Nutrition | GOQii

June 14, 2018 By Trishala Chopra 6 Comments

8 healthy food pairings to boost your health

Milk-And-Yolk

This must have happened many times that some food products taste horrible when eaten alone and tastes too good when combined with some other food products?

That’s the way nature has designed it for us. Nature has pre-planned the best food combination for us, it just takes the right time to know it! Well, it’s not just about the taste but, it is also about the nutrients which you get out of those food combinations!

Have you heard of food synergy? Different components in a single food can work together to benefit our health, and so can components in different foods that are eaten together. David Jacobs, PhD, a researcher from the University of Minnesota, loosely defines food synergy as the idea that food influences our health in complex and highly interactive ways. Simply put, Food synergy is nothing but nutrients that work together better.

It reminds us of how a variety of foods in our diet will help us live a healthy life! At GOQii we are celebrating Food Synergy….Let me take you through some food synergies that you adopt in your daily life.

(1) Rosemary and meat

Not many people must have heard about rosemary but, it is a very useful herb which is an excellent antioxidant having a good amount of carnosol and carnosic content. This herb is native to Mediterranean. People who cook non-veg might have no idea about what happens to the meat when it is cooked at a very high temperature. Well, when meat gets exposed to high temperature, carcinogenic compounds such as heterocyclic amine is formed which is very dangerous. If meat is marinated with rosemary herb, these carcinogenic compounds will be neutralized because of its antioxidant properties.

A study by Dr. J. Scott Smith of Kansas State University in Manhattan further endorses the above statements. He studied Heterocyclic Amines (HCA’s), which are carcinogenic compounds that form when meat is cooked at high temperatures. He found that adding rosemary extract to ground meat reduced the amount of cancer-causing compounds created during grilling. He attributed this to the antioxidants found in the rosemary extract.

(2) Green tea and lemon drop

Green Tea is a great elixir and did you know that by adding lemon to your cup of Green Tea you can reap a lot of benefits. Various studies have also proved this to be right. Catechins, the main health compound in tea tied to reduced risk of cancer, heart attack, and other diseases, unfortunately, isn’t absorbed very well in the intestines. After digestion, less than 20 percent of catechins remain.

In two studies, by Purdue University, researchers found that adding lemon juice, other citrus juice, or vitamin C helped the body absorb as much as 13 times the healthy catechins than normal. The addition of lemon juice caused 80 percent of the catechins to remain. The studies tested the effects of absorption with both rats and a human digestive model.

Lemon is rich in vitamin c (water soluble vitamin) and green tea is rich in antioxidant compounds such as catechin. When both of these are combined, lemon will increase the absorption of antioxidants making this combination the most widely used combination among people!

(3) Virgin Olive oil and tomatoes

How many of you are aware of the benefits of mixing Olive oil and tomatoes? I have seen many people using this combination mostly as their salad option. Why and how is it healthy we shall find out?

The bioavailability of olive oil and tomatoes is very high. These two Super Foods protect, energize and satiate; together, they amplify each other’s already extraordinary benefits. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene which is a phytochemical/phytonutrient which will help in maintain heart health and can reduce the risk of having prostate cancer drastically. Tomatoes basically have carotenoids which are fat soluble and only with fat, these carotenoids would be available in the body. Virgin Olive oil is very rich in good fatty acids and there is nothing better than choosing olive oil as a support for better absorption of fat soluble vitamins.

Merritt Rosen who holds a Masters in Health and Consumer Psychology from New York University calls Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Tomatoes- the hottest power couple. According to her pairing virgin olive, oil and tomatoes are the best thing one can do. Not only does heart healthy EVOO protect cells against damage and inflammation and promote healthy skin from the inside out, it also helps ensure the absorption of these fat-soluble carotenoids.

(4) Milk and eggs

Milk-And-Yolk

Did you know that Marilyn Monroe’s daily diet consisted of two raw eggs whipped in warm milk for breakfast? Rebecca Harrington, in an article in ‘The Cut’ magazine, quoted an old interview of Marilyn Monroe in 1952 to the now defunct Pageant Magazine in which Monroe describing her daily diet said, “I doubt any doctor could recommend a more nourishing breakfast for a working girl in a hurry.”

Milk and eggs are so far the best examples of perfect food synergy! There is nothing like having a glass of milk and boiled egg for your breakfast. Egg yolk is very rich in vitamin D and milk is rich in calcium. Vitamin D helps in increasing the calcium absorption which will keep your bones healthy and thus it reduces the risk of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis in the body.

(5) Garlic and Fish

Facing cholesterol issues? You must give this food synergy a try. For all non-vegetarians, this food synergy is a boon. Here is why it is a boon?

Garlic is rich in sulphur compounds which help in fighting diseases and fights against the inflammation in the body. Fish is a very rich source of protein. If these 2 super foods are combined together, their power of fighting diseases drastically increases.

Adding garlic to fish will help in lowering bad cholesterol and also maintain your triglyceride levels!

(6) Curcuma longa (turmeric) and pepper

There are many types of research and articles which are being published on benefits of turmeric. Although the therapeutic use of Curcuma was recorded as early as 1748, the first article referring to the use of curcumin in human disease was published in 1937 by Oppenheimer. In this study, the author examined the effects of “curcumin” or “curcunat” containing 0.1 g to 0.25 g sodium curcumin and 0.1 g calcium cholate in human biliary diseases.

Curcumin has various properties like lowering bad cholesterol, prevents cancer, boosting liver function and more. But, when it comes to its absorption, only curcumin might not benefit. Adding pepper to it will boost the absorption of curcumin ( the active ingredient in turmeric) and bring out major benefits to the body.

