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Wonder Grain: Rice and its benefits

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Rice is the most primitive and staple food in many cultures around the world. Many cuisines have the inclusion of rice to make their meals fuller and tastier. Apart from all this it is an important cereal crop that feeds more than half of the world’s population.

Right from its origin it has been an easy to grow, cook and digestive food grain for everyone. Majority of the cuisines include rice as a main course in many different forms.

But, strangely in the current times most avoid rice as it is considered bad when it comes to health. This is only a myth. If we go back in time rice was one of the most used food item in meals and people consuming it were more healthy, fit and thin as compared to today’s condition of where we find more cases of obesity, big waist size, big belly, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.

Rice is a complex carbohydrate and contains essential amino acids (methionine) that helps in mobilizing the fat from liver and when combined with legume or pulses it becomes a complete protein to provide good muscle growth. Thus, it’s a blessing for vegetarians. Rice when combined with some protein or fiber rich food becomes slow absorbing and hence there is no issue of sudden rise in the blood glucose with it. Diabetics out there,put it back on your plate and relish your taste buds all over again.

Also would like to take this opportunity to clear the myth that “Rice is fatty”, the fact is that Rice is high on carbohydrates and when taken in wrong quantity, combination and timing then it can lead to fat gain, as a result of excess carbohydrates, which the body could not burn.

Listing out some great advantages of this wonder grain:

  • It is an excellent source of Vitamins and Minerals like Niacin, Vitamin D, Calcium, Fiber, Iron, Thiamine and Riboflavin. Thus, it helps in metabolism, immunity and better functioning of organs.
  • Gives you instant energy
  • Light on your stomach to digest thus best to have when sick
  • Best food for high blood pressure.
  • Aids in Digestion
  • Gluten, Sodium & Cholesterol free.
  • Rice abounds in resistant starch, which reaches the bowels in an undigested form. This type of starch stimulates the growth of useful bacteria that help with normal bowel movements.
  • Insoluble rice is very useful in reducing the effects of conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and diarrhea.
  • The starch water from rice is utilised as medication for various skin infections.
  • Rice being high on various vitamins, phyto nutrients and carbohydrates, it becomes the best source of post workout meal for endurance athletes. To replenish their glycogen, help in relieving cramps and overall calming effect to the body. One reason have it in your dinner menu.

Too much of anything is not good, so do eat your rice but at timings & combinations which will help you burn it all.

Best time: Morning, Lunch, Post workout, Sick, Dinner (Combine it with a protein or fiber rich food to get the best taste and results).

Another question that often comes to me from my clients is which rice to have? Will give you more info on types of rice in the next blog. For now, opt for the white rice, husk removed and hand polished. As all of this retains the necessary nutrients in the white rice. We hope this article helps you. For further information or guidance, reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

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10 simple tips for Running everyday

Running every day can get boring sometimes. It happened to me there was a point in time when I got bored of running and started cycling more often. I had been running for over 15 years. Running every day is not for everybody if you have never run before. Running requires a lot of patience and practice. You have to beat it to be able to make it your daily routine.

Lots of us have to keep going back to square one to pull it off. Newbies should be especially careful because lack of training and/or lack of adequate preparation can easily result in injury. Having said the above, running is very doable and the key to keeping yourself motivated to run is finding the right balance between the quantity and the quality of your runs.

Here are a few simple tips that one can follow. This is applicable to both the new first time runners and those who have been running but once in a way get bored

Start Easy: Do not go all out the first time. Start easy and gradually progress if you are a beginner and new to the concept of running.

Keep short distances: Learn to start running by keeping short distances. Do not start with sprinting. That is not running. I always find people when they start running they start sprinting. Sprinting tires you within seconds of the start. More so when you have never ever run in your life. Jogging is the way to start.

Time train instead of distance train: Ideally it is better to train with time rather than with distance. You can start with a 1-minute run and 3 minutes of walk, to begin with. Most find it difficult to run for even 5 minutes continuously if you are just starting to run. Increase the 1-minute run to 5 minutes and walk for a minute. Try to run for 20 minutes a day for a month in this order and gradually increase to 3 km a day next month.

Do not overdo: If you realize that you are breathing hard or rather panting it means that you are overdoing it. Give your body enough time to get adapted to your routine. Human bodies are very quick to adapt to certain physiological stresses provided you allow it enough time. For instance, if you feel you can increase your time from 20 minutes to 45 minutes with a 5-minute break after every 20 minutes, then walk for 5 minutes. There is nothing wrong with it. Moderation is a key whenever you are starting a new physical activity.

Prepare a schedule: Just do not randomly run whenever you want to. Prepare a daily routine. If you have a trainer or a coach sit with him/her and chalk out a proper schedule for running.

