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September 23, 2023 By Neha Goyal 1 Comment

Healthy Substitutes for Butter

butterHave you ever wondered where butter comes from or how it is made? In short, it is a dairy product made from milk, also known as milk fat. It is composed of about 80 percent fat, which is the part that has been separated from the carbohydrates and protein of the milk.

Butter is a popular spread and baking ingredient. It is widely used as a spread for bread, crackers, and other food items. It also functions as a leavening agent in baked goods. Due to its high concentration of fat, butter has a rich flavor and creamy texture. It works especially well for high-heat cooking like sautéing and pan-frying to help prevent sticking while adding flavor.

Despite its various uses, there are a few reasons why you might want to substitute butter.

Why You May Need to Substitute Butter

  • Milk Allergy: While butter is very low in protein, it still contains a small amount of the milk protein casein, which can be allergenic.
  • Lactose Intolerance: People with lactose intolerance tend to tolerate the small amounts of lactose in butter without adverse reaction. However, some are more sensitive to lactose than others and may have to avoid butter for this reason.
  • Health Reasons: Some individuals avoid butter because it’s high in saturated fat. High intake of saturated fat has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
  • Veganism: Some people have made a dietary choice to avoid all animal products including dairy, so they avoid butter.

For whatever reason you may choose to avoid butter, here are a few alternatives that you might want to try.   

Butter Substitutes for Pan Cooking

  • Ghee (Clarified Butter): Having a high smoke point, it is a great alternative commonly used. Some other benefits are an aromatic & nutty taste. It has no casein or lactose, so it is safe for people with milk allergy. Additionally, it has anti-inflammatory properties and contributes to a healthy digestive system.
  • Olive Oil: is better than any other refined oils. Being monounsaturated fat & high in antioxidants, it is good for the skin, heart health & for lowering cholesterol.
  • Coconut Oil: In south India, coconut oil is a part of many recipes. Its delicious to cook with & rich in healthy fats that actually boost fat burning in your body. It also provides quick, sustainable energy to your brain and helps you focus.

Substitutes for Baking Purposes  

Butter functions as a leavening agent in baked goods and provides texture and flavor. It can be replaced by ghee (clarified butter), coconut oil & olive oil in baked goods. However, the ratio of these while substituting butter have to be kept in mind.

There are some more foods that work best as butter replacements in cakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, and quick breads. However replacing butter with foods is often a matter of trial and error.

  • Applesauce: significantly reduces the calorie and fat content of baked goods. Yet, it does add sweetness, so you may want to reduce the amount of sugar in recipes.
  • Avocados: These add nutrients and healthy fats to your recipes. Use dark ingredients like chocolate to cover up the green tint that may result from using avocados.
  • Mashed Bananas: Using mashed bananas provides extra nutrients and decreases the calorie and fat content. Add bananas slowly to the batter until you achieve the desired consistency.
  • Hung Curd: If dairy is not an issue, using Greek yogurt/hung curd adds protein to your recipes and replaces sweetness with a tangy flavor. Full-fat curd is best for keeping baked goods creamy and tender.
  • Nut Butters: Nut butters infuse baked goods with a nutty taste and tend to make them more dense and heavy. Still, keep in mind that they’re high in fat and calories.
  • Pumpkin Purée: This is a nutrient-rich butter replacement. Use 3/4 the amount of pumpkin purée when substituting for butter.

Substitutes in Spread

Butter is widely used as a spread for bread, crackers, and other food items. The following foods have consistencies that are ideal for spreads, in addition to being tasty and nutritious.

  • Nut Butter: Peanut and almond butter can easily be spread onto toast or crackers. They are delicious as well!
  • Cheese or Hung Curd: Try cottage cheese, cream cheese, or hung curd if you can tolerate dairy. You can also add some herbs & finely chopped veggies to enhance flavor.
  • Avocado: Lightly spread a tablespoon or two of ripe avocado over toast & sprinkle some salt, pepper & dry herbs mix.
  • Hummus: also works great for spreading and dipping.

