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About Jyoti Kumawat

Jyoti Kumawat believes that life is a gift, which must be pampered with heartfelt, genuine efforts. With a Masters in Food and Nutrition, Certified Clinical and Sports Nutritionist and Diabetes Educator, Jyoti has experience in the field of fitness, nutrition and lifestyle management. Her approach to fitness is unique and as lifestyle coach she can help you plan your health and fitness goals and ensure that you achieve them within the set timelines. Jyoti is not all work, she loves to indulge in physical activities such as Dance, Zumba, Aerobics, Yoga, Aqua Exercises including skating and cycling.

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Heal yourself with the magic of “MUSIC THERAPY”

musik

There is nothing more soothing than music. If you’re stressed, tired or unable to sleep, listening to music can make you feel better almost immediately. This effect is a type of Music Therapy.

The concept of music therapy is not new, especially in India. Music has long been an integral part of Ayurveda, the holistic science promoting a happy and healthy lifestyle. The Vedas, particularly the Samveda, are rich in music mantras and ragas.

Great composers of Indian classical music have practiced music therapy for centuries. It is even said that the classical music maestro Thyagaraja brought a dead person back to life with his composition.

How does it work?

Music stimulates the pituitary gland, which in turn affects the nervous system and the blood flow. Healing with music is believed to work by vibrating the cells of the body, which can effectively change a person’s consciousness and promote health.

Personally, I love music and have always considered it my medicine. Whether I am stressed or confused, music always gives me the right direction. Having experienced a lot of positivity through Music, I wanted to share how music can be a positive healer.

The Power of Music Therapy

Music therapy uses music and sounds to:

  • Help express emotions
  • Cope with symptoms of a disease and its treatment
  • Improve emotional and physical well being
  • Develop self-confidence and self-esteem
  • Re-kindle a sense of creativity
  • Help relax and feel comfortable

You don’t need to have musical expertise to benefit from music therapy. The technique consists of various interventions and planned programs that vary depending on the situation. The type of music is important—soothing music, ragas, relaxing music, and motivational music all have different effects.

Types of Interventions:

A typical music therapy session may include different interventions, which can be grouped into four types:

  1. Performing/Playing: This can include singing or playing an instrument
  2. Composing: This includes any group or individual songwriting process, which can be simple or complex as needed
  3. Improvising: Creating music on the spot or in the moment
  4. Receiving/Listening: This can include a music and relaxation experience, a lyric analysis intervention, or a “moving to music” experience, such as gait training

A “typical” music therapy session may incorporate multiple interventions or just one long, in-depth one. The key is that each intervention is designed to target a specific therapeutic goal and objective.

Benefits of Music Therapy :

The right kind of music helps one relax and refresh. Even while working, light music can improve efficiency. It helps control negative aspects of our personalities like worry, bias, and anger, and can help cure headaches, abdominal pain, and tension. Music therapy is one of the most effective ways of controlling emotions, blood pressure, and restoring liver function. It can also reduce insomnia, schizophrenia, and epilepsy.

Here are some additional benefits:

  1. Coping with work-related stress
  2. Enhancing social skills in children with autism
  3. Symptom management in cancer care
  4. Treatment of tension headaches
  5. Promoting health and wellness
  6. Helping people undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy
  7. Providing physical and psychological support for people with cancer
  8. Assisting people at the end of life
  9. Alleviating cancer pain
  10. Supporting children and young people
  11. Reducing stress
  12. Improving parent-child interactions
  13. Encouraging conversation among people with middle to late-stage Alzheimer’s disease

Music therapy is a powerful tool for healing and improving well-being. Whether you are dealing with stress, health issues, or just need a way to relax, music can be a wonderful companion and healer.

I would like to end this blog with a quote:

“If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC”

― Kurt Vonnegut

We hope this article has enlightened you on the incredible healing power of music therapy. If you have any personal experiences with music therapy or have questions, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

#BeTheForce

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Yogurt: The miracle food

It is middle of summer and the temperature is rising day by day. It is during this season that you need foods that keep you cool. The one such miraculous food is ‘Yogurt’. It’s miraculous only because it does miracles to our health. Yogurt is one of the Functional foods which posses’ special functions to human health. Let’s understand why it is a miracle food?

