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Here’s Why You Should Eat Your Evening Snacks

Evening snacksWhile we are aware that breakfast, lunch and dinner are important meals, we overlook the fact that an evening snack is equally important. Why is that? You’ve probably heard the saying, “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper” – but how do you eat like a pauper if you’re feeling very hungry at dinner time? We should naturally feel less hungry at the dinner time and for that, we must have a small meal 2-4 hours before dinner. It is completely okay if you do not feel that hungry for dinner after having evening snacks. In fact, that is the main purpose of it – to cut down on the dinner portion size.

A common observation with our GOQii Players is that most have a long gap between lunch & dinner. It is as good as 7-8 hours. Having frequent meals is extremely crucial when it comes to maintaining weight. It has a series of health benefits. Yet, we somehow skip on evening snacks for some reason or another.

Reasons For Skipping Evening Snacks

  1. Lack of time
  2. Lack of Appetite
  3. Not habitual
  4. Unaware of its importance
  5. Running out of options

Out of these reasons, the 2nd point is the most valid. If you really do not feel hungry by evening time, you may skip it but if you don’t, then you must consider. It is better to keep a fixed time for it which can be 3-4 hours post lunch.

Why You Should Eat Evening Snacks 

  1. Lowers the gap between Lunch & Dinner
  2. Helps sustain energy and hunger levels till dinner time
  3. Controls acidity, bloating and other digestive problems
  4. Helps maintain blood sugar levels
  5. Helps control portion size for both lunch and dinner
  6. Keeps BMR high
  7. Helps you mentally relax at the end of your work day

Apart from the reasons above, if you exercise in the evening, having a snack is a must as it works as your pre-workout meal. Exercising on an empty stomach will not give you the desired results.

For an evening snack, you can choose options similar to your breakfast. It can consist of Poha, Upma,  Idli, Dosa, Uttapam, Vegetable or egg/ chicken sandwich, whole wheat roll, Sukha Bhel, or boiled sprouts, etc. If you aren’t that hungry, then try a mixture of fruits, dry fruits, nuts, roasted peanuts, corn cob, sprouts, or boiled eggs, etc.

If you aren’t consuming an evening snack, start now and let us know about the difference you feel in the comments below!

We hope this article helps you. For more articles like this, click here or speak to an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching.

#BeTheForce

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Healthy Eating: Vegetable Appam

vegetable appamEating a healthy breakfast ensures a healthy start to the day! But, there’s a good chance that you might not know what to eat or might want a change from the usual. So, we’re here with a tasty, super easy Vegetable Appam recipe! It uses traditional seasoning and can be made quickly! 

What You Will Need 

  • Semolina – 1 cup 
  • Onion – ¼ cup finely chopped
  • Capsicum – ¼ cup finely chopped
  • Carrot – ¼ cup finely chopped
  • Spinach – ¼ cup finely chopped
  • Coriander – ¼ cup finely chopped
  • Ginger Chili Paste – 1 tbsp 
  • Grated Coconut – ¼ cup 
  • Curd – 1 cup 
  • Water – 1 cup 
  • Oil – 2 tbsp 
  • Curry Leaves – 5-6
  • Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp 
  • Garam Masala – 1 tsp 
  • Haldi – ½ tsp 
  • Red Chili Powder – ½ tsp 
  • Salt as per taste 

How To Prepare 

  1. Heat some oil in a pan, add in the mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Now, add the curry leaves and slide in the chopped onion, capsicum, carrot and spinach.
  2. Sauté this for 3-5 minutes and add the semolina. Roast this for 2 more minutes and remove it in a mixing bowl.
  3. Once the semolina and veggies mixture cool down, add in the ginger chilli paste, coconut, coriander, garam masala, haldi, red chili powder, curd and salt. Give it a good mix.
  4. Now add in ½ cup of water, mix it together and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
  5. After the rest, check the batter and add another ½ cup of water to make it similar to an uttapam batter consistency.
  6. Grease the appam tray with some oil and put it on flame.
  7. Using a spoon, add a controlled portion of batter in the appam tray and cover it with a lid. 
  8. After 5 minutes check if the sides of the appam look brown. If yes, flip it over and allow it to cook until golden brown and crisp on both sides.
  9. Our healthy, instant vegetable appam is ready! Serve it with coconut or green chutney.

Note: If you do not have an appam tray, you can make it as mini uttapams in any pan and enjoy.

Highlights of the Vegetable Appam Recipe 

  • It’s a quick, easy and healthy breakfast meal loved by everyone. 
  • Gives you the goodness of vegetables, rich in vitamins and satiating.
  • Very good for your gut as it is partially fermented. 

We hope you enjoy this Vegetable Appam recipe. Do try it out and share your experience in the comments below or share it on social media, tagging GOQii! For more healthy recipes, check out Healthy Reads or speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Eat healthy and #BeTheForce 

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Why You Should Eat Slowly For Good Health & Better Digestion

Eat SlowlyMary Roach, in her book, Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal describes the digestive system as a highly elaborate inside of the tube that starts at the mouth and ends at the anus.

Let’s address an important facet of pre-digestion: Chewing – a much neglected lifestyle habit.

What Happens When You Eat Slowly?

