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Navratri: Keep it Healthy!!

Navratri: Keep it Healthy!

India with its varied cultures, festivities abound. We just completed lord Ganesha’s festival and now Navratri, where we welcome Goddess Durga, starts from today. With festivities come the problem of eating plenty and eating sweets. This Navratri let’s focus on eating healthy as it will help you detoxify your body and also cleanse your mind, leaving you with a great feeling.

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Here are some healthy tips to relish this season:

  1. Prefer small meals and do not starve yourself. Binge on fruits, nuts and juices whenever you are hungry and try to stay away from the sweets, this will help you maintain the glucose levels in the blood.
  2. Hydration is the key to Detoxification. Drink lots of water and fluids like coconut water, lemon water, juices, green tea and buttermilk.
  3. Indulging in fibrous meals helps to reduce the carbohydrate intake. Combine carbohydrate-rich foods like potato, sabudana (Tapioca Sago) with fibre-rich vegetables such as spinach, capsicum, cabbage, tomato, bottle gourd etc. Also, prefer healthy cooking methods like roasting, grilling or baking over deep frying, this helps in avoiding excess fat/oil consumption.
  4. Protein need not be missed, when Amaranth (Daliya) is in your Navratri menu. Include milk porridge or Namkeen daliya (Salted oats) along with the meals to add protein to your plate.
  5. Kuttu (Buckwheat flour) is an excellent combination of carbohydrates (70-75%) and protein (20-25%). Preferring chapattis over pooris will help to avoid acidity or indigestion.
  6. Samak rice (Barnyard millet) is another energy dense option which can be included in any quantity.
  7. Defeating sugar craving with fruit raita (yoghurt), apple kheer, dates, porridge or Samak rice kheer will keep you guilt free.
  8. Healthy snacking can help you get the required vitamins and minerals. Binging on roasted makhanas (fox nut), mixed roasted nuts, baked chips, and roasted peanuts is always better than consuming the fried Navratri Namkeens which are available in the market.
  9. Substituting sugar with jaggery or honey is also a great option.
  10. Opting for skimmed milk over full crème milk will help keep calories in check.

                                     HEALTHY OPTIONS FOR NAVRATRI:

 

BREAKFAST MIDMEAL LUNCH TEA BREAK DINNER
Dalia porridge Coconut water Grilled vadas with chutney Green tea with mixed nuts Paneer tikka with vegetables
Fruits kheer Lemon water Kuttu roti, sabzi, raita and salad Tea with roasted makhanas Milk and fruits
Fruit shake with nuts Fruit infused water Baked sabudana Tikki, raita and veggies    Jasmine Tea A bowl of vegetable and salad
Samak Rice Kheer Fruit bowl Samak rice with curd and veggies Baked chips/ namkeen Pumpkin and bottle gourd soup

Always prefer homemade meals and avoid “Vrat Special Thalis” (fasting food plates). It is a good way to avoid unnecessary oil and fatty foods. Have a healthy and fruitful Navratri this season and don’t forget to enjoy Garbha, as this dance form is an excellent cardio session.

We at GOQii wish you all a Happy Navratri.

We hope this article equips you with valuable insights for maintaining a healthy and balanced life during Navratri. If you found these tips helpful, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Find more articles on healthy living and nutrition here. For further information or guidance on your health journey, reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

 

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Menstrual Cramps & Ways To Combat It

menstrual crampsMenstrual cramps are also called as Dysmenorrhea, like its name says ‘dys’ meaning difficult, ‘meno’ meaning month and ‘rrhea’ meaning flow i.e. difficult or painful monthly flow, and often a nightmare for most women. Its usual onset occurs around the time that menstruation begins. The pain is usually in the pelvis or lower abdomen.

Apart from this, there are certain other manifestations which women put up with during menstruation:

  • Nausea
  • Acidity
  • Acne
  • Bloating
  • Dizziness
  • Mood swings

Why Do We Get Menstrual Cramps?

