GOQii

Blog

Search Results for: nutrition

By Leave a Comment

Know what Bone Mineral Density is ?

Woman Health

Woman are always considered to be the torch bearer of health and to pass on that heritage to the future generations, just like our grandmother did for our mother and everyone in the family. But, it is not easy to leave behind a legacy of health and harmony. To be able to do that women need to make sure that they make time for themselves amidst all the responsibilities they shoulder both at home and outside of home and lead a healthy life with good nutrition, exercise and rest.

IMPORTANT POINTS THAT ALL WOMEN SHOULD KNOW:-

  • Bone mineral density or also called as BMD is the density of minerals such as calcium which is present in the bone.
  • Bone mineral density reduces drastically in post-menopausal women
  • Bone mass is lost after a certain age.
  • In post-menopausal women, calcium is leached out of the body which is why they are at a higher risk of developing bone issues.
  • Bones naturally become thinner and this condition is called as ‘osteopenia’.
  • Bones loose minerals such as calcium, becomes less dense and gradually becomes porous which makes the bones more susceptible to fractures
  • If the bone gets more thinner, ‘osteopenia’ can lead to ‘osteoporosis’
  • So thicker the bones, longer it takes to cause osteopenia or osteoporosis.
  • Bone mineral density tests should be done to check the exact peak density of the bone.
  • It the tests results shows that bone density is a bit lower than normal which means that it is the start of osteopenia. In such cases, bone density can be increased.
  • Adequate calcium plays a key role in maintaining bone density.
  • It is advisable that all the women who have crossed 35 years of age and post- menopausal women should get their bone mineral density checked. After all ‘PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE’!

THINGS YOU SHOULD DO TO DELAY BONE THINNING:-

  • It the tests results shows that bone density is a bit lower than normal which means that it is the start of osteopenia then the bone density can be increased by exercising, lifting weights, consuming adequate amount of calcium and vitamin D
  • Consuming adequate amount of calcium and vitamin D are the key to strengthen your bones.
  • Vitamin D helps in absorption of calcium in the body hence both of these nutrients go hand in hand.
  • Include lots of dark green leafy veggies which are a very good source of calcium.
  • Along with calcium, potassium and magnesium are also responsible in maintaining the bone health though in small amounts. Low levels of magnesium can hinder vitamin D balance.
  • Dairy products are again a well-known and rich source of calcium.
  • Most of the foods are fortified with calcium these days so that the peak bone mass problem does not occur in early ages.
  • Calcium supplements are also available which can be consumed.
  • Handful of almonds in your diet can be a very good calcium source.

Bone loss and Osteoporosis can be prevented in the future. So keep healthy- healthy habits such as eating foods in rich in calcium and Vitamin D and doing strength and weight bearing exercises such as walking, running, cycling or dancing all help.

By 4 Comments

Quick healthy instant recipes

Desktop5

Early morning cooking can be a nightmare for many people especially for the office goers who struggle with their morning meals and in this process often tend to skip their breakfast which is the most important meal of the day. Some struggle with their culinary skills and often have this excuse ready to skip their meals.

Try out these quick options to make your life easy and move to a healthy routine:

(1) Sandwich Spread: Here is a recipe of protein rich spread which you can use for your multigrain sandwiches. It is filling and rich of antioxidants. 

Sandwich Spread

Ingredients:

  1. Avocado
  2. One cup boiled chick peas
  3. One lemon squeezed
  4. A dash of olive oil
  5. Some salt and pepper

Procedure:

  1. De-seed the avocado and cut into pieces.
  2. Boil the chickpeas
  3. Add all the above ingredients in a blender along with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil. This recipe can be stored in the refrigerator and can be used for good 1 week.

(2) Oats Uttapam: This can be a great option to carry in the tiffin box too.

Oats Uttapam

Ingredients:

  1. 1 Cup Powdered oats
    b. 1 cup low fat yogurt
  2. Veggies of your choice

Procedure:

    1. Mix all the ingredients together. Add salt and cumin seeds. Can prepare this mixture a night before.
    2. Take the batter in a large spoon and pour it on the non-stick pan and spread. You can use some cold compressed coconut oil for greasing the pan.
    3. Once cooked flip the side and let it cook.

(3) Almond Mango Smoothie: This is a quickie to prepare and has a dose of essential vitamins. This is best made during the Mango season. This refreshing beverage will make you feel fresh and full.

Almond-Mango-smoothie              

Ingredients:

      1. A ripened mango
      2. Some soaked almonds
      3. To make it more nutritious some dates and walnuts will add to its value

Procedure: Blend all the ingredients together in a blender and have chilled.

(4) Sprouts sandwich: This is definitely a great easy snack recipe and full of nutrition.

