Healthy Recipes

June 5, 2018 By Trishala Chopra Leave a Comment

Know about your gut health- PART 2!

Picture Source: The Biome Clinic

In my previous blog, I talked about healthy and unhealthy microbes, in the present blog I am going to tell you about all the different aspects that can impact our gut in a better way!

Let’s talk about different probiotic sources!

(1) Yoghurt

Yoghurt is a very good source of lactobacillus (The healthy microbe which we discussed in the previous article)
Fermented from milk by adding probiotic bacteria

(2) Cheese

Well, processed cheese has no good bacteria but different cheese types like gouda, mozzarella, cheddar and cottage cheese are very rich in healthy gut microbes.

(3) Miso

Fermented foods are very rich in healthy gut microbes!
Miso is a sauce which is made out of fermented soya beans and barley/rice malt

(4) Sauerkraut

This is finely cut cabbage which is fermented by lactic acid bacteria

(5) Kefir

It is a milk drink which is fermented using lactic acid bacteria and yeasts.

(6) Kimchi

It is a Korean dish which is made out of fermented cabbage, radish, spring onion and cucumber.

(7) Apple cider vinegar

Easily available fermented food
Always prefer apple cider vinegar with mother culture.

Let’s talk about prebiotic sources!

Prebiotic is a special plant fibre which human body can’t digest but this encourages the growth of good bacteria in your gut. So in short prebiotics are “Good Food “for probiotics. Good gut bacteria will turn that plant fibre into butyrate. This chemical butyrate works as an anti-inflammatory in the bowel. In short, they are fertilizers to cultivate good gut bacteria!

Gut_bacteria_heath

Sources of prebiotics:

(1) Foods rich in inulin

* Onions and garlic

Chicory
Dandelion
Bananas
Asparagus

(2) Foods rich in resistant starch

Unripe bananas
Green peas
Potatoes
Cashew nuts
Rolled oats

Which probiotics work for which issue?

Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus are 2 most common strains which are found in fermented foods like yoghurt, kefir and cheese.

These 2 common strains have different species which works on different issues.

Strain: Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus

Constipation : Bifidobacterium longum

* Available in fermented foods or in the form of a capsule

Helps in increasing the bowel movements in adults

(2) Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS):

Combination of Bifidobacterium + Streptococcus + Lactobacillus

Bloating is the most common issue in people suffering from IBS and this probiotic combination helps in reduces bloating

(3) Lung infection: Combination of Lactobacillus acidophilus + Bifidobacterium

* Combination of these probiotics helps in reducing symptoms of infection like fever, cough, running nose

(4) Diarrhoea: Combination of Bifidobacterium + Lactobacillus acidophilus/ bulgaricus

Combination of these probiotics helps in reducing diarrhoea frequency.

What to look for a product when you are buying a probiotic?

* High colony forming units (CFU) Count

* Your microbiome contains about 40 trillion microbes so you need a probiotic which has lots of healthy microbes’ in short high CFU counts.

Always look for a product which has at least 20 billion CFU and more.
Probiotics available in the markets are not even close to this number but fermented foods will cross the number for sure!

(2) Multiple Strains

You need different strains in your gut for good health so you should find a probiotic which has multiple strain.
The best thing about fermented foods is vast diversity!
When you purchase the probiotic supplement from outside make sure it has 6 different strains in it.
Make sure you take care of the substrains in the supplement. Lactobacillus acidophilus is not same as a Lactobacillus casei so if the supplement just mentions lactobacillus then the product might not be that effective.

Gut-friendly Recipes :

Pumpkin porridge

Ingredients:

* 300 g of pumpkin (Make sure it is diced and cooked)

50 g of extra virgin coconut oil
225 ml of pure milk
1 tsp of vanilla extract
Pinch of rock salt or himalHimalayan salt
½ tsp of cinnamon (dalchini) powder
A handful of pomegranate/watermelon seeds

Method:

Blend all the ingredients except the seeds.
Make a smooth paste
Warm the mixture in cast iron pan.
If you want to make it thin then you can add milk
Serve it warm with seeds!