Your schedule should also include good rest periods. For instance, if you ran at 6 am the day before, consider running at 5 pm or 6 pm the day after or aim for (at least) a 24-hour rest period between runs. If you want to shorten your distance do that. Do what is comfortable. Run a km or a mile on some days. Have 3 days in a week with real easy runs when you start out and be cautious. If you need an extra day of rest. Take it. 

Pace yourself better. Try and do the long slow distance pace. You will only become better at doing something when you’re able to understand how well your body is reacting and how you have been performing over time. Slow and steady progress is good progress.

Proper nutrition and rest are important: Make sure that the schedule includes proper exercises, nutrition inputs and rest as 3 important components. If you just run without proper pre-workout and post-work meal, stretching and strength training exercises and proper rest all the effort that you are putting to run will be of no use. Go for a balanced diet with simple and complex carbohydrates and protein. Not to mention, getting enough sleep is just as important.

To keep yourself interested run with a partner: There are chances that you are kicked about going running every day but you can easily get bored of your routine. So to tread that path go running with a friend who is equally interested in running or get yourself a trainer who can motivate you every day.

Set a goal to do a long run within 3 months of starting of Aim to run 5 km after 3 months of starting off. Also, set a time goal for completion of this run. Register for a run. Eventually, this will help you bring about a change in your routine and above all, it will give you a chance to look forward to something eventful.

Reward yourself: Last but not the least reward yourself after a good long run. It will not cost much to get a good massage or visit a spa after a long run to feel good about yourself. 

Finally, I would like to end by saying that most of us out there run for varied reasons. Some run to just stay fit and because they enjoy running, some run to get over the runner block that they may have. Some run for a cause so they are motivated to run every day. Whatever the reason may be, run every day or at least 3 days a week because it will keep you healthy. It’s a great addition to have! For further information or guidance, reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

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5 accompaniments to avoid to keep you healthy and to lose weight

I am a foodie! Being a Marwari, our meals are not simple staple food and contains lot of accompaniments along with basic roti, vegetables (sabzi), dal (lentils) and rice. In my quest for personal fitness and wanting to lose weight, I initially struggled for few months. I kept wondering why am I not losing weight in spite of eating at regular intervals, not cheating, not eating out, limiting high fat food intake, proper exercise routine, good 8 hours sleep and also resorting to meditation to remain stress free ?

These questions kept lingering in my thoughts and one fine day my health expert analyzed my routine, my diet and figured that there were few dishes that I should be avoiding or limiting my intake on if I need to lose or maintain my weight. That’s when I found the solution and achieved the best results on this journey!

I would like to share with you all about the most common 5 side dishes that people love, but, should be avoided or have it once in a while if you are on weight loss journey.

(1) Papad

Ahh!! That crunchy crispy papad.

Rice and dal seem like an incomplete meal without Papad on the side. Papads can be deep fried–extremely unhealthy – or roasted – which is equally unhealthy! They can be made from rice, flour, potatoes or chickpeas and are mixed with a variety of spices, salt, and oil. An uncontrolled serving of Papad can amp your calorie intake and exceed your daily budget. The increase in sodium can lead to water retention, bloating, and constant thirst and may even cause an increase in one’s blood pressure. Since, most of them consume more Papad in one sitting it may lead to acidity, and digestive problems too. When fried using same oil many times, the reused oil becomes transfat leading to cardiac issues and high cholesterol. When dry roasted, acrylamide is formed due to the presence of sodium benzoate. So, be mindful.

(2) Pickles

A spoonful of pickle can spice up any meal. In fact I have seen people can take their meal only with pickles without any veggies sometimes. It works well with curd rice; adds a punch to Potato Breads (Aloo Paranthas), and makes Theplas (Breads made of various grains) the best dish to snack on! Pickles stand out as flavorful, low-calorie vegetables and is high in vitamin K. However, pickles are loaded with calories because of the oil they are preserved in and their nutrition content is almost zero, as the vegetables and fruits are minced and dried, which takes away the nutritional value. Like Papads, they are high in sodium due to the use of excessive salt for preservatives which might lead to hypertension if taken in excess. So Again the same funda…Eat in limit!

 (3) Salad dressings  

Salad…salad and just salads!!! Most of the weight loss dieters say they are on some kind of only salads diet! But, still not losing weight?

If you think having salads at the start of your meal will help you eat one less parantha, then go ahead and have a bowl. But, this salad helps only if it is not loaded with high-calorie dressings. Adding dressing to a salad can make the calorie content soar. Dressings such as Thousand Islands and Mayonnaise are loaded with calories, most of them fat. Stick to olive oil, lemon or low-fat yogurt instead!

