About Urvi Gohil

Urvi Gohil, a foodie turned Nutritionist assists people change or manage their lifestyle in terms of their diet and physical activity. Armed with a Masters’ degree in Clinical Nutrition her goal is to get people healthier. She believes in the act of ‘Moderation’ rather than complete elimination of certain foods. In the entire era of processing and shortcuts, she is there to guide people towards their long-term goals in a sustainable way.

March 13, 2019 By Urvi Gohil Leave a Comment

Your Guide to Eat Slowly For Good Health

Mary Roach, in her book, Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal describes the digestive system as a highly elaborate inside of the tube that starts at the mouth and ends at the anus.

Let’s address an important facet of pre-digestion: Chewing – a much neglected lifestyle habit.

What Happens When You Eat Slowly?

The chewing process serves as the first step to proper digestion. Two interesting things happen while chewing: Firstly, Ptyalin, which is required for digestion of carbohydrates is secreted. The other thing is that the brain kicks into action and recognizes whether you are chewing proteins, carbohydrates or fats and accordingly tells the stomach to secrete the right enzymes.

It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness. When you eat slowly, it allows ample of time to trigger the signal from your brain that you are full. Feeling full translates into eating less.

Speed eating, gorging and binge eating majorly contribute to unhealthy weight gain. Studies confirmed that chewing every bite for a longer period of time helps you lose weight and improve digestion. This is because it provides more time for your brain to receive the signal. Therefore, the slower you chew, the lesser you eat and the more satisfied you are. Eating fast promotes weight gain and makes you feel out of control of your eating habits.

How Do You Eat Slowly?

The very first step to mindful eating is to choose the smallest plate in your house. Take that plate and serve your portions and sit
Sit down to eat in a calm environment with minimal distractions. It is your time with your food. Don’t eat while driving, watching TV, while texting, etc.
Add 1 exchange of raw or cooked vegetables right before the main meal and use a fork to eat it. Try setting a minimum number of chews per bite
Look at your plate and see how colorful it is and what good it is going to do to your body. Sense the aroma and question yourself about its nutrition
Take a fork or chop stick to eat your meal. If you’re eating roti-sabji, take very small bites of the roti and more vegetables. Chew 30 times or more per bite and gulp it down
Set your time to eat. At least 20-30 minutes for each meal and preferably even longer at dinner. This will set your relationship with food
When you eat slowly, it improves your health in more ways than one. It leads to better digestion, better absorption, reduced bloating, acidity & constipation as well as aids weight management

So eat slowly, chew properly and live healthy!

December 29, 2018 By Urvi Gohil 1 Comment

HEALTHY EVENING SNACKS

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It is 4 o’ clock in the evening and you are thinking about what to have for your evening snacks? Something which will serve the taste buds and is healthy too. Right?

Also, you’re “hunger hormone” levels rise and your “satiety hormone” levels drop in the evening. Hence it is important to bridge the gap between your lunch & dinner with a filling evening snack. Also, this habit will help you keep your dinner lighter which is ideal.

So if you’re bored of having fruits, buttermilk, nuts, peanuts, chana, etc. for your snacks, here are some easy healthy options to quench your hunger.

open sandwich

Open bread sandwich: Take 1 slice of multi-grain bread, apply green chutney to it and arrange slices of tomato, potato, cucumber, beetroot, etc. on it. And do not close it with one more slice of bread, just shred some Paneer to it and enjoy the fibrous meal.

rice oats cutlet 2. Rice oats cutlets: if you have leftover rice from lunch, try this out. Take 1 cup boiled rice and add ½ cup of roasted oats, add some crushed salad or finely chopped vegetables like onions, cabbage, carrot, beetroot, etc. Add some ginger chilli paste, salt, garam masala, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Make small flat cutlets out of this batter and roast with some oil on a pan. Enjoy them hot with green chutney or curd.

masala khakra

3. Masala khakhra: take 1 khakhra and add finely chopped tomato, onion, cucumber and coriander on the khakhra. Squeeze some lemon on it and sprinkle rock salt on it. Quick and best.

date oats ball

4. Dates oats Ladoo: take 1 cup of seedless dates and crush them with a fork, add ½ cup of roasted ground oats, 2 tbsp of honey or jaggery and 2 tbsp of mix nuts powder. Best energy supplier. You can carry 2 of them along with your lunch tiffin to have in the evening.

mix fruits with curd

5. Mix fruits with curd: give some variety to your regular fruits with this. Take 1 cup of mix fruits of your choice, add 1 cup of yoghurt or hung curd to the fruits, add 1 tsp flax seeds, 5-6 crushed walnuts and 1 tsp of honey.