(2) Cashew and banana pot

Ingredients :

250 grams of unsalted cashews
1 medium banana
200 ml of milk (Depends on your preference)
½ tsp of cinnamon powder (dalchini)
2 tsp of peanut/almond butter
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Method :

Take a bowl and soak cashews for 6 hours (prefer overnight)
Drain the water and then blend it with all other ingredients
Make a smooth paste
Refrigerate it for 15 mins
Serve it with some diced bananas

(3) Green gut-friendly smoothie

Ingredients :

1 cup of spinach leaves
250 ml of water
½ avocado (optional)
1 banana
1 tbsp of tahini paste
1 tsp of ginger powder
1 tsp of lemon juice

Method:

Blend all the ingredients together.
Serve chilled.
Top it with seeds as an additional topping.

(4) Turmeric latte

Ingredients :

½ tsp of ginger powder
1 tsp of turmeric powder
300 ml of milk (prefer according to your choice)
2 cardamom pods (elaichi)
1 tsp of manuka honey
2 tsp of extra virgin coconut oil
1 pinch of cinnamon powder

Method:

Take a cast iron pan, add milk, cinnamon powder, cardamom pods and bring it to boil.
Add rest of the ingredients and boil it for 10 mins
Serve hot and sprinkle some cardamom powder.

(5) Rainbow hummus

Ingredients :

250 grams of chickpeas (Kabuli Chana)
1 lemon juice
1 tbsp of tahini paste
1 tsp of salt
1 garlic clove
5 tbsp of olive oil

Method:

Blend all the ingredients in the food processor or with a hand blender till you make a creamy paste
Store it in the refrigerator.

(6) Tahini paste

Ingredients:

1 cup of sesame seeds
4 tbsps of olive oil
Pinch of rock salt

Method :

In a cast iron pan, add sesame seeds and toast it till it becomes light brown
Sesame seeds can burn quickly so make sure you are extra careful about it
Add sesame seeds to the food processor with 4 tbsps of olive oil.
Blend it till it becomes smooth
Make sure tahini is smooth, if required you can add some olive oil.

“If it doesn’t come out of the bowels, it will come out of your skin so make sure your gut is healthy”!

May 31, 2018 By Trupti Hingad Leave a Comment

Best Brown Rice Recipes

brownrice

Brown rice is a powerhouse of nutrients as Ami shah has nicely explained in the blog. https://goqii.com/blog/secrets-of-brown-rice/ (for your reference). But, often the questions arises as to how to use it effectively and make it more interesting to eat as its nutty texture makes it tough to eat daily.

Today, I call all those reading this blog to wear the Chef’s hat and adorn our dining table with some of these yummy Brown rice recipes.

Mexican_Brown_Rice

Mexican Bean Rice

(1 portion)

Ingredients

Brown rice- ½ Cup cooked

Spring Onion- 1 bulb

Tomato- 1 in no

Rajma or baked beans- 1 Cup

Green chilli- 1 in no

Salt & pepper according to taste

Tomato ketchup- 4 Tsp

Vinegar- ½ Tsp

Oil- 1 Tsp

Method:

Heat oil in a vessel, sauté chopped onion bulb. Add Chopped chilli & tomato & sauté for 5-10mins. Add the cooked brown rice, baked beans and mix well. Add all other sauces & stir well. Garnish with spring onion greens & Serve hot.

methi brown rice

Fenugreek Leaves (Methi) Brown Rice

(1 portion)

Ingredients

Brown rice- ½ cup cooked

Methi (fenugreek leaves)- 1/2 bunch

Tomato- 1 in no

Black Gram (Urad dal) & Bengal Gram (Chana dal)- 1 tsp each

Whole pepper- 2 in no

Bay leaf- 1 in no

Onion- 1 in no

Green chilli- 1 in no

Salt & pepper according to taste

Tamarind pulp- 2 Tsp

Oil- 1 Tsp

Method

Heat oil in a vessel, sauté chopped onion, whole spices (masala) & the black and Bengal grams. Add Chopped chilli & tomato & sauté for 5-10mins. Add chopped Fenugreek leaves & tamarind pulp and mix well. Add cooked brown rice & stir well & cook for 10-15mins. Serve it with a chilled cup of curd.