Avocados_and_Sprouts
Ingredients:

      1. Multigrain bread
      2. Mix sprouts of moong, black gram
      3. Cut vegetables like onion, tomato, cucumber etc.
      4. To make it more protein rich you can add some cubes of cottage cheese or few peanuts.

Procedure:

      1. Take slices of multigrain bread
      2. Take sprouts and add vegetables of your choice, add some lemon to the chat.
      3. Put this mixture on the slices of bread. You can use some home-made spreads and paste like mint or tamarind paste instead of mayonnaise.

(5) Fruity Nutty yogurt: A delicious healthy smoothie, easy to make as well.

recipe414
Ingredients:

      1. Choose your favourite fruits
      2. Hung curd
      3. Some nuts like walnuts, almonds, raisins
      4. Honey or Jaggery by choice to add sweetness.

Procedure: Throw in all the ingredients in the blender and have it chilled.

Conclusion:

The above 5 recipes are quick, healthy and refreshing. These are good choices for those who are running out of time and are managing alone with their meals. These snacks can be taken any time of the day. They are healthy and easy to prepare.

By 2 Comments

Having achieved my goals, I can now proudly declare that my lifestyle has become active

Abhinav Sharma...

He had a hectic work life that left him with little or no time for exercise or any form of fitness regime. It was all work and no play for him. His sedentary lifestyle got the better of him. As a result his eating habits were erratic with no control on what was being eaten. The net result of all this was he had gained weight apart from being unhealthy. The best part was that this 31 year old young man was aware of his issues and was keen on rectifying the situation. And, adapt a healthy lifestyle for a better future. However, he knew he had to make an effort to achieve his goals. Abhinav Sharma’s story in his own words on how he achieved his active lifestyle and health back.

Here is story in his own words

I work in the travel industry and have a very hectic work life due to which I led a very sedentary life style with no activities of any sort. I realised I was becoming nothing more than a couch potato and wanted to change. I tried to gym but could not sustain it. I then started looking for other solutions. I was looking forward for some options which I could follow and better my lifestyle. During the process of my research I came across GOQii. I got to know its features and one of the main things that attracted me was the unique human touch along with technology.

I came on board GOQii as a beta player two years ago. Personalised coaching attracted me and that was also the motivating factor. I knew that if I had to achieve my goals I would need someone to motivate and push me constantly. As soon as I came on board GOQii, I got Shimpli Patil as my coach. She took me through the GOQii ecosystem and explained the whole process which I found very interesting. Then she educated me about real fitness and how you could achieve an active lifestyle and your health goals by taking small steps initially and then gradually increasing the process. She also told me about water intake and also how in the office and while I am travelling I can keep myself active. And finally, she improved my dietary and nutrition habit. I learnt how a good and balanced diet plays an important part in fitness and overall health.

I did exactly what my coach asked me to. It wasn’t easy at all for me to bring about the changes, follow a routine. I would get tired easily but, I was sure I wasn’t going to give up. Soon, walking for 30 minutes became 45 minutes and then an hour. I then added strength training to my fitness and I gradually started walking the path of a healthy and active lifestyle thereby clocking 10,000 steps daily to the current 12000 steps daily. After a year of being on GOQii, I participated and successfully completed the 100 km Oxfam Trailwalker in November 2015.

Now my daily routine includes regular exercising- basic free hand exercise as suggested by my coach and after that I leave for office around 8:30am and in between office hours I take breaks, go for a walk and use the stairs now instead of taking elevators thereby also increasing my step count.

Along with moving and achieving my daily step count I also overhauled my diet. My diet now includes salads, veggies, lentils and fruits. Now, I know about good and bad foods, which is the right diet for me etc. My water intake increased to 3 litres from a mere one litre earlier.

My initial health goals when I came on board GOQii was two pronged. Firstly, to achieve a healthy lifestyle and secondly control my weight. Due to my hectic and erratic work schedule I gained lots of weigh.

Having achieved my goals, I can now proudly declare that my lifestyle has become active but, I still need to achieve more. My weight is also under control thanks to the changes in my diet. I am glad that I am now a part of the GOQii active family. Going for active Sundays here in Delhi and I have met so many like-minded individuals from GOQii family and it only inspires me further. A big thank you to my coach who has been constant source of motivation at every juncture of my journey be it in good times or when I have been low.

Infact, Shimpli has been my motivator for the participation in the 100 km Oxfam Trailwalker. At first when she told me about it and asked me to participate, I did not believe her. I did not think I could achieve my goal of completing 100 km within 48 hours. My first thought was it is really impossible to do that but, my coach told me that it is possible. I then participated in 2015 after a year f achieving some fitness levels.

Oxfam Trailwalker was an eye opener. I met so many personalities and people both young and old and watching them be so fit and walk so much was inspiring and motivating at the same time. My biggest question to myself was.. if they can do it why can’t I? That environment was conducive for someone like me to share my experience and listen to others too. Overall it was truly an outstanding experience.