Menstrual cramps are caused by an excess of “prostaglandins” hormones that are released from the endometrium (inner lining) of the uterus as it prepares to shed off. This is a necessary part of the process but in excess, it causes pain. If the uterus contracts strongly, blood flow is reduced and the supply of oxygen to the uterus muscle tissue decreases, causing severe pain.

Why Do Some Women Experience More Cramps Than Others?

This could be possibly due to inflammation. As a more inflamed tissue tends to produce more prostaglandins, it causes more severe pain. Other factors that contribute to menstrual cramps include:

  • Poor eating habits
  • Not having adequate amount of potassium and magnesium in diet
  • Lack of Exercise
  • Smoking
  • Drinking Alcohol

How Do You Combat It?

Women have to go through a lot in general, so there is no chance these creepy cramps would spare us but we know how to fight it! So, let’s find out some easy and effective ways to combat menstrual cramps.

  1. Putting a heating pad on your belly or lower back.
  2. Rubbing Lavender oil on your belly helps relieve period pain.
  3. Ginger tea: Boil a piece of ginger in 250 ml water, simmer for 4-5 minutes and drink whenever required.
  4. Carom seeds: Having 1 tbsp. of carom seeds by boiling them in a glass of water may ease menstrual cramps.
  5. Eat potassium and magnesium rich foods like Bananas, oranges, grapefruit, raisins, dates, mushrooms, cucumbers, potatoes, sweet potatoes and dark chocolate (70% or more), nuts, legumes, tofu, seeds, wholegrains, green leafy vegetables respectively.
  6. Use yoga: Some simple yoga poses to try out are Head to Knee forward bend, bound angle pose, Child’s pose and inverted leg pose.
  7. Listen to good music that changes your mood or take a walk in nature or talk to your friends and family members. This will keep you engaged and diverted so you may not feel too much pain.

So, let’s try out these simple and effective ways to fight menstrual cramps and ease those difficult days! We hope this article helps you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more tips, check out Healthy Reads or you can get these home remedies and more directly from a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here.

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5 Tips To Maintain A Healthy Gut This Monsoon

5 Tips To Maintain A Healthy Gut This MonsoonThe fresh, dewy weather, the chirping birds and the amazing smell of wet mud! The rainy season has its own charm but along with it, it also brings a host of diseases and infections. One such being a compromised Gut! The symptoms of a compromised gut may include an upset stomach, acidity, bloating, flatulence, gas, etc. making it crucial to maintain a healthy gut during this season.

How Can You Maintain A Healthy Gut This Monsoon? 

Here are 5 simple yet effective ways in which you can maintain a healthy gut: 

  1. Add Ginger/Garlic: These are the most commonly used herbs in our households and they provide us with an array of benefits. Raw Ginger/Garlic acts as a Prebiotic (food) for friendly gut bacteria, thereby improving gut health. Gingerol and Allicin present in them respectively, are found to have antibacterial and antifungal properties which keep infections at bay. Adding fresh herbs to your food/soups or drinking a warm cup of Ginger tea will be a great way to improve gut health.
  2. Eat Cooked Foods Over Raw Foods: Cooking has a bacterio-cidal (Bacteria killing) effect on the food prepared. Humidity provides a conducive environment for bacterial and fungal growth. Raw foods can be a host for bacterial growth. Hence, cooking foods rather than consuming them raw is a better alternative. Eg: Having a veg soup over a raw veg salad will be a better alternative.
  3. Eat Fermented Foods: Probiotics are the beneficial gut bacteria which work as the first line of defense against any infection. They also synthesize Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA) and Vitamin K in the body, thereby giving energy. Adding Idlis, dosas, homemade curds, Khimchi, Kefir, etc. to your diet will improve the number of probiotics and thereby improve gut health.
  4. Consume Fruits/Vegetables Immediately After Cutting: If vegetables or fruits are cut and left exposed to air, it can attract flies or insects which can infest the food. If this food is consumed, it can cause infections and affect gut health. Hence, eat the fruit/vegetable immediately after cutting/chopping it, or cover it if you wish to consume it later.  
  5. Eat Light: Foods such as rice, dal, legumes, soups, vegetables, fruits, Khichdi, etc. are lighter on the stomach and are easily digested and absorbed as opposed to the tempting fried Pakoras, vada pav, etc. which can cause bloatedness, acidity and/or flatulence.