Stir-Fry-on-brown-rice

STIR-FRIED BROWN RICE (1 portion)

Ingredients

Brown rice- ½ Cup cooked

Assorted veggies (Carrot, cabbage, broccoli, beans, capsicum)- 1 bowl

Spring Onion- 1 stalk

Green chilli- 1 in no

Salt & pepper according to taste

Garlic- 1 pod finely chopped

Ginger- a small piece chopped

Chilli sauce, vinegar, & ketchup- 1 tsp each

Oil- 1 Tsp

Method

Heat oil in a vessel, sauté chopped onion, chilli, garlic & ginger & chopped assorted veggies. Add all other seasonings & toss well. Add cooked rice & stir well & cook for 10-15mins.

Serve it curd.

Last but not the least—-THE DESSERT

brownrice Kheer

BROWN RICE Pudding (Kheer)

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked brown rice

250ml skim milk

2tbsp jaggery or stevia

1tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder

1cup nuts (Dates, raisins, dried figs)

Vanilla essence-1drop

METHOD:

Keep milk to boil in a pan, after it boils add jaggery/stevia and rice. Simmer until it cooks.

Turn gas off. Add cardamom powder, nuts and 1 drop of vanilla essence.

Keep in refrigerator to cool.

Serve chilled.

Enjoy making and eating these dishes. If you want to know where you can buy good brown rice? it is now available on the GOQii Health Store. For those who do not have the GOQii App, download now and check out the GOQii Health Store.

April 17, 2018 By Neha Morche 1 Comment

Beat the Heat with cool drinks

Its summer and the heat have already started to sap us out. The heat starts creeping in, finding its way to draw fluids from our body cells as we sweat while playing, travelling or even just sitting around in the sun. Keeping the body hydrated helps the heart pump blood easily through the blood vessels to the muscles. Hence, the muscles work efficiently.

Dehydration can be a serious condition that can lead to problems ranging from swollen feet, lack of concentration, lethargy, headache to heat stroke.

Let’s beat the heat by ensuring optimum hydration through adequate water intake throughout the day and grabbing some hydrators like: * Coconut water This has natural electrolytes to replenish lost minerals in perspiration

* Buttermilk it is a blend of curd with water and dash of Cumin powder, asafoetida, coriander leaves, rock salt, ginger all of which aid in improving digestion.

* Lemon water/Lemonade: Lemon a citrus fruit has a good amount of vitamin C, it turns our body alkaline.

* Jaljeera water: It a mixture of rock salt, cumin powder and is known to reduce indigestions.

* Soya milk Flavoured/plain soya milk as it provides a good amount of proteins apart from hydrating the body.

* Berry/seasonal fruit sorbet: Blending any berry like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries (which has a lot of antioxidants to increase immunity) with ice is good.

* Mint Mojito: blend of water + mint leaves and few drops of lemon for flavour. Mint leaves are extremely good body coolant.

* Green tea lemonade: a bunch of antioxidants and vitamin C from lemon to increase immunity.

* Peach ginger ice tea: Mash 6 canned peach halves with 1 and 1/2 cups of the juice, raw honey and 1 tablespoon grated ginger in a pitcher. This aids in good digestion.

* Peanut butter frappe: A glass of cold milk blended with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. In summer our food intake drops down drastically, apart from hydration this drink also provides a good amount of proteins and required fats.

* Honeydew ice: 1 cup each frozen honeydew melon and frozen diced cucumber with the juice of 1 lime and some raw honey.

* Any fruit or dry fruit milkshakes. (which will be a good substitute for evening snack)

* Subja (chia seeds) soaked overnight in water is a natural coolant, it can be had with milk

* Vegetable juice ( leafy vegetables/beets/cucumber) + citrus fruits + ginger + garlic + lemon

* Solkadi (a blend of coconut milk+kokum+ginger+corriander leaves) known for reducing acidity and is a body coolant.

* Kokum Sharbat: Kokum extract (after soaking in water) blended it with water, Cumin seed powder and rock salt. Kokum is again known for reducing acidity

* Aam (Mango) Pannah is raw mango drink mostly available in Maharashtra region of India. It has heat resistant properties. It is also rich in Vitamin B1, B2, niacin and vitamin C.

* Aloe Vera juice: This is natural coolant. It is available in the market in a concentrated form. It needs to be mixed with water. It has anti-bacterial, antifungal properties too.

* Bottle guard + 1 cup of black basil ( mint optional) is an excellent cooling agent.

