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Indulge and yet stay in shape

Sounds surprising that you can indulge and yet stay in shape? It feels almost impossible? Believe me, it’s possible to achieve, only of course if you have the will to do so. No, we are not going to tell you to skip eating sweets and savouries altogether and indulge in salads alone. Festivals and family functions would not be half as much fun if they were devoid of those yummy goodies- sweets, snack platters, dry fruits and so on.

There is absolutely no need to feel deprived and skip them altogether. All you need to do is change your cooking habits and recipes a tad bit to make stuff that is low in fat, calories, salt and even sugar.

Here are a few simple tips that will help you eat the food you want and you won’t feel guilty binging on:

  • Use the god’s favourite sweetening agent- jaggery – to make sweets. Gurpaare (Shakkarpaare with a coating of jaggery) is one of the sweet snacks you can make easily. Gurkeladdoo is another option- mix any dal (pulses)  with jaggery to make these yummy laddoos.
  • Use sugar-free along with skimmed milk to prepare delicious sweets such as Phirni, kalakand, Kheer, various Bengali sweets, Carrot halwa, Sooji halwa etc. The rest of the recipes remain the same; just use less oil and no sugar.
  • When guests come, don’t serve only sweets but, also serve some homemade chatpate snacks such as BhelPuri, Chaklis, MethiMathris, etc. Make it a point to add some pulses, spinach, chopped mint leaves and coriander to your snacks to give them the required nutritional value.
  • Get innovative with snacks. Who says you have to stick to the routine menu? Dare to do something different and instead of serving cutlets and chips each time, serve roasted Masala Papad, Dahi puri with sprout filling, Sprout Chaat, MoongDaal Chaat with onions, coriander, tomatoes and tamarind chutney and so on.
  • Make dry fruits and nuts a regular item in your menu for guests as well as for yourself but of course eat these in moderation. Consume them in their natural form instead of frying them or adding extra salt or sugar to them.
  • While making snacks that need to be made with maize flour (Maida), mix in some high fibre flour such as bajra or ragi or soy flour.
  • Roast the salted snacks in the oven with just a few drops of olive oil so that they do not stick to the baking dish, instead of frying them.
  • Again, grill kebabs and bake cutlets in the oven or even the microwave instead of frying them.
  • Some guests may even like a portion of garlic bread with cutlets instead of binging on heavy sweets. Do go ahead and ask them. And if they do want it, just peel and crush some garlic pods quickly and add them in butter melted in the microwave and spread on the bread slices evenly. Now grill in the oven for a minute or two and your garlic bread is ready to serve.
  • For sweets such as Rabdi and Phirni, use condensed milk for a richer taste instead of adding fattening and full of calories khoya or mava. 

Embracing a healthier approach to festive indulgence opens the door to guilt-free enjoyment. By making simple tweaks to your recipes and embracing nutritious alternatives, you can savor the flavors of celebration without compromising your well-being. So go ahead, delight in the festivities, create your health-conscious culinary masterpieces, and keep discovering more about mindful eating through our Healthy Reads. For Personalised guidance and expert coaching, consider subscribing to GOQii here and embark on a journey to a healthier you!

Go on… indulge!

#BeTheForce 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health. Images shown are for representation purposes only and may not depict the exact recommendations or outcomes.

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Tips To Reduce Bloating And Gas In The Stomach

bloating and gas

Bloating and gas are the most common discomforts of the digestive system. There are many reasons why they can happen but it is important to understand and identify the root cause, so you can apply the required remedy. What causes bloating and gas though? What happens when one feels bloated? Bloating is a build up of gas in the stomach and the intestine. The belly swells up after eating, one can feel bloated. Bloating causes burping, abdominal discomfort, and a feeling of fullness. 

Reasons for Bloating and Gas

  • Lack of physical activity or a sedentary lifestyle
  • Less intake of fiber
  • Less intake of water
  • Food allergies 
  • Eating too much or eating too fast 
  • Lactose or gluten intolerance
  • Eating food that creates gas in the intestinal tract 

Some other reasons also include pregnancy, GERD, smoking and menstrual period as well.

Preventive and Easy Home Remedies

Now that we know some of the reasons for bloating and gas, let’s check out some preventive measures and easy home remedies.

  1. Have smaller portions of meals at a time. This will help you digest food faster and in a proper manner. More so, your stomach will have some space to breathe.
  2. Make it a habit to walk around after meals at least for 5-10 mins as it will increase the metabolic rate and aid digestion. 
  3. Have salads on your plate as these are rich in fiber, absorb water and prevent indigestion.
  4. Always have lukewarm lemon water with a pinch of rock salt (not for hypertensive’s) or with a tsp of honey (not for diabetics) after heavy and oily meals.
  5. If one is experiencing a regular episode of bloating after eating a particular food, then an allergy test needs to be done.
  6. Proper cooking of cruciferous veggies is required. Other veggies can be mixed with cruciferous veggies. Avoid eating them at night.
  7. If bloating is because of gluten, then go for gluten-free food and rice products. Don’t forget to check food labels and ingredients every time you buy something.
  8. If you are allergic to lactose, then go for soy curd, soy milk and soy cottage cheese.
  9. Include probiotics in every meal as these will improve the gut environment for bacteria and help in reducing bloating and gas. Try adding yogurt, curd, buttermilk with a pinch of rock salt & roasted cumin powder.
  10. Some yoga poses can be tried 4-5 times in a week to strengthen stomach muscles and can relieve gas as well. 
  11. Make it a habit of chewing fennel seeds after your meal as it improves digestion. you can even have fennel tea (Just add 1 tsp of crushed fennel seeds or whole fennel seeds to a cup of boiling water for 10 min & after it can be sipped).
  12. Few pieces of ginger can be taken with lemon and a pinch of rock salt to increase digestion (not for those who have GERD) & ginger tea can be taken without milk.
  13. Ripe bananas aid digestion. The potassium in bananas manage fluid levels that cause bloating and gas.
  14. Chamomile tea settles an upset stomach. It has anti-inflammatory properties. So try chamomile tea or an infusion of chamomile, peppermint, lemon balm & fennel seeds.
  15. Cucumber water is good as it acts as a natural diuretic and contains silica which helps in removing gas.
  16. Aloe Vera juice can be taken 1-2 times in a day to relieve gas.
  17. Have Cumin water. Put 1-2 tsp of cumin in a cup of boiling water and have it empty stomach after 10-15 min of straining it.
  18. Start giving priority to these natural gas releasing agents in your kitchen like asafoetida, cumin seeds and carom seeds.
  19. Baking soda can be taken with hot water and fresh lemon to ease from bloating.
  20. Half a tsp of Triphala powder with hot water can be taken before going to bed to make digestion faster and for a happy & healthy gut.

