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The Different Uses and Benefits of Banana Peels

banana peels

Banana is one of my favourite fruits because it is delicious and rich with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals like magnesium, potassium, etc. We have all eaten bananas since childhood but have you ever realized that banana peels are also a healthy part of the fruit? Banana peels have enormous health benefits and we can use the peel in several ways to lower cholesterol, eliminate wrinkles and improve sleep. Banana Peels can even be eaten raw! That’s right! They are not only edible but good for your health and skin as well. 

How To Use Banana Peels 

  • Boil them in water for 10 minutes to make a tea
  • Put them in a  juicer with water 
  • Use them as an ingredient in chutney
  • Cook them with water and sugar to make candy
  • Blend banana peels into a fruit smoothie

Health Benefits 

  1. Whitens Teeth: Ripe banana peels are very rich in potassium, which can remove yellow stains from your teeth. To whiten your teeth, rub the inner part of the peel for 2-3 minutes on a regular basis for at least 2-3 weeks after brushing and you will see positive results! 
  2. Good for Skin: They work great for skin as they have antioxidants which remove wrinkles and nourish the skin. It also fades acne scars and hydrates the skin. Simply rub the banana peel gently on the desired areas of your face, and leave for a half-hour before washing off. 
  3. Treats Warts: No need to use harsh chemicals for treating warts. Just tap a piece of ripe banana peel over it and leave it overnight for a few days.  Isn’t it an amazing natural way to treat warts?
  4. Remove Splinters: Banana peels are rich in enzymes and these enzymes have a pulling action that draws foreign objects to the surface of the skin which makes it much easier to grab the splinter. Just apply the peel to the affected area of the skin and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then remove it gently, then remove the splinter.
  5. Good for Eyes: Banana peels are good for the eyes and lower the risk of cataract. Placing it close to your eyes helps reduce puffiness. The peel also helps to lighten up under-eye dark circles and reduces the appearance of fine lines.
  6. Lower Cholesterol: They have soluble and insoluble fiber which helps lower cholesterol, stroke and prevent cardiovascular disease and prevent cholesterol from sticking to the wall of arteries. A person who needs to lower cholesterol can include banana peel as a part of a healthy diet.
  7. Boost mood: They are packed with Serotonin that helps in making you feel good. Using banana peels continuously in the diet is a natural way to increase serotonin levels.
  8. Good Sleep: If you have sleep disorder, try banana peels as they are full of tryptophan that helps to induce  more relaxed sleep.
  9. Relieves Constipation: They are loaded with high fiber which helps keep your bowel movements regular. It has 12 percent of your daily fiber requirement which helps in good digestion.
  10. First Aid: It has antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties which gives relief from ivy rash, itching and bug bite. It is a natural way to treat migraine, helps to reduce headache by placing a frozen banana peel on the forehead and across the back of the neck.

Hopefully this article will make you think twice before throwing banana peels away! Do use this unusual knowledge and peel the benefits to good health! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. 

For more useful information, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. 

#BeTheForce  

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Recover and Reclaim Your Health – Yashas Ranganath User Journey

Yashas Ranganath

More often than not, we find ourselves moving passively through the world revelling in all it has to offer and more. Wading way beyond moderation in the beauty of excesses till the consequences of our actions pile up. Lifestyle diseases are caused because of indulgence in unhealthy habits, something that one of our players Yashas Ranganath found out first hand. How did he manage? How did he recover? Let’s find out!

Life Before GOQii

Yashas Ranganath, an IT professional from Bangalore led quite a normal life. He used to eat, drink and do whatever he pleased, paying no attention to health and fitness. His physical activity was almost nil and he paid no attention to his lifestyle to even make a change.

In 2016, he was diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes. He was also admitted to the hospital for a severe migraine attack and put under medication for both. His health only got worse with time. In September 2018, he was hit by a stroke due to a cyst in his left brain. This left the right side of his body completely paralyzed.

Enter GOQii

Initially, Yashas Ranganath had joined GOQii in 2015 when he was exploring the market for a good fitness tracker. He chose GOQii as he was intrigued by the personal coaching feature. However, he says he completely wasted that subscription and did not take it seriously at all.

In December 2018, after 50% recovery from the paralysis, he began thinking about making lifestyle changes. He turned to GOQii and renewed his subscription. He says that his life took a complete positive turn after that!

Making a Positive Lifestyle Change

Yashas’ goal was to get all his vitals under control and completely recover from paralysis. His GOQii Coach advised him to completely stop the consumption of oil, sweets, salt, junk food and all types of processed food. He was also asked to stop eating maida and consumed bottled beverages. From a foodie, he had turned into a monk – eating to live and not living to eat. But his sole focus was recovery and he was ready to give up on everything.