What does coach Shimpli Patil have to say about Abhinav Sharma?

 

When I had my first interaction with Abhinav, he described himself as a ‘Lazy Person’. He had some really good health goals in mind to achieve but lacked motivation and the right push to achieve them. After a quality chat with him, I explained to him why it was important to achieve those health goals and how we could work together towards achieving these.

Abhinav was convinced and decided to go for it. Time was a challenge for him but, he was ready to realign his schedule in a way which could fit an exercise routine in the morning. He took the time to regularize his daily regime but, yes he could pull it off gradually. Jogging, core exercises, body weight exercises. We moved ahead step by step. The best thing about Abhinav was, he never said NO and when I added extra exercises to his routine. He paced up and he decided not to put a full stop and keep at it.

It is not exercises alone that we worked towards, he also brought about dietary changes wherein I introduced him to the concept of pre and post workout meals, some mid meals (to cut the large gaps between meals) and he learned to keep his dinner light yet balanced. With these wondrous dietary changes along with regular workout routine, there was no doubt he could reach his goals. After few months he noticed a drop in his inches (Fat loss), increase in stamina and endurance while he jogged and ran. He kept feeling better each day.

One day, after having shared his progress with me, he asked me now what next? And I immediately said ‘Let’s Walk 100 km within 48 hours’. ‘You are all set’, I said and he was dumbstruck for few seconds. I made him believe that ‘HE COULD DO IT’ and should have confidence in himself. He decided to take up this incredible challenge. And, guess what he completed it gracefully.

“When you have the will, you can achieve anything that you want!” That’s what Abhinav has proved.

‘Want to get featured here? Click Here to tell us your story.’

By 7 Comments

Quick healthy dinner recipes

1459236715_1286756711_Khichadi

In today’s fast paced life, we are constantly chasing our goals and in the process neglecting our health and body’s needs such as rest, sufficient sleep, lots of nutrition and water. Only when we listen to our body’s needs, will it help us in return, to achieve our targets and support our daily activities.

There are innumerable reasons for not eating nutritious foods. Some of the reasons are lack of time, cooks at home or sometimes its sheer lack of knowledge on what to buy from the market, how to match two ingredients and what to do with the leftovers etc.

Well, I have tried to easy your difficulty by sharing some of the quick and easy recipes which may help you sort out dinners for all your 5 busy working days! I am sure you will love these dishes! Enjoy it guilt free! These dishes will not only do justice to your workouts but, also ensure good nutrition supply for a healthy and energetic you!

DAL KHICHDI

dk
Serves 1; preparation time 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 15gms Daliya
  • 10gms Yellow moong dal
  • 10gms Chana dal
  • 25gms Bottle gourd
  • 25gms Cauliflowerv  25gms French beans
  • 10gms Green peas
  • 1 Tomato
  • 2-5 curry leaves
  • 2 big green chilies
  • A tiny piece of cinnamon
  • 2 cloves
  • 1tbsp oil/ghee
  • 1tsp cumin seeds
  • 1tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2tsp hing
  • 1tsp red chili powder
  • 1tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • 1tsp kitchen king masala
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander for garnishing

Method:

  • Wash and soak the mentioned dal and daliya for about 10 minutes
  • Chop bottle gourd, cauliflower and French beans to medium sized cubes.
  • In a pan, put some oil, let it heat, then add mustard seeds, hing, cumin seed, curry leaves and green chilies. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and the kitchen king masala. Mix well.
  • Add the chopped veggies and green peas. Mix well.
  • Now drain and add the soaked dal and daliya mixture. Mix well.
  • Add about 250 ml water, mix well for a few minutes. Add salt to taste
  • Now transfer this into a pressure cooker vessel and let it cook for 15 minutes.
  • Once the cooker is done, you will notice the ingredients have been cooked leaving no water behind, if there is some water left, let it cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Transfer it in a serving plate, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with chilled curd.

PAV BHAJI

pav-bhaji

Serves 1; preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 10gms Yellow moong dal
  • 10gms green moong dal
  • 15gms white peas
  • 10gms red gram dal
  • 25gms cauliflower
  • 25gms green peas
  • 20gms green capsicum
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1tbsp ghee
  • 1tsp cumin seeds
  • 1tsp hing
  • 1tsp turmeric powder
  • 1tsp red chili powder
  • 2tsp Pav Bhaji masala (or add as per your taste preference)
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Wash and soak the pulses and legumes for 10 minutes in hot water.
  • Chop cauliflower in small pcs. Mix it with green peas.
  • In a pressure cooker vessel, mix the pulses, legumes, cauliflower and green peas, with water and add some salt. Let it cook in the pressure cooker for 15 minutes.
  • In the meantime, finely chop green capsicum and grate the tomatoes and make a puree. In a pan, add some ghee and let it heat. Add cumin seeds, hing, and let it simmer. Now add green capsicum and tomato puree, let it cook. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, and pav bhaji masala. Cook this on low flame.
  • Check if the pressure cooker is done. If yes, remove the pulses mixture and mash it lightly.
  • Now add the pulses mixture to the cooked tomato puree mixture. Mix well until everything blends well and let it simmer for a few minutes.
  • Transfer in a serving bowl. Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and serve with multigrain breads and piece of lemon.

