Search Results for: grains

October 31, 2019 By GOQii Leave a Comment

The New Age Health Horror of Diabesity

When someone says “horror”, what do you imagine? Definitely nothing pleasant but something extremely scary, right? Do you picture ghosts and demons? If your perception of horror is limited to only supernatural occurrences, you might want to take a big step back. While supernatural entities are subjective, health issues are very much real and their stats are horrifying to say the least.

Recently, we came across a study titled ‘Finding a Policy Solution to India’s Diabetes Epidemic‘ by Karen Siegel, K. M Venkat Narayan and Sanjay Kinra. The study indicated that ‘In India, 35 million people have diabetes—a number expected to more than double by 2025, disproportionately affecting working-age people’. That means over 70 million people. Isn’t that scary?

Diabesity, which is a combination of Diabetes and Obesity, is even worse! Can you picture it? Obesity is a key risk factor for diabetes. India has the world’s largest number of people with Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) and Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG), which are the precursors for diabetes. Obesity and IGT are mostly found in younger populations.

Major Causes Leading to Diabesity

Globalization: facilitates access to various pre-packaged and processed foods. In fact, there is minimal physical activity as we have one touch access to almost everything! Surely, we are growing economically but at the cost of our health.
Nutrition Transition: There is a major shift observed in the meal patterns of Indians today. People are turning more towards western foods, foods that are pre-packaged, ready to eat foods, high in calories, sugar, aerated drinks, hydrogenated fats over the simple traditional food which are high in vitamins, minerals, fiber and other essential nutrients.
Higher Percentage of Abdominal Fat: Abdominal obesity is the key factor of insulin resistance and development of diabetes.
Malnutrition During Pregnancy: Because of the co-existence of underweight and overweight, children are often born underweight and adapted to a low-nutrition environment. Low-birth weight infants are more susceptible than those of normal birth weight to obesity and diabetes, especially when raised in an Obesogenic environment.
Lifestyle: Most people today lead sedentary lifestyles devoid of much movement. Even at work we’re glued to our desks and laptops. This accounts to minimal physical activity. At the same time, the stress factor is the maximum with respect to targets/goals associated with work, family and social circles.

How To Keep It At Bay

Keeping Diabesity at bay actually involves 3 very simple and basic lifestyle modifications:

Make Healthy Food Choices: Choose whole grains and its products over refined ones. Incorporate more fruits and veggies daily. Opt for products less in sugars, fats and high in fiber. Make a habit of reading nutritional labels before buying a product. Do not forget “MODERATION IS THE KEY”.
Exercise: Make it a point to exercise on a regular basis. Exercising will not only keep you active but also help reduce insulin resistance, improve cardio vascular strength, tone your muscles, and increase Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Exercising releases endorphins which is a feel good hormone that will also help you relieve stress(both physical and mental).
Stress Management: Managing time and stress is essential to stop the release of the stress hormone Cortisol which makes you crave for foods that are high in carbs. All that you eat when stressed is stored in the body as fats, especially in the belly. Meditating regularly before going to bed, deep breathing during stressful moments, indulging in your hobbies, exercising, completing your work on time, etc. will help curb stress levels. It is not a single factor that would work but both.

If you want to learn about effective ways to manage obesity and diabetes, or want effective exercises to combat both, tune into GOQii Play and get live coaching from renowned experts you can even interact with.

We hope this article on Diabesity alarms you enough to make necessary lifestyle modifications before its too late! Stay healthy and #BeTheForce!

August 28, 2019 By Pradnya Shinde Leave a Comment

Should You Go Grain-Free?

In the past few years, imperical evidence emerged, coaxing us to stay away from all the foods we enjoyed so much in order to live a strong, healthy and disease-free life. Now, along with sugar, fats and diary, you even have grains joining the list of dietary outcasts. How did this happen? Is it necessary? Let’s find out if you should go grain-free!

What is Grain-Free?

Have you ever thought about skipping rice, chapati or your favorite rotis for losing weight quickly? Ever skipped all grains which includes wheat and its products, corn, rice, jowar, ragi, and bajra? That is called going grain-free. It is when you eliminate all grains from your diet.

If you have followed a specific diet like Keto or Paleo, you know that they involve skipping grains. Another reason people avoid grains is the discomfort in digesting them. The specific known culprit is Wheat! But there is hardly any reason enough that suggests grains are unhealthy or promote weight gain.

Are There Any Benefits of Going Grain-Free?

The immediate benefit of going grain-free is that you will notice some weight loss and reduction in bloating. 80% of dry matter of grains is carbohydrates. Reduced intake of excess carbohydrates helps in reducing weight quickly as it also reduces water retention. Hence, skipping grains makes you feel light. It works for short-term weight loss.