April 12, 2018 By MANISHA GURAM Leave a Comment

Two Thumbs up for the Summer Salad!

Summer is almost there and as the weather gets hotter, it’s going to take lot more effort to stay hydrated especially when you are spending long day outdoors. For kids its vacation time and sports and continuous exposure to high temperature and humidity without any rest and fluids will lead to lack of energy, dizziness headache, weakness and sometimes severe cramps and fluid retention. For those who love cooking, the kitchen heat will melt them away causing dehydration and it’s no fun eating heavy and hot food. The only soultion is — Water your body!

We need more raw and cooling foods to help nourish and hydrate our body cells during the summers. The metabolization of raw food requires more energy in order to keep our body temperature cool. Apart from being chilled and high in water content these provide fiber for easy digestion thereby eliminating the toxins out of our body.

Do you know there are hydrating foods that provide about 20 – 25 percent of our daily water intake and it is especially important to consume these during summers.

Salads are the actual summer heroes, best to grab more fruit plates when out in the outdoors because they are packed with anti – oxidants protecting our body from free radical damage to cells and these are easy to get and carry too.

Some of the top water containing fruits are watermelon, melon, tomatoes (containing lycopene phytonutrient that will help protect skin from ultraviolet rays), grape fruit, pears, blue berries, pineapple (the bromelain in it has many health benefits especially in reducing cough) and cucumber.
Adding in leafy greens like spinach (Vitamin A and C) for liver detoxification with high watery lettuce, celery is brilliant.
Carrot is high in water too with beta carotene phytonutrient making the salad plate more colorful.
Fresh herbs like Parsley, mint, cilantro, coriander and basil are fabulous reducing headaches, toothaches, calming nerves and sore throats.
Ensure you add spices like cinnamon, raw garlic and raw ginger which help in keeping the cholesterol levels under check and being anti-inflammatory these fight against high BP, cancer and diabetes. Pepper goes awesome with salad curbing acidity.
Healthy fatty acids and proteins through nuts like almonds (vitamin E and fiber), walnuts and flaxseeds for omega boost. You may also add peanuts, cashews, pistas and seeds like sesame, sunflower, chia(topmost hydrator) for variations.
Olive oil rich in MUFA (Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids.) can be added to salad(The best form is the cold pressed virgin oil good for thyroid which also has phytonutrients. Canola,walnuts,avocado and walnut oil are wise picks for salad dressing too.
Lean Proteins are important for muscle growth and repairand it must be a part of your salad. Quinoa, beans, chicken, Legumes, chickpeas, Paneer, Lentils( folic acid rich providing vitamins and both soluble and insoluble fiber.)
Do not forget to sprinkle lime to keep it alkaline, remember acidic environmentprovides room for diseases.
We need to go lighter on the meals avoiding meat, egg and dairy products especially.

Examples of some excellent summer salads would be:

Breakfast:

*Fruits mentioned above mixed with yogurt for breakfast and you get combination of carbs and proteins.

*If you are going on a long day out, you can combine your oatmeal with fruits like apple, pear and blueberry. you may add some nuts.

Morning snack:

*Apple/high watery fruit salad mixed with cinnamon, raisins and sprouts.

Lunch:

*Fresh fruits (carbs), vegetables (fiber), sprouts(proteins) through beans, lentils and sprouts.

*Watermelon, tomato, onion, cheese mixed with salt, vinegar oil chilled with lettuce leaves with black pepper, you can add kale and cabbage the most calorie dense foods.

*Watermelon, cucumber, bell pepper, spinach, avocado, lime, add quinoa. Apart from complete proteins this dish will also provide calcium and vitamins.

*The best blend of salad for lunch/dinner would be vegetables, good carbs, lean proteins(beans, chicken, shrimp, tofu, cottage cheese) and healthy fats, adding in red onions will keep it anti – inflammatory and anti – oxidant rich.

Dinner:

*Quinoa/beans/lentils/chicken with red bell pepper and veggies (Dinner).

Sprinkle lime and add in herbs according to your taste, you may also add spices to make it interesting.

The salads will not only provide water but will also keep you full for a longer period of time thus helping you to be in shape.

You can use lots of creativity to make salads of your choice. You can design a different recipe every meal. I would say grab your salad bowl and create your fun, nutritious and delicious summer salad to reenergize yourself.