We hope this article helped you in your quest to substitute butter. Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below! For more on nutrition, check out Healthy Reads or ask an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce  

September 13, 2023 By Roopa Tandur Leave a Comment

What Are The Best Sources of Calcium

best sources of calciumCalcium, needed for healthy and strong bones and teeth, also helps in alleviating normal blood clotting, supports proper functioning of muscles and nerves. Most calcium is found in the bones of our body. If sufficient calcium is not included in the diet, then the body starts extracting calcium from bones making them weak and brittle and putting one at risk of Osteoporosis. Calcium requirements differ for each age group and gender. The most being required by the 50+ age group people as the body removes old bones faster than it rebuilds new ones. Let’s look into some of the best sources of calcium rich foods, including which will help us meet the daily recommended requirements for the mineral.

Best Sources of Calcium

  1. Milk and Milk Products: like curds, yogurt, buttermilk, paneer (Indian cottage cheese), ghee, are all very good sources of calcium. Including milk and milk products regularly in the diet helps us meet 12-30% of daily calcium requirement with 1 glass of milk helping us meet 12% of daily requirements of calcium. But choosing the right type of milk and milk products helps us reach the goal of maintaining or reducing or increasing weight at the same time.
  2. Leafy Greens: like spinach, kale, rhubarb and amaranth greens all have a good amount of calcium in them and can easily be incorporated in a diet. People following a vegan diet find it very easy to incorporate leafy vegetables and can complete their daily recommended dosage for calcium. People with kidney disease should follow restrictions which include these leafy greens as they also have large amounts of oxalates which are a reason for kidney stones – including good amounts of liquids helps minimize the oxalates effects on the body.
  3. Nuts: like almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and dried figs have good amounts of calcium with almonds topping the list with 75 mg of calcium per 30 gms of almonds included. Nuts can be easily incorporated in snacks which are a healthy swap for all the unhealthy cravings in between meals. Incorporating a large quantity of nuts can also cause weight gain as they are very good sources of fats. Ensure that you control the portion size of nuts included. 
  4. Seeds: like sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds and poppy seeds are rich in calcium and can be easily included in any of the Indian meal preparations which will add to the nutrient content of the dish and makes it more appealing as well. What is more interesting is that a very small quantity of the seeds, around 1-2 tsp in a day, will give you 80-150 gms of calcium.
  5. Vegetables: are rated quite low in terms of calcium but vegetables such as broccoli, sweet potato, lady finger and beans are good sources of calcium, between 70g-160g and are easily available all through the year and can be included in diet as salads, sabji (dry vegetable preparation) or mid meal snacks as well. 
  6. Sea foods: Sea animals like tuna, sardines, salmon provide us many of the micronutrients like potassium, selenium and magnesium along with calcium. These fishes have high levels of calcium as they have edible bones. They are also a good source of protein and Omega-3 fatty acids. But they also have high amounts of mercury so precaution must be taken to clean the fish well before using it for cooking
  7. Fruits: Though fruits are not very good sources of calcium, fruits like grapefruit, kiwi and orange help us get around 30-50mg of calcium per serving. Including fruits in between meals help in better absorption of nutrients from them.

We hope these best sources of calcium help you! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! For more tips on nutrition, check out Healthy Reads or speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

September 2, 2023 By Neha Morche 3 Comments

Coconut-The Super Fruit & Its Many Benefits

Coconut uses and benefits

“Why are you eating a coconut? It’s so fattening!” This comment was directed at me once and I couldn’t hold myself back and burst into laughter. But, at the same time, I was not surprised at this question. Most people consider it to be a fatty fruit. If that is the case then all those who include it in their daily food intake should be fat. This should be the case not only in India but in many other countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Philippines where coconut is one of the main ingredients used for cooking.

Coconut can be consumed in various ways – fresh, dry form, coconut water, coconut oil, or coconut milk, etc. Interestingly, each form has its own significance. Coconut does have saturated fats (which is not as harmful as vegetable oil) but, it also has unsaturated fats (like polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids), polyphenols, vitamin K, vitamin E and minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc and also dietary fiber.

Why Should It Be An Important Aspect Of Your Diet? 