(4) Soups

Salads are mostly accompanied with bowl of soup. And, one is right in thinking that a soup can be a healthy meal. It can fill your stomach and make you go less on other carbohydrate foods. But, if the soup is loaded with toppings such as cheese, cream, and croutons, it’s far from being healthy. Stick to clear soup with pieces of veggies and meats; shun all cream-based soups. And never pick up the soup sticks or dinner rolls that accompany your soup in a restaurant. That’s another side you don’t need! Go for more of homemade soups without any corn flour and also avoid packaged one as they are also high in sodium being added as preservative. Rather you can add oats flour as thickening agent. You can also opt for healthy cold soups.

(5) Boondi Raita

This curd based mixture is a hot favourite with most of us. Curd is high in protein, calcium, probiotic and the perfectly aid in digestion. It’s good to have curd daily for a healthy gut. The problem begins when you add fried snack to it. Boondi is nothing but fried globules of chickpea flour. The addition makes it a high-caloric food. When fried in reused oil, it becomes transfat and thus may lead to heart issues. So you can opt for veggies in curd or spinach, cabbage, pomegranate, carrot, cucumber, onion and the likes instead of a friend snack in curd.

So be mindful with all these above foods and get fitter and healthier.

We hope this article helps you make informed choices for your weight loss journey. Have any tips on healthier accompaniments? Share them with us in the comments below. For more guidance on nutrition and weight management, explore Healthy Reads or consult a certified expert through GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

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Beyond Counting: Unraveling the Real Story Behind Calories

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CALORIE- a term that haunts many of us …And Counting Calories was one such thing that drove me crazy in the last 2 years. Somehow I always felt and many of you will agree, that, all the tasty and delicious food of the world has tons of calories, whereas the ones which we don’t find tasty, has fewer..

Two years back when I started my weight loss journey, my greatest difficulty was keeping a count of calories all the time. But then, it seemed to be the only option to lose weight. I was told that my calorie intake should be between 1200 cal- 1500 cal. Left with no choice, I did that for quite some time. Opting for low calorie food, staying hungry, doing cardio but sadly, the result was minor weight loss with pain in my knees, low energy levels and pale skin.

I was unable to understand the reason for so many health problems.  I was eating a healthy low cal diet (which seemed to be healthy then), was doing 45 min of cardio followed by strength training. Hence, I started reading about calories and weight loss. But, all my reading led to more confusion and I finally decided to do a course in nutrition. And that is when my understanding about being fit and healthy started to evolve. My studies made me identify  the areas where I was lacking. I was so conscious of calories but was not paying any attention to food and its quality.

Calorie is just a unit of measurement for energy content. It tells us how much energy we get by burning the food. And I realized that I should keep the definition of it as it is in my mind, and not make it  the focal point of my fitness journey. Carbohydrates contain between 3 and 4 kcal per gram; proteins are about the same; fats contain approximately 9 kcal per gram. I was of the mindset that for weight loss to happen, I have to decrease the intake of calories and increase the output by staying physically active. But, things are not as simple as they appear.  There is much more needed for correct weight loss to happen and to have a lean and fit body. And that much more is NUTRITION. From where these calories are coming is something that matters the most. For example – if a person consumes 1200 calories from processed food and the other consumes 1200 calories from  balanced diet which has carbs, proteins , fats and fiber … which one do you think will experience weight gain ? The answer is known to all of us- obviously the one consuming  calories from  processed food. So yes, 1200 calories matters but, what matters the most is- what these calories do in and to our bodies and from where these calories are coming i.e. the quality of the food. Eating fewer and fewer calories does not result in better weight loss. When our body senses an energy deficit, it slows its metabolism by reducing the output of important hormones.

 I have stopped counting calories now.  My eating pattern has totally changed. My focus is in making my every meal more nutritious and balanced with the right combination of carbohydrates , fats , proteins and fiber..  I have been focusing on what my body tells me. I eat if I feel hungry because my body needs food then. I still want to look a certain way. I want to be healthy, lean and fit. But, at the same time, I do not want to harm myself in any way by not taking care of the nutrition part of food. I am confident about myself now, I know the weight loss is going to be slow but that does not matter to me anymore.  Weight is just a number and no weighing scale can judge or tell me my fitness in terms of numbers.  It’s me who can feel it. I know that what I am eating now is certainly having more number of calories  than earlier but now, these calories are coming from the food that my body needs.

Thanks to my diet, I feel energetic throughout the day, my stamina for running has improved. I don’t feel any joint pain and I am sure I will soon be running a marathon, (something that I have always wanted to do)

The journey from calorie counting to nutrition-focused eating is a transformative one. Discovering the true significance of food quality over mere numbers has reshaped the approach to fitness for many. As we celebrate the realization that health is not just about counting calories but nourishing our bodies, let’s embrace a holistic understanding of nutrition for a sustainable and vibrant life. Share your own journey in the comments below and inspire others on their path to well-being. For further information or guidance, reach out to our certified experts by subscribing to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

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From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

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