peanut chaat

6. Peanut/chana/ mung chat: boil pulse of your own choice, add finely chopped onion, tomatoes, carrot, capsicum, etc, squeeze some lemon juice on it and sprinkle some rock salt and garnish with coriander seeds. Best to satisfy your hunger hormones.

spinach omlette

7. Spinach omelette: If you are an egg lover and want some variety, try this one. Blanch 1 cup of spinach in hot water and transfer it to cold water. Take 2 eggs, add the spinach, 1 tsp of ginger chilli paste, and add salt and some black pepper. Make an omelette in a pan and enjoy it hot.

rotipizza

8. Roti Pizza: Oh yes! Take your wheat roti and apply pasta sauce if you have or ketchup and chilli sauce mixture. Add chopped onions, tomatoes, olives, lettuce, olives, and all the veggies you find in your fridge. Top it with cheese, panner, chilli flakes, oregano, mix herbs and bake it in the oven or on a pan. Enjoy.

Abbreviations: 1 cup = 200ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml.

November 22, 2018 By Urvi Gohil 1 Comment

GUIDE TO A HAPPY GUT: Say bye to bloating, acidity and heartburn!

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Do you know? body is constantly communicating with you…..

Very small episodes of acidity, bloating, indigestion, etc. says a lot about your lifestyle and overall health. Are you paying attention?

It is important for us to know that about 70% of immune system is located in our gut and the gut absorbs nutrients that support body functions from energy production to hormone balance, skin health to mental health and toxin & waste elimination too.

Here are some easy ways to stay away from bloating, acidity and heartburn, and how to improve overall health by improving gut health.

Fennel Seeds or Saunf: These seeds have antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory properties and promote the production of gastric enzymes. It works wonderfully in indigestion, bloating, acidity, heartburn post meals and constipation too. Just add 1 tbsp of raw seeds to the water bottle you carry in office. Or have 1 glass of fennel seed water post meals to take care of such symptoms.
Basil Seeds: They work well in relieving constipation, bloating, naturally detox your body and regulates smooth bowel movements. It works as a natural coolant. You can have a glass of milk with basil seeds few hours before bed time, or make a drink with water, honey and Sabja seeds and have it in mid-morning, or just make a habit of soaking it for 2-3 hours and drinking the water in the morning.
Fenugreek Seeds: These are rich in fibre and antioxidants, and helps in enhances bowel movement. Take a tsp of fenugreek seed and soak it in 1 cup of water at night and have it in the morning with a glass of lukewarm water if you have long term problems of constipation, indigestion or heartburn. *People experiencing severe acidity should avoid this.
Lemon Ginger water: This will help strengthen the digestive system and prevent indigestion, nausea, heartburn and bloating. Take a glass of lukewarm water, add 1 tsp of lemon juice and 1 tsp of ginger juice in it, this will work best for bloating post meals or occasional bloating post heavy meals.
Apple Cider Vinegar: The unfiltered, unpasteurized and raw mother Apple Cider Vinegar has live micro-organisms and help to work towards heartburn & GI stress. A dilution of Apple Cider Vinegar before a meal can help you stimulate acid secretion and reduce gut symptoms. Also, having a tbsp of ACV in 300 ml water in the morning can also help in the same.
Chewing Gum: Chewing gum after a heavy meal may not only freshen your breath, but it could help fight acid reflux and heartburn because of bi-carbonates in it. Research studies show that chewing gum after a big meal can reduce acid levels in the oesophagus to get rid of heaviness. It will really work.
Water: Is the body’s basic requirement! A constant supply of water is necessary to replenish the fluids lost through activities such as respiration, perspiration, urination, regulating body temperature, digest food, etc. Try to drink above 2-2.5 L of water throughout the day and it is the answer to all your digestive issues.
Vegetables & Fruits: Have 1 portion of vegetables in every meal is the best way to help your gut digest the food well and have enough nutrients. Plus the fibre from them helps to ease bowel movement and act as food for micro-organisms. Fruits are best to go for in mid meals to add more soluble fibre and get rid of acidity and bloating.
Physical Activity: No escape here. Being physically active for 30-45 min is the answer to good health and happy gut. Exercise gets your heart pumping and increases blood flow and oxygen circulation throughout the body. Blood and oxygen are necessary to aid digestion and keep the intestinal muscles healthy. So for constipation, bloating, acidity, heartburn, etc. including some walking, cycling, yoga, etc. will give you better results along with good diet early.
NO to Sugar, refined flour, fried and processed food, as they are not hosting to good little beings in your gut meaning microbes.