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10 ways to include water chest in your diet this season!!

Water chestnut, also known as water caltrop, is an aquatic plant from the genus Trapa. Its peculiar fruit encloses a large edible seed that offers a delightful crispiness and a subtly sweet coconut-like flavor. In India, water chestnuts are called Singhara or Paniphal and have been cultivated for over 3,000 years for their seeds, which are prized in Ayurvedic and Unani medicine. They’re also popular in Chinese medicine.

Despite their odd appearance, water chestnuts are packed with health benefits. If you haven’t tried them yet, here are a few reasons why you should:

Health Benefits of Water Chestnuts:

  • Cooling Effect: Water chestnuts help cool the body, making them great for hot weather. They also relieve thirst, control nausea, and ease diarrhea.
  • Thyroid Support: With essential minerals like iodine and manganese, water chestnuts support the healthy functioning of the thyroid gland.
  • Rich in Antioxidants: They contain polyphenols and flavonoids that provide anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-cancer, and antioxidant properties, strengthening the stomach and spleen.
  • Cough Relief: Ground water chestnuts can be consumed with water or juice to help relieve cough.
  • Cancer Prevention: An anti-cancer substance in water chestnuts inhibits the growth of cancer cells.
  • Improved Appetite: Both raw and juiced water chestnuts help boost appetite in children and adults, promoting healthy weight gain.
  • High in Potassium: One cup of water chestnuts provides over 362 mg of potassium, which aids muscle and nerve function, water retention, and blood pressure regulation.
  • Anti-Aging Benefits: Water chestnuts contain natural antioxidants that fight aging, prevent wrinkles, and offer protection against UV rays.
  • Diabetes-Friendly: Despite being a starchy food, polyphenols in water chestnuts help prevent spikes in blood sugar by inhibiting the breakdown of carbs.
  • Heart Health: Their combination of potassium, fiber, and antioxidant properties helps lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.
  • Better Sleep: Vitamin B6 in water chestnuts promotes sound sleep and improved mood.
  • Fertility Boost: Water chestnuts are beneficial for women, supporting fertility and improving chances of conception.
  • Healthy Pregnancy: Being an excellent energy source, as well as its specific properties to prevent miscarriage and control hemorrhage, makes it a super food during pregnancy it is helpful for the healthy growth and development of the fetus.

Post pregnancy – it helps in controlling bleeding as well as promotes lactation.

10 Delicious Ways to Include Water Chestnuts in Your Diet:

  1. Eat Raw: The simplest and healthiest way to enjoy water chestnuts is to peel and eat them raw for a crunchy, refreshing snack.
  2. Add to Salads or Stir-Fries: Chop peeled water chestnuts and toss them into salads for extra crunch, or sauté them in stir-fries for a flavorful boost.
  3. In Curries or Veggies: Replace potatoes with water chestnuts in curries or veggie dishes. For best results, boil or pressure-cook them first and then sauté with curry leaves, cumin, and mustard seeds.
  4. Make Cutlets: Mash boiled water chestnuts and mix them with other veggies to create delicious cutlets. Shallow fry and serve as a snack or side dish.
  5. Singhara Halwa: Singhara flour, made from dried water chestnuts, can be used to prepare halwa. Simply roast the flour in ghee, add sugar and water, and top with your favorite dry fruits.
  6. Chillas or Pancakes: Singhara flour also makes fantastic pancakes or chillas. Mix with curd and water to form a batter, add your favorite spices, and cook on a griddle.
  7. Flatbreads or Chapattis: Use Singhara flour to make chapattis or parathas for a gluten-free alternative. Pair them with your favorite curry or chutney.
  8. Baked Goods: Add Singhara flour to your cake or cookie batter for a nutritious twist on your baked treats.
  9. Puris, Crackers, or Chips: Make savory puris or crunchy crackers using Singhara flour by following any basic cracker recipe. You can even bake chips for a healthy snack.
  10. Dips or Chutney: Add a handful of chopped water chestnuts to dips or green chutneys for extra texture and flavor.

Water chestnuts are versatile and nutritious, making them a perfect addition to your diet this season. Whether you’re snacking on them raw or using them in various dishes, these little wonders are sure to boost your health and add a delicious crunch to your meals!