  1. Coconut oil helps in healthy growth of hair and gives it a shine
  2. It helps control high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and atherosclerosis as it has 50 % lauric acid
  3. Thanks to its Vitamin E content, it helps in moisturizing all skin types and it does not have any adverse effect
  4. It increases immunity as it has anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties thanks to Lauric acid and Capric acid. These properties also help in digestion and help one find relief from irritable bowel syndrome
  5. It improves the secretion of insulin, hence controls blood sugar levels as well
  6. It is good for the bones as it has Calcium and Magnesium
  7. It helps in healing damaged issues and infections
  8. MCT’s (medium chain triglycerides) present in coconut help reduce appetite

It is not only a fruit that can be eaten but, it also has water which you can drink. Just like the fruit, Coconut water also has many benefits! All we know about Coconut water is that it is a refreshing drink. While that is true, let’s delve a little deep to know more about it and its benefits.

Benefits of Coconut Water 

Besides less sugar, coconut water is packed with sodium, potassium, folic acid, B complex vitamins, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and iron minerals… So many nutrients in just 200ml of water! Drinking Coconut water not provides the aforementioned nutrients but it also helps in many ways to conquer health issues.

  1. It slows down the ageing process and also can be applied on eczema and acne
  2. It is good for digestion as it has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial properties
  3. It hydrates our body faster than normal water as it has natural electrolytes
  4. It is definitely healthier than fruit juices because it has fewer calories
  5. It has anti-carcinogenic and anti-thrombotic properties to reduce cholesterol levels
  6. It helps in finding relief from UTI and kidney stones as it acts a diuretic

Coconut water has 40-60 calories per 200ml – which is great for your health! More so, there are various uses for coconut oil as well! So what are you waiting for? Add this super fruit to your diet now!

We hope this article helps you! For more on nutrition, check out Healthy Reads or speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

Do leave your thoughts in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

August 25, 2023 By Shikha Singh 28 Comments

Why Does Your Body Need Antioxidants?

antioxidants

Antioxidants or should we call them the ”Free Radical Feeders”? We’ve all heard about how the body needs antioxidants but have you ever wondered why your body needs them? What role do they play? Do they actually heal the body or is it just a marketing hype? Well, let’s understand what antioxidants are and whether it is safe to take them as supplements and how you can get them from natural food. 

Why Do We Need Antioxidants?

Free radicals are waste substances produced by cells as the body processes food. They are produced especially while the body processes refined and processed foods, trans fats, artificial sweeteners  and certain additives. Smoking, environmental pollution, exposure to chemicals such as pesticides and drugs and even chemotherapy can produce them. If the body cannot remove free radicals efficiently, oxidative stress can result and harm cells and body function. Antioxidants can protect against the cell damage that free radicals cause, by oxidative stress.

What Are Some Natural Sources? 

Each antioxidant serves a different function .This is why it is important to have a varied diet. The best sources of antioxidants are plant-based foods, especially brightly coloured fruits and vegetables.

To obtain some specific antioxidants naturally, try to include dairy produce, eggs, liver, nuts, seeds, corn and mushrooms in your diet. The following tips could help increase your antioxidant intake:

  • Include a fruit or a vegetable every time you eat meals and snacks
  • Have a cup of green or matcha tea every day
  • Use turmeric, cumin, oregano, ginger, clove and cinnamon to spice up the flavour and antioxidant content of your meals.
  • Snack on nuts and seeds, especially Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, and dried fruit, but choose those with no added sugar or salt

What About Supplements?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) warns against high doses of antioxidant supplements as they can be harmful. Antioxidant supplements may also interact with some medications. It is important to speak with a health provider before using any of these products.

However, there may be some benefit for people at risk of age-related macular degeneration, but it is essential to seek advice from a doctor about whether to use supplements, and which ones to use. The best way is to have it in its natural, available form. If you are lacking in fruit and veggies, start by adding two servings of fruits and two to three servings of veggies in your daily routine. Avoid Supplements unless prescribed by your healthcare provider.

We hope this article helps you! Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Find more articles on nutrition here. 

Still have some doubts and queries about antioxidants? Ask your GOQii Coach directly by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

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