However, if you want to go for long-term weight loss, skipping grains might not be such a great idea as it may lead to nutritional deficiency. Whole grains are a major source of Vitamin B in our diet. Restricting it for a long time may lead to deficiency and cause problems. Going grain-free is not for every person. You can get the same benefits by skipping sugar and processed foods. For long term weight loss, go for grains!

What to Watch Out For!

If you are insistent on going grain-free, then plan your diet in such a way that you can cope with the vitamin loss. For instasnce, include green vegetables in your diet. You can go grain-free for a specific period but avoid going long term. Remember that eating whole grains is good for your heart and it reduces the risk of cancer as well.

If you are skipping grains due to digestive discomfort, then take the IgA anti-gliadin antibodies test to see if you have gluten sensitivity followed by endoscopy to check for celiac disease.

Gluten is a protein present in wheat and it will cause you discomfort if you have gluten sensitivity or celiac disease. If you have either of these conditions, avoid wheat, rye and barley. You can safely eat other grains.

To sum it up, you can enjoy eating rice, idli and parathas in moderation. Avoid refined cereal!

We hope this article helps you come to a conclusion on whether you should go grain-free or not! Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

June 4, 2019 By Vishal Gondal Leave a Comment

The Urgent Need For Healthy Eating

Ever wondered what constitutes healthy eating? I found my answer in creating new habits by adding beneficial foods and fostering a sense of responsibility to improve my quality of life! I am not talking about fad diets that make short term promises but making the right food choices and building a good relationship with them! Basically, embracing permanent and lasting changes.

Eat Real Food!

Scientific evidence has shown that what you eat can reduce your risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. It can ward off some forms of cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, osteoporosis and obesity. Healthy eating and making the right food choices now is more important than ever.

Lifestyle Diseases on the Rise

Why so? Increasing members of our society are falling prey to lifestyle diseases due to wrong eating habits. Data collected from our very own GOQii IndiaFit Report 2019 indicates that there has been a rise in lifestyle diseases among people below the age of 45 since last year. High blood pressure has increased from 9% to 12%. Users affected by Cholesterol have increased from 10.1% to 14.1%.

Prioritize Your Health

If you prioritize your health, you’ll develop a “wellness state of mind”. The first thing you will begin with is making the healthiest choice when it comes to food and physical activity. Before you begin to make changes in your lifestyle, knowing where you are in your journey towards health and wellness is important. As a preventive healthcare company, we are striving to get people to be active and disease free. Our coaches promote balanced nutrition and healthy eating.

The IndiaFit Report indicates that there are key concerns in the nutrition area. Research indicates that 35% of the users have concerns around acidity and indigestion. 14% of the users are plagued by constipation. Bloating has increased from 8.5% last year to 10%. More than 25% have delayed meal patterns. All of these issues are due to bad eating habits.

Ask yourself the following question: Am I eating a balanced diet that comprises of all food groups to sustain health, energy, and well-being?

Healthy Eating is Not Complicated

While eating right is paramount, eating safe is equally important. We all know ingestion of pesticides can cause some serious issues including diseases like cancer over a period of time. From food grains to vegetables to fruits, everything is grown and ripened with the help of chemicals. Moreover, the concept of organic food is not well understood and most find it expensive.

But, having said that things are changing slowly and steadily. People are getting used to buying organic products from places like Farmer’s Market and few other health and wellness stores. In fact, the GOQii Health Store within the GOQii App offers curated products at a discount. These products are tested by our nutritionists and experts before being available for sale.

Remember eating right is not at all complicated. You don’t need to count calories all day long just eat the right foods and you will automatically start feeling healthy!

January 23, 2019 By CHARMI GOGRI 13 Comments

Vegetarianism: Pros and Cons

The philosophy around going meatless or adopting a vegetarian lifestyle has become increasingly popular. People are being more aware of foods that are nutrient dense (and those less so) which helps them to stay healthy and fit. So is veering towards a plant-based approach the best way to go? A growing number of people seem to think so. A Vegetarian resource group conducted a poll and found that there was rise in people adopting vegetarianism/veganism compared to previous year’s data in USA, similar data was shown for Europe, Israel and India as well.

Before we fall in to the discussion of “Should people become Vegetarian?” however, it’s important to understand what vegetarianism actually means as well as the benefits and potential risks associated with it.

“Vegetarian” broadly refers to those who restricts consumption of animal products like meat, fish, poultry etc., and largely rely on plant based foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, dairy, pulses etc., for living. Within this group, there are various levels of vegetarians. These are classified from most restrictive to those who are less so.

Vegan : They do not consume animal products or animal by-products like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk/milk products, honey etc. Also, they don’t use animal products like silk, wool, leather etc for commercial use. In other words, these are individuals who not only do not eat animals, but who also choose not to use products that come from animals.