 

BESAN PANCAKES:

a979c8eccc4e54dee23ee0ed8b52261a

Makes 3-4 pancakes, preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 100gms besan flour
  • 1 big tomato, shredded
  • 1 big cucumber, shredded
  • 30gms bottle gourd, shredded
  • Coriander leaves, finely chopped
  • 2 green chilies (optional)
  • 1tsp red chili powder
  • 1tsp turmeric powder
  • 2tsp ginger + chilies paste (if available, to make it spicy)
  • 2tbsp curd
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • In a bowl, take besan flour. Add shredded tomato, cucumber, bottle gourd and coriander leaves.
  • Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger chilies paste and curd. Mix well. Add very little water if required. We need a slightly flowing consistency of the batter to make pancakes.
  • In a pan, heat 1tsp oil, spread the batter, top it with some green chilies and some coriander leaves.
  • Let it cook on both sides on medium flame.
  • Serve it with green mint chutney mixed with some curd.

ANEER FRANKIE:

maxresdefault

Makes 3 Frankies.

Ingredients:

  • 15gms pearl millet flour (bajra)
  • 15gms white millet flour (jowar)
  • 10gms whole wheat flour
  • Salt to taste
  • 60gms Paneer, shredded or crushed
  • 30gms Yellow capsicum, finely chopped
  • 30gms red capsicum, finely chopped
  • 30gms green capsicum, finely chopped
  • Coriander leaves, finely chopped
  • 2-3tsp Kapol’s Frankie masala
  • 1tsp jeera masala
  • Salt to taste
  • Ginger chilies paste (if available and to make it spicier)

Method:

  • Make a roti dough by mixing all the three flours with water, some oil and salt. Cover it and keep it aside
  • In a bowl mix all the capsicums and coriander.
  • Add salt, ginger chili paste, Frankie masala and some jeera masala. Mix well. You may add come dry mango powder if you like it tangier. Add the shredded paneer to this mixture.
  • Mix well and make (3) rolls of this mixture.
  • Using a rolling pin, make 3 rotis of the dough.
  • In a pan heat some oil and cook a roti. Let it cook properly front and back. As the texture changes, add some green phudina chutney (optional) and spread it over the roti. Then keep a paneer roll on one end of the roti, and gently roll the entire roti. Let it stay on the pan if you like it crispy.
  • Serve it with ketchup, green phudina chutney or chilled curd.

STUFFED MOONG DAL DOSA

Coriander Moong Dal Dosa

Makes 7-8 dosas

Ingredients

    • 10gms Green moong dal
    • 10gms Yellow moong dal
    • 10gms Urad dal
    • 10gms Red gram dal
    • 10gms Lentils
    • 10gms Bengal gram dal

For the stuffing:

  • 40gms Paneer, shredded
  • 40gms corn kernels
  • Coriander leaves
  • 15gms coconut, shredded
  • 2 green chilies, finely chopped (optional)
  • Ginger chili paste
  • Salt to taste
  • Grounded black pepper
  • 1tsp garam masala
  • Dried mango powder (aamchur) to taste

Method:

  • Wash and soak all the dals in 3 cups hot water for 15 minutes.
  • In a bowl, mash the paneer, corn and coriander leaves.
  • Add salt, ginger chili paste, garam masala, some grounded black pepper, dried mango powder and finely chopped chilies (optional). Mix well.
  • The soaked dals must have become tender. Grind this in a mixture with minimal water. We need the batter to be dense and have flowing consistency.
  • In the batter add some salt and grounded black pepper.
  • In a pan, heat some ghee, pour a spoon full of batter and spread it in round motion.
  • Let it cook on the bottom. Flip it, and let it cook for a few minutes. Flip it again and check if it’s slightly brown.
  • Then add some of the paneer and corn stuffing on the dosa. Let it cook for a few minutes.
  • Fold the dosa in two, or you can roll it all the way. Cut in pieces and serve with green phudina chutney or some tamarind chutney.

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

As we observe World Cancer Day under the powerful theme ‘United by Unique’ (2025-2027)**, we are reminded that every individual’s journey with cancer is distinct, yet united by shared resilience, hope, and the collective fight against this disease. This theme places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the […]