Let us understand the nutritional benefits and contents of yogurt. Yogurt is made from milk and therefore one can get a dose of animal protein (about 9 grams per 6-ounce serving), plus several other nutrients found in dairy foods, like Calcium, Vitamin B-2, Vitamin B-12, Potassium, and Magnesium are in Yoghurt.

Yogurt is also a “probiotic.” Probiotics are “friendly bacteria” that are naturally present in the digestive system. Live strains of these “good bacteria” are also found in many yogurt products.

Potential benefits of Yoghurt:-

1: Yogurt May Help in the Gut Health –

Yoghurt helps in controlling certain gastrointestinal conditions, including lactose intolerance, constipation, diarrheal diseases, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, Helicobacter pylori infection, and allergies. Yogurt is a boon to patients with these conditions and have benefitted because of innate immunity response created by yogurt and improvement of healthy bacteria in GI tract.

2: Yogurt Boosts the Immune System (including gastrointestinal and respiratory infections) –

Yogurt makes us strong by providing immunity. Given the right circumstances, eating yogurt may help protect the intestinal tract. As a result, yogurt has great potential as a protective, anti-infection agent. Increased yogurt consumption might help increase one’s resistance to immune-related diseases such as cancer and infection, particularly gastrointestinal infection. So we have the power to increase the immunity in such conditions. Why not opt for one cup everyday during your snacks time to stay away from these conditions.

3: Yogurt may help Prevent Osteoporosis – 

If you’re suffering from postmenopausal osteoporosis, consuming a little cup of yogurt each day can make a big difference! As I said earlier, this healthy snack is packed with calcium and several other nutrients that help postmenopausal women maintain strong and healthy bones. Those who are concerned about developing osteoporosis or are looking for a way to help manage the disease should incorporate more of this tasty and powerful food into their diets.

4: Yogurt may reduce the risk of High Blood Pressure – 

In today’s time there are lots of people who suffer from high blood pressure. We generally do control over our diet to control that condition, but do you know we don’t need to watch calories while having Yogurt…..Why?

Eating yogurt is more satisfying, so we are less likely to reach for higher-calorie sources of calcium and protein. Being lower in fat, it is less likely to stick to the insides of our blood vessels. The potassium in yogurt, almost 600 milligrams per eight ounces, may help flush some of the excess sodium out of your body.

Well that’s Good news for all.

5: Yogurt helps in weight management –

Weight loss and weight gain, these two are the major points of concern for most people. Yogurt is the right answer for both those who want to lose weight and for those who want to gain weight. It has proven to help in weight loss as well as healthy weight gain, which shows that it stimulates happy hormones to reduce visceral fat hence reducing belly fat. In weight gain also it has shown to improve weight without disturbing the waist circumference…..isn’t it a magic ?

Some other benefits are………………….

6: Yogurt Lowers the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

7: Yogurt helps in Lactose Absorption in Lactose-Deficient Patients

8: Yogurt leads to Healthy Ageing

9: Yogurt May Help You Feel Fuller

10: Yogurt lowers the risk of Colon Cancer 

11: A cup of yogurt a day can help you recover faster after a workout

This single food provides us with lots of benefits and hence it is recommended that Yogurt is included in your regular diet in a balanced amount.

With its numerous health benefits ranging from improving gut health to aiding weight management, yogurt truly deserves its title as a miracle food. Incorporate this nutritious snack into your daily diet to reap its full potential and support your overall health and well-being. We hope this article helps you. For further information or guidance, reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

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Confused about healthy snacks….why not go for some scrumptious yogurt recipes

In my earlier blog I talked about the importance of yoghurt, which prompted me to write this second blog on recipes made from yogurt that can be healthy snacks. Many times we are in dilemma to have the right kind of healthy snacks as mid-meal snacks. I too get confused at times. To ease this dilemma, I have here some good and quick recipes for healthy snacks to suffice your hunger.

  1. Strawberry yogurt ice-cream:

1. Strawberry yogurt ice-cream

Ingredients:

1 cup- Plain unflavoured low-fat yoghurt

3 pieces medium sized -Fresh Strawberry

1 tablespoon -Organic honey

Chopped Nuts- to taste (optional)

Preparation

  • Chop strawberries into 4 pieces
  • Grind plain yogurt and strawberries in mixer or juicer.
  • Add honey while mixing in the juicer.
  • Keep it to freeze in deep freezer for 2 hours and again grind it once in the juicer. You can again freeze it or store it till 2 days.
  • Top with chopped nuts to taste.
  • Enjoy your tempting ice-cream

Tip: you can use any fruit from your list of favourites….to enjoy different antioxidants and multivitamins….like blueberries, pomegranate, banana, papaya etc. Any flavour you like to add….