His daily routine became structured in terms of eating habits, activity and sleep:

  • He wakes up at 4 in the morning to leave for work at 6:30 AM. He eats his breakfast and lunch at work – both are customized to his requirement.
  • His breakfast consists of upma, poha or idli. For Lunch, he eats 2 cups of rice with salads and vegetable curry.
  • Dinner consists of chapatti with a curry.
  • His coffee intake is limited to 1 in the evening and he eat fruits as mid meal snacks.
  • Under the rare occasion when he eats out, he manages to customize his food.
  • He exercises for 2 hours a day, doing what his physiotherapist suggests along with numerous stretches recommended by his GOQii Coach. He concludes this with 15 minutes of meditation.
  • He has also started cycling and performs Yog Nidra at night.

After following this routine, Yashas says that he feels no cravings at all and doesn’t even get tempted after seeing other enjoy different delicacies. He enjoys his current lifestyle modifications.

What Changes Did Yashas Ranganath Experience?

When he joined GOQii in 2018, his weight was 75kg, HBA1C was above 8 and blood pressure was 200/170. He now weighs 63kg. His vitals improved drastically too with his HBA1C at 5.4, blood sugar – fasting at 80-90 mg/dl and postprandial at 80-100 mg/dl. Blood Pressure is 130/80. He is on minimal medication, feels more active physically and positive mentally. He has also made a 90% recovery from his stroke.

“You have to get hit before your eyes are opened and then you change in ways you never thought you could,” says Yashas.

His wife and parents are overwhelmed with his recovery. He attributes the change in his lifestyle to his GOQii Coach and says her contribution has been 100%, constantly guiding him on what to eat and what not to eat. Yashas has also explored the features on the app like Play and watches videos as and when he finds time.

What Did His GOQii Coach Have to Say About Him?

“Yashas is one of the most disciplined player I have ever seen. He has been very regular in following
all the habits formulated for him. After the treatment of his stroke and during recovery, he used to suffer from episodes of hypoglycaemia in between. He used to feel dizzy and uncomfortable. Slowly, we started making him have small and frequent meals with portion control. We started millet based meals for better glycaemic index and on the side, he was doing his physiotherapy as well. All of which contributed to his lifestyle change.”

Yashas Ranganath made a positive lifestyle change, what about you? Join GOQii now to experience a healthier and fitter you! Download the app here: www.goqii.com/app

Do check out more inspiring stories in Healthy Reads and #BeTheForce 

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Holiday Health Tips: It’s All In The Chew!

chew your food

It’s precisely between this week and January 1st when people tend to put on most of their weight. There are two reasons for this. The crazy festive season filled with weddings and parties and then Christmas, New Year Eve and the fact that people tend to let loose during this time, with the justification that they will start anew with  ‘healthy new year resolutions’ from January onwards.

  • What if I told, you could enjoy this season and it would not impact your weight?
  • What if I told you that snacking on a cookie or dessert here or there would not impact your weight goals?
  • What if I told you that you could eat rice / Roti / Bread at lunch and dinner, and it would not impact your weight or health?
  • What if you could enjoy this festive season, have loads of fun, eat your favourite foods and still maintain your health and weight?

The human body is a miracle and we are living examples of this miracle. The way our brain and body functions, blood flow, smell, feelings, emotions, the ability to recover from the deadliest of diseases, and the ability of our cells to heal and repair. Every day, trillions of cells in our body work non-stop to fight out germs and bacteria all around us, which if infects us, we could fall very sick and even die. That miracle is called ‘ immunity’.

Our stomach produces sufficient acid to melt down a razor blade. Such is the power of our digestive system. So what’s an ice- cream or a chocolate bar or a cookie going to do when it finds its way into our stomachs? Our body is made to digest the hardest of foods. Red meat is tough to digest but the body will break it down. Vegetarians don’t escape either. Cellulose in vegetables are extremely difficult to break down, but the body breaks it down eventually (this is one reason that vegetarians suffer from more flatulence than non vegetarians).

The body can break down meats and vegetables and that dessert. The secret lies in the ‘chew’.  The reason food tastes so good is because you’re supposed to enjoy it—slow down and savor it, not just get it to your stomach as quickly as possible.

How Does Chewing Thoroughly Help? 

Chewing your food thoroughly is actually the first step in the complex process of digestion, and if you glaze over it, just chewing the minimum amount of times necessary to get the food down your esophagus, you’re actually compromising this process. And that’s the mistake many people make.

We have teeth not just to smile or picture pretty. The primary function of teeth is to tear down and break up food into small bits. Saliva mixes with these small bits, further softening them, and guess what?

Let me get down to some basics!

Why Should You Chew Your Food Thoroughly? 

When you chew, more saliva gets produced and your saliva contains enzymes that break down FATS and CARBS. Yes!!! Digestion starts in the MOUTH! By the time your food reaches your stomach, it’s already processed by enzymes and your stomach has no issues in completing the assimilation/digestion process.

  • You feel light
  • You feel full for a longer period of time.
  • You do away with flatulence, gas, indigestion, burping.
  • You learn to savour and enjoy the taste of your food.
  • Your body absorbs all the goodness of your food (vitamins, minerals) better.
  • You eat exactly how much your body needs, to you maintain or arrive at a healthy weight

Imagine all the times you gobble down your food. You have undigested chunks sitting in your stomach, giving rise to gas, discomfort and chances are that most of your food gets converted to fat.