We hope this article inspires you to try water chestnuts in new and exciting ways! Let us know how you like to incorporate them into your meals in the comments below. For more healthy eating tips and recipes, check out Healthy Reads or speak to a certified expert by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

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What Anorexia Nervosa Can Do To You Or Someone You Love

Anorexia Nervosa

Following healthy habits is good. It’s always nice to have a plan for healthy eating and follow it steadily with discipline. But what happens when you overindulge in a dieting plan? As we all know, anything in excess is bad and the same goes for dieting or having an unhealthy obsession with losing weight which may make one do things that can cause more damage than good. Having said that, I’d like to highlight an eating disorder that I recently came across called Anorexia Nervosa.

What is Anorexia Nervosa?

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder which is characterized by low body weight, fear of gaining weight, and a distorted perception of weight. This means that despite having normal body weight, these people feel that they are overweight, or even if they will eat a bite extra, they feel that they will suddenly gain weight. So they prefer being on a very low calorie diet, prefer restricted foods, focusing excessively on the portion they eat. They also try to control their weight by vomiting after eating, or misusing laxatives, diet aids, diuretics or even enemas. At times, they also try to lose weight by excessive exercising just post consuming meals.

Nervosa is not about calorie counting, it is more about one’s psychological aspect which can be extremely dangerous or even life threatening to try to cope up with emotional distress. Anorexic people often tend to equate thinness with self worth.

What Are The Symptoms?

The most evident physical symptom of Nervosa is Starvation, and let us not confuse it with conscious eating. Apart from it, it also includes some emotional and behavioural issues which include unrealistic perception of one’s own body in terms of being fat or fear of gaining weight.

It is difficult to notice the signs and symptoms among the people, but there are few alarming signs which can be noticed by near and dear ones like low body weight, or thin appearance, abnormal blood counts, fatigue, dizziness, and insomnia, thinning of hair, blue discoloration of fingers, irregular bowel movements, irregular heart rhythms, and dehydration.

Also some emotional and behavioural symptoms would include:

  • Skipping meals or refusing to eat
  • Making excuses like denial for hunger, or unwell
  • Avoiding to eat in public
  • Social withdrawal
  • Irritability and Insomnia

Diagnosis 

Though it is difficult to diagnose Anorexia Nervosa at an early stage, the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA’s) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has set diagnosis criteria for people prone to being Anorexic.

  1. Restricted calorie intake as per the requirement of the body in terms of age, height, gender and physical health.
  2. Misconception of being overweight, despite being actually underweight.
  3. A full medical history can also help to reach the outcome

Treatment and Recovery

Treatment includes some medications, nutritional counseling, psychotherapy and family counseling as well which would depend on one’s level of being anorexic. Generally people refuse to accept that they fall in the category but a proper counseling session can help one recover soon.

There is no harm in Being Picky about putting food in your mouth, but this should be done in certain limits by working on calorie counting, or choosing the healthiest option and not in excessive fear to gain weight. The body needs fuel as well to work its system out. The correct way to lose weight is by eating healthy and exercising regularly, and not “DIETING”. Long term anorexia nervosa can lead to serious medical issues like low bone density, anemia, or some gastrointestinal issues as well.

So, if you feel any such symptoms, or you know someone prone to it, do share the article with them, and we at GOQii are always there to help you recover in whatever best way possible.

Did you find this article helpful? Do leave your thoughts and queries in the comments below and do share it on the GOQii Arena in the GOQii app with your friends! 

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A ‘Smile’ a day keeps the ‘Blues’ away

The benefit of smiling is a subject which isn’t discussed much. You might be wondering, how a smile can have an impact on your health, considering that it is just an expression you make. Today, we are going to find out how a smile can bring about a change in our lives and how it contributes to our well being.

  1. Mood Enhancer:

Did you know that smiling releases endorphins into the brain? Endorphins fight pain and stress just like morphine and other painkillers. They boost your mood and take your mind away from whatever it is that’s distracting you. The best part is that it is totally free of cost, nobody can charge for cracking a smile. So stop investing in drugs and smile more often, for a free of cost mood enhancer.

  1. Heart Friendly:

Are you someone who has a history of heart diseases? Is your blood pressure high? If yes, smiling is an excellent companion for you. Studies show that smiling reduces the heart rate and helps the body to relax. This enables the heart to work without putting much strain. So smile more often and be the proud owner of a healthy heart.

  1. Productivity Accelerator:

Ever wondered why those silly internet memes or funny videos between work, helps you relax and work faster later on? You smile when you see them and it accelerates your productivity. Smiling more often is believed to increase your productivity at work or any other areas of life. Are you someone who enjoys whistling while you work? This is very similar. Now you know what to do when you feel like you are slowing down.