(7) Spinach and lemon drops

We might have heard about spinach being rich in iron and we should include it in our daily diet but we might not know that iron is spinach is not readily absorbed in the body. Absorption of iron is very poor but, if you add lemon drops to it, iron absorption will be increased. Vitamin c helps in increasing the absorption of iron in the food.

(8) Rice and vinegar

There are many myths about rice and one of them is that a diabetic should avoid taking rice. It is said that rice spikes up the sugar levels. Adding, vinegar to your rice will slow the blood sugar spike. So, diabetics can take rice to some extent and this is also good for people looking for weight loss and loves eating rice!

Conclusion:

It is always good to know about food combinations which will help in boosting your health! Vitamin D & calcium and Iron and vitamin C combination must be taken care off. There are food combinations which should be avoided which will be covered up in my next blog. Until then stay tuned!

June 11, 2018 By Hardika Vira Leave a Comment

10 tips to retain nutrients while cooking

We try different methods of cooking- boiling, sauteing, frying, grilling etc. Everyone has their own unique way of preparing a particular dish. Isn’t it? We never realize why one is following particular steps for cooking as compared to the other. Ever thought about nutrient losses that might be occurring while cooking?

I thought of writing this blog as I have seen my “cook” cooking in some different ways wherein you will end up losing all nutrients. I am sure many of us might be doing the same unknowingly.

Here are 10 simple tips which will help you retain nutrients while cooking. So that you can ensure highly nutritious food being served to your loved ones.

When peeling the skin of vegetables do peel as thinly as possible. The nutrients in vegetables and fruits are concentrated just below the skin, so peeling before boiling increases the loss of Vitamin C, Folic Acid and other B vitamins. The peels of carrot, radish, gourd and ginger can be scraped instead of peeling. Peel only when absolutely necessary.
Do not cut vegetables into very small cubes as the surface area of vegetable increases that comes in contact with oxygen, destroying more
Don’t soak vegetables in water to prevent discoloration-Almost 40% of water-soluble vitamins and minerals are lost in the water. If you must soak, use up the soaking water to knead the dough, prepare soups and gravies
Salads should be prepared just before serving and should be served in closed dishes to avoid excessive exposure to air.
Do not throw away the excess water drained after boiling rice or vegetables. When preparing cottage cheese, the water left over after curdling (called whey)-is extremely rich in good quality proteins and vitamins and should be used up in preparing gravies, kneading dough or simply had as a refreshing drink after flavouring with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Do not keep milk open or exposed to light, as a considerable destruction of riboflavin can occur.
It is preferable to cook vegetables in a minimum amount of water keeping the vessel covered and to consume it as soon as possible. Reheating cooked vegetables further destroys vitamins.
Root vegetables should be boiled with skins on and then peeled after boiling. This helps the nutrients to migrate to the centre of the vegetables, helping better retention of its nutrients. Do eat with skin on whenever possible.
Baking soda makes cooking water alkaline and thus helps retain the colour of vegetables as well as speed up the cooking process, BUT it destroys thiamine and vitamin C.
Deep frying and heating for a long time or heating at a high temperature should be avoided during cooking. If food material is heated above 70⁰C for a long duration, proteins become hard and coagulated. In this form, they are not easily absorbed by the body. Thus, overcooking results in loss of precious nutrients.

Do ensure you try these tips and make your food nutritious. Since Healthy food = Healthy you.

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”!

June 1, 2018 By Charmi Gala 1 Comment

Foods for healthy bones

Bones are a crucial part of our body. They are responsible for many of our body’s crucial functions, including movement, organ protection, production of blood cells, storage of minerals, and support for the rest of our body. Strong bones are like the foundations and support walls of a building; if they are strong the building is strong and can weather all sorts of conditions for years to come. Healthy, strong bones enable us to lead long, healthy life.

A balanced diet rich in fresh, whole foods is the foundation for good bone health. For strong bones, the key nutrients we look for is Protein, calcium, vitamin D, Fruits and vegetable (antioxidants).

Protein

Protein helps to form collagen fibre which is the framework for bones. Adequate intake of protein is necessary for healthy bones. Low protein intake can create a risk of bone fracture

Calcium

Supports your bones and teeth structure, while Vitamin D improves calcium absorption and bone growth.

Fruits and vegetables:

Most of the fruits and green leafy vegetables are a good source of potassium which helps to promote the bone health
Fruits and vegetables are a good source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals …thus help to maintain muscles and support them

Good food for bones

Foods	Nutrients
Dairy products: Milk, curd, buttermilk, Paneer, Chesse	Calcium
Ragi, Til, Rajgeera, coconut	Cereals
Lean Meat: fish, chicken and egg whites, Sprouts and pulses	Protein
Sunlight	Vitamin D
Banana, sweet lime, orange, muskmelon	Fruits ( High in potassium )
All green leafy vegetables like methi, cabbage, cauliflower leaves, kale, collard greens, spinach, turnip greens, aluwadi (Colocasia/Taro) leaves	Vegetables ( source of potassium )

Tips to increase bone health

After your 30’s keep a check for vitamin D and calcium levels in your body.
Have foods that are rich in calcium, proteins, vitamin and minerals
Quit Smoking as smoking increases bone loss. Limit your drinking. Decreased estrogen level in women thus leads to low absorption of calcium which leads to loss of bones and drinking hinders the calcium absorption.
Avoid table salt (avoid too much of sodium) in food as it leaches the calcium from the bones (Restrict processed food where salt is used as preventives), use tomatoes, tamarind pulp, lemon to restrict the salt intake.
Stay active. Walking is the best exercise or try weight-bearing exercise against gravity as it strengths the bone by stimulating bone cells which helps the bone to become denser and stronger.

Not looking after your bones can increase your risk of breaks and this can impact your health. A break can affect your quality of life and even cause severe pain or disability.