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Have A Healthy Summer With These Safety Tips!

healthy summerSummer is officially here and it often indicates fun and sunshine. Unfortunately, that also brings unbearable heat induced illnesses such as sunburn, heat exhaustion, stroke, etc. Therefore, a variation in weather calls for the change in our routine, dietary habits and activity that suits the weather. So, here are some tips to help you enjoy a healthy summer! 

Safety Tips For a Healthy Summer

  1. Hydration: Heat and sweat in summers may lead to dehydration causing sleep issues, and headaches. So, no matter what time of the day it is, water is very important to prevent dehydration. Keep the body hydrated and drink a minimum of 2-3 litres (8-12 glasses) per day. In addition to water, buttermilk, lemon juice, aloe vera juice, mint and amla juice with rock salt can also be included (prefer fresh ingredients). 
  2. Have healthy and light meals: One’s appetite decreases in summers because of the excessive heat but it is important to provide nutrition to the body. Prefer light, small and frequent meals which can be easily digested by the body. Prefer more fresh fruits and veggies with high water content such as melons, oranges, cucumber and tomatoes. 
  3. Avoid caffeine and fizzy drinks: Caffeine (tea, coffee) and fizzy drinks (soft drinks) dehydrate the body and also cause gastritis. Try to reduce the consumption of these products for a healthy summer! If you do have them, pair them with nuts, unsalted popcorns, plain peanuts, foxt nuts, etc. 
  4. Wear the right clothes: Always prefer to wear loose and light clothes in summers as they allow the free flow of air, speed up the evaporation process and carry off the excess heat from the body, keeping it cool. 
  5. Be active: Exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes, 5 times a week. It’s the best way to keep the body active. It also improves blood circulation in the body, preventing headaches and migraine attacks during summer. One can opt for indoor activities like swimming, yoga, dancing, aerobics or outdoor activities like walking, jogging, running, o cycling. The best time for outdoor activities is before 8.00am or after 6.00pm 

Most importantly, the threat of COVID-19 is still looming over us. So don’t forget to wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth. Always carry a sanitizer and wash your hands thoroughly once you’re back home. Also, maintain safe distance and follow all social distancing protocols set by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

We hope this article helps you have a healthy summer! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! For more summer tips, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. 

Beat the heat and #BeTheForce 

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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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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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Leaky Gut: Symptoms and Causes

leaky gut

The gut is considered to be the “Gateway to Health”. It consists of approximately 80% of the immune system. 95% of “serotonin”, the “feel-good” hormone, is also produced in the Gut. Healing and improving your gut is of the utmost importance to lead a healthy and happy life. Your gut is responsible for stomach conditions, pain and even eagerness. Poor gut health can cause various issues such as a Leaky Gut.

A Leaky Gut is one of the most puzzling illnesses/diseases to be diagnosed and to get treated. It is a very puzzling disease or illness majorly due to the gut having a very extensive and complex structure. “There is still so much science that proceeds with finding newly developed methods, where the gut can have an impact on the health of the heart to brains being young and active,” says Dr. Alessio Fasano, Director of the Center for Celiac Research and Treatment with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

What is Leaky Gut?

The digestive system is where food is broken down and nutrients are absorbed. It also plays a major role in safeguarding your body from detrimental or dangerous substances. The intestinal walls act as a barrier/hurdle to check what is passing into the bloodstream, to be carried to different organs of the body.

Water and nutrients are passed into and out of the small holes (tight junctions) in the walls of the intestine when obstructing the movement of detrimental substances. Intestinal Permeability is defined as an easy passage of the substances through the walls of the intestine. When the small holes (tight junction) of the intestinal wall become loose, the permeability of the gut increases and results in bacteria and toxins passing from the gut into the bloodstream. This event is termed as “Leaky Gut”.  

Due to Leaky Gut, toxins and bacteria enter the blood-stream, resulting in inflammation and activating a reaction from the immunity. Proponents declare that it is one of the major causes of several medical conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, food sensitivities, thyroid abnormalities, mood swings, skin conditions, and autism.

Many Health-care professionals say that an increase in the permeability of the intestine occurs in a few chronic diseases. It is a challenge to calculate the strength of an individual’s gut barrier, so it becomes difficult to identify whether a person has a leaky gut and what impact it will have on the body.

Symptoms to Watch Out For

As per Dr. Leo Galland, the director of the Foundation for Integrated Medicine, the symptoms below could indicate a Leaky Gut.

  • Digestive issues such as chronic diarrhea, constipation, gas or bloating or IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
  • Nutritional Deficiencies such as anemia, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin deficiencies
  • Excess weight, obesity, diabetes
  • Poor immunity such as frequent cold, flu, and infection. Auto-immune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, celiac disease or chron’s disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
  • Brain: Headaches, brain fog and memory loss and Depression/Eagerness/ ADHD (Attention Deficient Hyperactive Disorder)
  • Excessive tiredness or fatigue
  • Rashes on skin such as acne, eczema
  • Cravings for refined carbs or sugar
  • Bones: Arthritis or Joint Pain and Osteoporosis
  • Seasonal Allergies or Asthma
  • Imbalance in the hormones such as PMS or PCOD i.e. Pre-menstrual Syndrome and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
  • Diagnosis of candida overgrowth
  • Food Allergies, food sensitivities or intolerances.

What Causes a Leaky Gut?

There are several factors that can cause a Leaky Gut. Gluten, food, infection and toxins being a few of them. The following factors can also be considered.

  • Food Sensitivities, Candida or yeast over-growth, Parasites, Medications and Drugs
  • Excessive sugar intake and other un-healthy food affect the barrier of the wall of the intestine.
  • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s): Excess and too much use of NSAID’s like ibuprofen leads to leaky gut due to an increase in the wall of intestinal permeability
  • Excess alcohol intake may also cause intestinal permeability.
  • Nutritional Deficiencies: Deficiencies of vitamins such as A, D and Zinc result in increases intestinal permeability.
  • Inflammation: Can also result in the leaky gut.
  • Stress: Excess Stress also results in gastro-intestinal disorder, leading to leaky gut.
  • Poor Gut Condition: There is a mix of good and harmful bacteria which are almost in millions in the gut. If the balance of the good and harmful bacteria is affected, it can affect the intestinal wall.
  • Yeast Overgrowth: Natural existence of yeast is there in the gut, but excess growth of yeast can lead to leaky gut.

In my next article, we will talk about how to heal a Leaky Gut! Stay tuned and stay healthy. For more topics on Gut Health, tune in to expert coaches on GOQii Play.

#BeTheForce

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