  1. Induces Empathy:

We find ourselves in embarrassing situations on a regular basis. Whether you are at home or work, these situations are always lurking in every corner. The first response to an embarrassing moment is a smile. This helps in breaking the ice and makes others be more lenient about what they think of you, thereby inducing a sense of empathy in them.

  1. Natural Painkiller:

As I mentioned earlier, smiling releases endorphins into the brain which helps in reducing the sensation of pain and also lifting our mood. The next time you hurt yourself, try to keep a smile on your face and the pain will start reducing.

  1. Builds Immunity:

Smiling helps the body to relax and this helps the immune system to react better when invaders come knocking at the door. Add some smile to your daily dose of proteins and vitamins, for a strong immunity system.

  1. Lasting Longevity:

Taking all the above factors into consideration, we can easily conclude that people who smile more, live longer because it reduces stress, helps your heart and does much more in keeping you healthier for a longer time. Smile more and live longer!

In summary, the impact of a smile is truly remarkable. It serves as a natural mood enhancer, contributes to heart health, boosts productivity, fosters empathy, acts as a natural painkiller, strengthens immunity, and even promotes longevity. So, make it a daily practice to curve those lips upwards. A smile a day not only keeps the blues at bay but could also be your recipe for a healthier, happier life!

#BeTheForce

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Aloe Vera- Wonders of the spiky green plant

AloeVeraCleopatra is known for her beauty, and one of the reasons for her immaculate beauty can be credited to the spiky green plant Aloe Vera, which she is understood to have used daily in gel form as part of her beauty regime. Today, this very plant is used in several personal care products and medicines. Dubbed affectionately as the ‘Plant of immortality’ by the Egyptians 6000 years ago, Aloe Vera has rejuvenating and healing properties. The ancient Greeks used it to cure everything from baldness to insomnia.

Aloe Vera, also known as a Wonder Plant, has tremendous benefits. No wonder it is wildly used in cosmetics, herbal remedies, and food supplements.

If you have observed the leaf of Aloe Vera closely, there is yellow latex found just under the skin and white-colored gel inside the leaf. Both of these have medicinal properties. It is rich in calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, zinc, manganese, folic acid, amino acid and Vitamin A, C, E, B1, B2, and B6.

Benefits :

  • Aloe Vera’s white gel contains enzymes, fiber, and amino acids, which help with digestion and digestive disorders like colitis and irritable bowel syndrome.
  • It has anti-bacterial, anti-viral properties to help boost the immune system and maintain oral hygiene.
  • It has laxative properties to relieve constipation.
  • Aloe Vera is anti-inflammatory and helps reduce inflammation of Rheumatoid Arthritis, an auto-immune disease affecting the entire body. The immune system attacks body tissues, especially the membranes lining the joint.
  • Aloe Vera juice can be used for lowering sugar levels. However, consult your doctor before consuming Aloe Vera juice
  • It has anti-carcinogenic properties to fight cancer.
  • Aloe Vera is rich in magnesium lactate, which works very well for chest congestion.
  • Vitamin C present in Aloe Vera is an excellent natural source to fight against cold and coughs.

Aloe Vera for the Skin :

  • Suitable for all skin types.
  • Aloe Vera gel has a soothing effect, reducing skin irritation when applied to the affected area.
  • Its anti-microbial properties help in curing acne, pimples and lightening the skin.

Aloe Vera for the Hair:

  • It contains Proteolitic enzymes, which help remove dead skin from the scalp and excess sebum to promote hair growth.
  • Its alkaline properties maintains the pH balance of the scalp to keep hair moisturized.
  • The anti-fungal property of Aloe Vera helps in reducing dandruff.
  • To keep hair soft and smooth, Aloe Vera gel can be added to regular conditioner and used daily.

Word of Caution:

Aloe Vera is packed with nutrients to treat the body naturally. However, certain treatments may cause adverse effects if not taken under supervision. Excessive intake may cause diarrhea and lower blood sugar, leading to potassium loss. It may also inhibit some drug reactions internally and cause allergic reactions on the skin.

With its numerous benefits for health, skin, and hair, Aloe Vera truly stands out as a wonder plant. Whether you use it topically or consume it in moderation, its natural properties can enhance your overall well-being. However, it’s essential to use it wisely and consult a healthcare professional if needed. Have you experienced the benefits of Aloe Vera? Let us know in the comments below! For more natural health tips, speak to a certified expert by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

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