  1. Yogurt veggie bread spread

2. Yogurt veggie bread spread

Ingredients:

Plain unflavoured low-fat yogurt -1 cup

Carrot, cucumber, beetroot chopped- ¼ cup

Black pepper powder- to taste

Cold pressed coconut oil- 1 teaspoon for taste (optional)

Salt to taste

Honey 1 teaspoon

Preparation

  • Beat the yogurt till it becomes creamy.
  • Add honey salt and pepper powder to it and beat again
  • Little strain chopped veggies to remove extra water
  • Add chopped veggies and mix it well …
  • Enjoy your bread spread with brown bread for quick breakfast.

Tips- you can add any flavours seasonings to make it tangy and tasty.

  1. Anti-inflammatory Garlic-spinach Yogurt

2. Yogurt veggie bread spread

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon any vegetable cooking oil
  • 8-10 baby spinach
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 1 1/2 cups plain low-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander
  • Sea salt and black pepper powder to taste/ one green chilli paste

Preparation

  • Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a pan. Add spinach to toss it to remove excess water, then coarsely chop.
  • Mix chopped spinach, garlic, yogurt, coriander, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium bowl; season it with salt and pepper or chilli. Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Tip- you can store it for two days.

4.     Yogurt veggies soupy delight

 

soupy delight

Ingredients

  • Low-fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoons sesame seeds, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 2 whole black peppercorns
  • 1 clove
  • 1 carrot, 4 medium tomatoes, 1-inch ginger
  • 1 tablespoon butter or homemade butter
  • Rock salt to taste

Preparation

  • Toast cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, sesame seeds and chopped garlic in ½ teaspoon ghee or butter in a pan.
  • Boil carrot, tomato, clove, ginger, peppercorns into pressure cooker, let it cool down
  • After cooling grind all boiled mix veggies and tossed spices into a fine paste add water to make a thin soup.
  • Once again boil the ground mixture till one boils and add rock salt. Remove from flame.
  • Serve hot topped with desi ghee and add a scoop of low-fat plain yoghurt middle of the soup bowl. Enjoy the delight.
  1. Chickpea-Yogurt Dip

baked-chickpeas

Chickpea-Yogurt Dip- with wheat nachos do you want a tasty dip. Here you go –

Ingredients

  • 2 small garlic cloves
  • Half cup chickpeas, rinsed
  • ½ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
  • A large pinch of ground cumin
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil plus more for serving
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Pomegranate seeds (for serving)
  • Coarsely chopped fresh mint (for serving)

Preparation

  • The first step to puree garlic, chickpeas, yogurt, cumin and 2 Tbsp. Oil into a thick paste.
  • Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top with 1tbsp oil, pomegranate seeds, and mint.
  • Enjoy the treat with wheat nachos.

6.     Rose delight with Beet Yogurt

beet-yogurt-dish-delicious-persian-borani-food-cooking-recipe-fig-quince2

Ingredients

  • 3 medium red beets, trimmed or grated
  • Sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cups plain low-fat Greek yogurt
  • 8-10 fresh or dried rose petals for aroma and flavour
  • 1 teaspoon rose water

Preparation

  • Just parboil the whole beetroot and grate them coarsely.
  • Beat yoghurt and add rose water, sea salt, mix well.
  • Add grated beetroot in yoghurt.
  • Garnish with rose petals.
  • Rose delight is ready to delight your day.

Health benefits of these recipes:

  1. Boon for improving Gut Microflora.
  2. Acts as anti-inflammatory food,
  3. Loaded with antioxidants.
  4. Veggies provide dietary fibre for better digestion and best for fat loss.
  5. Helps to improve HDL (good cholesterol) and reduces bad cholesterol
    (LDL, VLDL, Triglycerides)
  6. Improves glow of skin
  7. Loaded with multivitamins and nutrients for better health.

CAUTION: Choose the low fat and unflavoured yogurt to get all these mentioned benefits, as flavoured yogurt have more sugars.

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