Last but not the least, manage stress well, as stress can affect the stomach right from the time you start thinking under pressure. We hope this article helps you find relief from and prevent bloating and gas in the stomach. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! 

For more tips, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health. Images shown are for representation purposes only and may not depict the exact recommendations or outcomes.

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Low Calorie Open-Faced Sandwich for Weight Watchers

healthy recipeCraving for a quick snack? Want it to be healthy and aid your weight loss goals? This one is dedicated to weight watchers who wish to eat a low calorie, tasty sandwich! This is my personal healthy recipe for a good low-calorie open-faced sandwich.

Here’s what you will need:

  • Finely chopped purple cabbage (you can use normal cabbage) – 250 gm
  • Shredded carrots – ½ cup*
  • Finely chopped onions – ½ cup
  • Finely chopped fresh coriander leaves – ½ cup
  • Shredded paneer – ½ cup
  • Chilly ginger paste – 1 tbsp*
  • Salt to taste
  • Multigrain bread – 6 slices
  • Green chutney (coriander, garlic, chilly, ginger)
  • Butter or ghee for toasting

Method

  1. In a big bowl, add cabbage, carrot, onion, coriander and paneer and mix
  2. Add chilly ginger paste and salt to the mixture
  3. Take a multigrain bread and spread a tsp of green chutney, top the bread with 3 tbsp of vegetable mix. Repeat this process for all slices.
  4. Grease a pan with butter or ghee and put the slices with vegetable mixture on it to get toasted for 3 to 5 minutes on medium flame.
  5. Once the base of the bread is golden brown, remove it.
  6. Cut diagonally and serve immediately.
  7. Add some cheese on the prepared open bread sandwich if required

Highlights of the Low-Calore Open-Faced Sandwich

  • It has so much color on the plate and gives you the required antioxidants, flavonoids, vitamins and minerals in a quick way
  • Reducing the use of an extra bread makes it a light snack
  • It tastes absolutely delicious!!

*Abbreviations: 1 cup = 200 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml

Do try this low-calorie open-faced sandwich, upload your pics on social media or the GOQii Arena and tag us! For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or to get more advice on recipes, nutrition and diet tips for kids, subscribe to GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health. Images shown are for representation purposes only and may not depict the exact recommendations or outcomes.

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10 Ways to Add Vegetables to Your Breakfast

vegetables to your breakfastYou’ve come across the saying “Eat breakfast like a king and dinner like a pauper”… being a nutritionist, I strongly believe in this. Yes, one should definitely eat a nutritionally lavish meal in the morning. Breakfast needs to be a combination of simple and complex carbs along with some high biological value sources of protein. But is it enough? Does it make a complete meal?

We often tend to forget to add fibres and other micronutrients in the first meal of the day, keeping it for later meals, and we miss on achieving the daily requirement.  Adding vegetables to your breakfast can help you improve your health in numerous ways and make it a complete meal. Let’s see how we can do that.

Ideas to Add Vegetables to Your Breakfast

  1. Try adding sautéed spinach to an open-faced egg or paneer sandwich. Spinach is a rich source of Vitamin A, C and K.  
  2. Replace other root vegetables besides potatoes in your basic recipes. Try sweet potatoes, turnips, and even beetroot to get some extra vitamin boosts from these colourful root veggies.
  3. Cook a quinoa, veggie and egg scramble. A perfectly balanced breakfast for lazy mornings.
  4. Add spinach to your savoury oatmeal. Fibres in all together.
  5. Try shifting your salad to breakfast and add some grain along. Try Pizza crust waffle with a breakfast salad. A great way to indulge guilt-free.
  6. Avocado can be used as a spread on breads. To enhance the nutritional value, chopped veggies, salt and pepper can be added as a treat to your taste buds.
  7. Try skipping the toast along with omelette or scrambled eggs. Instead, replace it with Sauté greens. Whether you can add cream or simply cook them with garlic, is up to you.
  8. Add sautéed vegetables and mashed paneer/eggs to the pancakes/cheela you make at home. This would make it more filling and add an extra boost of protein as well.
  9. Busy enough to cook every morning? Drink it up then! Just blend up greens or vegetables into your morning smoothie and sip it on the way to the office.
  10. And the Easiest: Add vegetables in everything you cook, be it poha, vermicelli, and even upma!  

We hope this article helps you add more vegetables to your breakfast for a power-packed start to your day! Do try them all out and let us know in the comments below. 

Get more healthy recipes here or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health. Images shown are for representation purposes only and may not depict the exact recommendations or outcomes.

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