Do keep these tips in mind and maintain a healthy gut for a healthy you! If these tips helped, let us know in the comments below.

You can find more gut health tips here or you can speak to an expert directly by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

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Ashima Dalela Beats Gut Health Issues and Anxiety With GOQii

Ashima Dalela

You might have heard the saying, “Almost all diseases begin in the gut.” If gut health issues are left unchecked, it can get worse and affect your mental health too. Our Player Ashima Dalela suffered from gut health issues which led to severe anxiety and she visited around 15 doctors who were unable to identify the cause. But, she was able to fix the issue with simple lifestyle changes suggested by her GOQii Coach. How did she tackle her gut and anxiety issue? Let’s find out! 

Life Before GOQii 

Ashima Dalela is a young working professional based in Ghaziabad. For the longest time, she suffered from stomach issues and anxiety. Multiple doctors were unable to diagnose what was wrong, with some saying it was GERD and stomach infection. One doctor told her that it was IBS and her gut problem has combined with anxiety. Finally, one of the doctors she visited suggested GOQii. 

Identifying the Issue & Making Lifestyle Changes 

Since she onboarded, Coach Meenakshi was assigned to Ashima Dalela. Coach Meenakshi began by tackling the stomach issues and acidity. She prescribed specific foods to improve her gut health. She coupled nutrition with exercises such as asanas for the stomach, all of which slowly and steadily brought about a change. 

Initially, Ashima faced some difficulty in walking. So she was tasked with completing 2k steps a day. She was also skipping meals due to her situation and her condition was only getting worse. Despite some hurdles, Ashima stuck to the habits given by her GOQii Coach. Thanks to her dedication and her GOQii Coach’s constant motivation, she was able to fix her gut health issue as well as her anxiety. She now enjoys the live sessions on the app and always browses through Healthy Reads. She also enrolls for challenges within the app. 

Initially, her mother was skeptical about the coaching aspect but after seeing positive results, she is convinced that the coaching works. In fact, the entire family has adopted healthy habits. Her goal now is to stay active and gain healthy weight. 

 What Are Coach Meenakshi’s Thoughts About Ashima Dalela’s Journey? 

When Ashima came on board, she was very nervous about her health issues. She wanted to control:

  • GERD with symptoms like acidity in the morning, vomiting sensation, stomach upset, burning sensation, bloating and gas after meals 
  • Anxiety (20%, 1-2 anxiety attacks in a month because of health problems related to the gut) with symptoms like dizziness, increased heartbeat and numbness in hands and legs.

Now, her GERD has reduced by 95% without any symptoms after introducing habits like lemon water, detox water, eating slowly, adding curd, rice, kanji, etc. Anxiety levels reduced by 95% without any symptoms. Now, she can cope easily with any arguments/bad news. 

She has been practicing meditation, deep breathing and is generally more positive. Ashima doesn’t feel stress and anxiety while handling physical, mental and emotionally taxing situations. 

We changed to a new health goal on 15 August 2020 as she wanted to be more active in 3 months as she was unable to do any activity in the morning and evening because of work. She felt lethargic in the evening after office work. She was also facing haemorrhoid issues and irregular cycles. 

She feels 85% improvement in activeness with asanas, exercise and daily walks. Her bowel movement is fine with more water and salad intake. Menstrual cycle also continues now in September with the habit of seed cycle.

We’re now working with a new health goal from 10 March, 2021 – She wants to gain weight up to 53kg (weight was 50kg on March 10). Her current weight is 51kg thanks to the added habits of eating nuts and seeds, post workout meals and employing strengthening exercises.

To take a glimpse into Ashima’s inspiring journey with GOQii, watch her GOQii Health Story session with our Founder and CEO Vishal Gondal along with her GOQii Coach Meenakshi, Doctor Viral Thakkar and Divya Thampi here – 

If you suffer from similar issues or know someone who does, share this article with them and subscribe to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here. 

Find more inspiring health stories here.

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