Chew your food. Enjoy a dessert but eat it slow, savour it and over time, you will learn not to abuse it. The more you chew your food, the cleaner you keep your intestines, stomach and colon because the body can quickly cleanse itself when digestion happens the right way.

Say bye to constipation, fatigue and migraines/headaches.

Try this exercise today:

The next meal, eat it really slow. Take a spoon of food, chew it several times, savour the flavour and taste, and then swallow. Put your spoon down.

Then take the next. You will find yourself getting fuller quickly, and then you should stop eating. This way you save on calories you intake and over time, this will become a habit and you will serve yourself less food. Less food equals less calories, better health, longer life and a healthy weight.

Take 1 serving spoon less at every meal, chew and eat your food. You will find that it is enough and all these save spoons of food which add up to a lot of calories saved. You will lose fat and you will feel healthier

Diseases are caused in most cases by overeating, and we always think how much we eat is enough, but it may not be correct, if you have been eating your meals fast. Chew your food and you will never have to diet. Your meal time is more important that your work, respect it. That’s your personal time between you and your body, where you feed and nourish it to keep you healthy and strong to do your work and live well.

This is a lifestyle change, and if you master it, you can enjoy all the foods you like in moderation.

#BeTheForce

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How to Heal a Leaky Gut

heal a leaky gut

In the previous article, we addressed the symptoms and causes of a Leaky Gut. If you have been experiencing any of the symptoms, here’s what you can do to heal your gut!

Ways to Heal a Leaky Gut

One of the best ways to heal a Leaky Gut is to consume a healthy, well-balanced diet with optimum nutrition. The process includes:

  • Remove: Excluding the toxic and inflammatory foods as it causes the gut to become leaky and adding good and healthy nutrients that will result in healing the gut. Remove products which affect the environment of the gut negatively.
  • Replace: For appropriate digestion and absorption, including important healthy nutrients for proper break-down and absorption of the nutrients i.e. digestive enzymes, HCL (Hydrochloric Acid) and bile acids.
  • Reinoculate: It is quite difficult to restore the important bacteria to improve the good gut bacteria.
  • Repair: It is important to provide essential nutrients for the gut to be restored. To revive the lining of the gut wall it is important to consume L-Glutamine supplement.

Necessary Dietary Modifications

Listed below are a few ways in which you can heal a leaky gut, improve gut health as well as good gut bacteria.

  • Reduce the Intake of Refined Carbohydrates: Harmful Bacteria grow more when there is an excess intake of sugar and can harm the gut barrier function. Avoid unhealthy, processed, junk and fried foods.
  • Include Probiotic Supplements: This helps improve the beneficial gut bacteria. Probiotics include curd, buttermilk, and probiotic supplements.
  • Eat Fermented Foods: Fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi, saukerkraut, kefir and kombucha, help improve gut bacteria.
  • Include Plenty of High Fiber Foods: This includes fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole-grains that feed the beneficial bacteria.
  • Reduce the intake of alcohol and Quit Smoking
  • Avoid or reduce stress

Common Questions Asked

How long does it take to heal a Leaky Gut?
To get an idea about this question, we need to go down to the cellular level. 300 square meters is the surface area of the gut. The enterocytes are the lining cells of the gut that keep reviving/restoring in a gut which is normal and healthy.  A new lining of the gut is seen every two to three weeks. For those individuals who do not have any medical disease or conditions, studies prove that that gut-healing might take around 2-12 weeks (higher range may-be for those who have other medical conditions).

In another study by Harvard published in the Medical Journal Nature, states that those who are keen on healing their gut majorly have an underlying cause as an issue will take a longer time to heal by making it more complex and slow i.e. like a journey.

In-case whenever you decide to change your time in terms of diet and lifestyle, that restores the gut functioning, skin gets clearer, energy increases, bloating reduces, loss of weight, betterment in the conditions like eczema, asthma, allergies, migraine, depression, eagerness/anxiety, auto-immune disease and much more. This again varies depending on several factors/causes.

How do I know my Gut is repaired?
There are a few signs which indicate that the gut is fully repaired. Firstly, you’d want to check whether your gut has healed completely or not. This can be analysed via the symptoms that you experience. Below are a few points which should help you analyse:

  • Digestive Issues, food sensitivity vanish/fade away along with skin issues
  • Auto-immunity lab markers improve, returning to optimal self (quality of life improves)
  • Your energy and stamina return
  • Improved mood
  • You came back to proper weight.

You can also check it through a spectrum, with one side being no inflammation & healthy balanced gut with no symptoms and other end being leaky gut with several symptoms.

Even if the gut is repaired, it could have its draw-backs where you need to work to get back to normal health. Be calm and firm on following your gut-healthy protocol. It will not only help you get your health back on track but it will improve your quality of life as well!

We hope this article helps you make the necessary changes and heal. For more session on Gut Health, tune in to GOQii Play. Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

#BeTheForce 

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