after slightly roasting them. Even flaxseed meal (powdered) works, but make sure its consumption is immediate.

7. Yogurt : There are 2 points to consider:

i. If you have been draining away the watery fluid floating atop your yogurt, you’re actually draining away all your whey protein. Apart form Whey, it also contains Vitamin B12, Calcium and Phosphorus. Give your yogurt a quick stir to retain all its benefits .

ii. If you think you are going to get “probiotic” benefits out of yogurt by cooking a hot dish that involves yogurt based gravy or marination, you’re not going to. Most live/active cultures (the “healthy bacteria” in them) can’t stand heat and will be destroyed in the cooking process. While you will be getting the Protein, Calcium and Vitamin D, “probiotic” benefit is something that will be missed out .

8. Carrots: Cook, then cut. Cooking whole carrots and cutting them after they are cooked keeps more nutrients intact. Carrot is one vegetable (tomato is a fruit) that is better if cooked as heat breaks down its cell walls.

9. Broccoli: If you have been boiling, frying, overcooking or even over-steaming broccoli florets, then we have some bad news for you. Too much cooking destroys the enzyme that turns a chemical called glucosinolates into cancer fighting agents. Even if you are steaming them, make sure you do it only for 2-3 minutes.

10. Strawberries: Just 1 serving of these berries takes care of half of your daily Vitamin C requirement. However, if you have been cutting your berries prior to eating them, you’re missing out on your Vitamin C. The vitamins in strawberries begin to breakdown when exposed to light and oxygen (unlike Allicin). So eat them whole and if you want to store them, deep freeze! Cool temperatures help them retain their Vitamin C.

11. Citrus Fruits: Do you throw away the lemon or orange peels? These citrus peels contain 4 times more fibre and disease fighting flavonoids than the fruit itself. If you’re thinking how you can consume the peels, here’s what you do:

Grate peels just like you do with cheese and store in the freezer. Use them for recipes that call for lemon ‘zest’.
Add peels to a pitcher of water for an effective detox.
Marinate your meats, cottage cheese, fish with your own citrus rub.

12. Tea: Now, we have been drinking tea more than ever. Do you enjoy your tea with milk? There’s a downside to this. Milk proteins bind with Catechin in tea, making it difficult for your body to absorb this beneficial compound. So, tea no longer turns out to be a heart healthy drink. Plus, the excess amount of sugar which some people add only makes things worse. So just sip on some nice black or herbal tea without adding anything to it!

So try all of the above and #LevelUp your nutrition. We hope these tips help you extract the most amount of vitamins and minerals from your food. Which one of these facts left you surprised? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

7 Foods To Build Immunity Against the Coronavirus

What Is Immunity?

Foods That Can Help You Build Your Immune System

Faith, Patience and Persistence – Kumarswamy Remala User Journey

Life Before GOQii

Motivation to Change and Joining GOQii

Kumarswamy Remala Turns His Lifestyle Around!

Making the Shift!

Have You Tried The Raw Detox Diet? Try It Now!

What is Detoxification?

What Does a Raw Detox Diet Include?

12 Foods You Have Been Consuming The WRONG WAY

12 Foods You’ve Been Consuming The Wrong Way

Faith, Patience and Persistence – Kumarswamy Remala User Journey

The Secret To Good Health Which Helped Vijay Prabudevan Make a Positive Change

GOQii Trail Challenge Heroes: Give Up on Shankar Sabadi Giving Up!

“If I Can Do It, So Can You!” – Namrata Shukla User Journey!