Lacto-Vegetarian: These individuals don’t consume meat, poultry, fish or eggs. But, they readily consume milk and milk products like yogurt, and cheese. Most of the Vegetarians in South Asian subcontinent fall under this category.

Ovo-Vegetarian: They avoid meat, poultry, fish and DAIRY. But, allow themselves to consume eggs.

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian: People under this level restricts meat, poultry and fish. However, they consume egg as well as dairy. This is the most common type of vegetarian across the globe.

A vegetarian diet is naturally low in fats and high in fiber, but being vegetarian has its own risks. So no matter at what level you happen to fall, and no matter what reason you have chosen to commit to it , there are both pros and cons of being vegetarian. Here are few of them:

Pros of Vegetarianism:

Improves colon health: Fibers present in a plant-based vegetarian diet helps to maintain a healthy colon by improving the good bacteria within it. That’s because fiber is what helps feed those healthy bacteria. It also helps to cleanse the colon when supplemented with optimal water intake. Why? Because fiber can act like a chimney sweeper and remove any excess waste. The risk of colon cancer and constipation decreases with a high fiber vegetarian diet. On the flip side, meats and poultry takes time to digest and thus disrupts the natural balance in the body. They also don’t feed the friendly bacteria in our guts which are required to maintain a healthy gut lining.
Improves the heart rate: A vegetarian diet can help lower cholesterol, and blood pressure, aiding in the prevention of heart disease. A vegetarian diet can help to achieve these benefits as long as it includes food sources with potassium and dietary fiber, such as vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains.
Reduces risk of Kidney stones: Diet high in animal proteins leads body to excrete calcium, oxalate and uric acid. These are the major components of kidney stones. A diet high in animal protein have higher risk of Kidney stones in USA (15% of men and 7% of women) than diets rich in Vegetarian proteins.
Reduces risk of Cancer: Vegetarians show up to 40% less chance of developing cancer. Also, diets high in animal protein were associated with a 4-fold increase in cancer death risk compared to high protein diets based on plant-derived protein sources (figures based on 2014 study). The changes of contamination are high among meat eaters, on the flip side, consuming enough fruits and vegetables as part of vegetarian diet will help to build up strong immunity and fight cancer cells.
Lowers risk of Diabetes: Consumption of meat and processed meat increases the risk of Type 2 Diabetes in both men and women. On the other hand, vegetarian diets rich in whole grains, nuts, legumes and fibers improves the glycemic control in the people who already have diabetes.
Capable of delivering complete nutrition: When Vegetarian meals are optimally planned, all essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals can be supplied to the body. USDA and FAO of UN says “meat is not an essential part of healthy diet”
Weight loss: Vegetarian diet being high in fiber and low in fat helps one to reduce weight or at least prevent gaining those extra pounds from the high fat non vegetarian food.
Helps alleviate World’s hunger: There has been debate about insufficiency of our food supply if the entire world refuses to eat a primarily vegetarian diet. Grains and vegetarian food are required to feed animals and rear livestock in order to produce more meat (Over 10 pounds of plant protein is fed to produce one pound of beef). If that food were diverted for human consumption, world’s hunger can be alleviated.
Ethical view-point: Merciless killing of animals in the name of producing a food supply is on the rise. Cutting out animal products from our diet is a gentler kinder way to live as these warm blooded animals have emotions and can experience stress, pain and fear too. The less demand there will be for meat products, the fewer animals will be raised for slaughter.
For the sake of Nature: There are negative effects of raising livestock on environment. They produce more greenhouse gases than cars. Being vegetarian is one way to reduce carbon footprints and save the planet.

Cons of Vegetarianism:

Lack of Nutrition: Strict vegans/vegetarians might be missing on some of the nutrients like Omega 3 fatty acids (crucial for brain function), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D(crucial for bone health). Meeting protein needs gets hard, too, if meals aren’t planned well. While there are many good sources of iron for vegetarians, the bioavailability of that is lesser compared to non- vegetarian sources of Iron.
May still not be such a healthy choice: Vegetarianism doesn’t automatically mean you have made a healthy choice as it largely depends on the meal choices one makes. A vegetarian diet (if majorly relying on sugar, processed food, fries, refined food, high fructose corn syrup, and carbonated beverages) can possibly be harmful meal choices. An Oreo cookie is vegan. That doesn’t make it healthy.
Use of herbicides and pesticides: To improve production of crops and maintain quality. Numerous chemicals are used in the soil, residues of which can be found in the plant and can find its way to the human body.
The Notion that Vegetarians live longer can be a myth: Undoubtedly choosing high fibrous fresh vegetarian meal is the best choice. Choosing not-so-healthy vegetarian meals coupled with a faulty lifestyle like excessive smoking, frequent drinking, lack of physical activity etc., can decrease your life expectancy (Animal protein or no animal protein)