The chewing process serves as the first step to proper digestion. Two interesting things happen while chewing: Firstly, Ptyalin, which is required for digestion of carbohydrates is secreted. The other thing is that the brain kicks into action and recognizes whether you are chewing proteins, carbohydrates or fats and accordingly tells the stomach to secrete the right enzymes.

It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness. When you eat slowly, it allows ample of time to trigger the signal from your brain that you are full. Feeling full translates into eating less.

Speed eating, gorging and binge eating majorly contribute to unhealthy weight gain. Studies confirmed that chewing every bite for a longer period of time helps you lose weight and improve digestion. This is because it provides more time for your brain to receive the signal. Therefore, the slower you chew, the lesser you eat and the more satisfied you are. Eating fast promotes weight gain and makes you feel out of control of your eating habits.

Follow These Simple Steps! 

  • The very first step to mindful eating is to choose the smallest plate in your house. Take that plate and serve your portions and sit
  • Sit down to eat in a calm environment with minimal distractions. It is your time with your food. Don’t eat while driving, watching TV, while texting, etc.
  • Add 1 exchange of raw or cooked vegetables right before the main meal and use a fork to eat it. Try setting a minimum number of chews per bite
  • Look at your plate and see how colorful it is and what good it is going to do to your body. Sense the aroma and question yourself about its nutrition
  • Take a fork or chop stick to eat your meal. If you’re eating roti-sabji, take very small bites of the roti and more vegetables. Chew 30 times or more per bite and gulp it down
  • Set your time to eat. At least 20-30 minutes for each meal and preferably even longer at dinner. This will set your relationship with food
  • When you eat slowly, it improves your health in more ways than one. It leads to better digestion, better absorption, reduced bloating, acidity & constipation as well as aids weight management

So eat slowly, chew properly and live healthy! We hope this article helps you chew your food for better digestion and absorption of all those precious nutrients. Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

For more health tips like this, check out Healthy Reads or speak to an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

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The Right Guidance With Gradual Change – Rishikesh Ayre User Journey

Rishikesh Ayre

Do you want to make a positive lifestyle change but don’t know how? Does it take every ounce of motivation for you to move? Do you need a nudge in the right direction? These are all valid questions and you’re not alone. Sometimes, we want to begin something new but don’t know where to start. Our player Rishikesh Ayre, faced the same situation and found the answer with GOQii! 

Life Before GOQii  

Rishikesh Ayre is a 28 year old software developer working in Coimbatore for the past 3 years. After college, when he began work, he had put on a lot of weight. He purchased a bicycle but couldn’t find the motivation to ride it. He says that he wanted someone who would question him, push and prod him to get active and reprimand him if he indulged in unhealthy habits too much. In short, what he needed was a person to monitor his health in a timely manner and tell him what to do and what not to do. What he needed was a coach. 

Rishikesh Ayre Discovers GOQii 

As a part of his work, he was involved in a marketing research project on fitness gadgets and apps when he chanced upon GOQii. The personalized coaching service grabbed his attention. The human element and personal touch of a health coach intrigued him the most as such a service-based model was literally unheard of back then. He joined GOQii in November 2017 and has continued his journey since then. 

Introduction to a Healthy Lifestyle 

For the first 3-4 months, he was not very keen on interacting with his GOQii Coach. He had no definitive goals and no idea where to start. Then he got a new coach, Mubasheera in early 2018 and that changed everything. Coach Mubasheera was more proactive and gave him a clear roadmap on how to proceed. 

His GOQii Coach noticed that his meals were heavy with bread as he consumed 5-6 slices every day in the morning coupled with evening snacks at the office cafeteria. He was asked to cut down on his bread intake. The second change was to take short walks after lunch, avoid the elevator and use stairs whenever possible. 

He finally began riding his bicycle for 4km a few days during the week. Now, he rides 17-25km every day. He calls this his “Me Time”. It helps him clear his mind and uplift his mood. He also joined swimming classes which he attends during the weekends. Coach Mubasheera has asked him to keep varying his routine so it doesn’t get monotonous. 

Staying Fit During the Lockdown 

The lockdown, though painful for other reasons, helped him lose another 5 kgs. Before the lockdown, he used to go for a lot of outings and weekend parties with friends. All that had to stop and he was restricted to home-cooked, healthy meals. Also work from home meant he had the flexibility to do workouts suggested by his GOQii Coach whenever time permitted. He continued cycling near his home. Now he has almost got himself accustomed to the routine of morning workout and evening cycling throughout the week.

What Were The Results?

Thanks to all the efforts put in by him with the guidance of his GOQii Coach, Rishikesh Ayre went from 104kg in 2017 to 78kg now. He says that it wasn’t a painful journey at all. It has been so smooth and informative. He is now better informed and aware of what is good to eat and what needs to be avoided. He has learned about portion size and hunger control. 

What Does Rishikesh Ayre Have To Say About His Coach? 

Due to the long association, Coach Mubasheera has become like a friend to him. He says they have their fair share of fights and arguments especially over what he can order and what he cannot during weekends. He says, “Sometimes I have to literally click a picture of the menu card and send it to her so she can tell me what I can order. She has instilled healthy eating habits in me gradually and cleverly. For instance, she made me switch from bread-butter to chocos to muesli and now plain corn flakes + banana +boiled egg.”  He also commends her on how she made him give up on his ice cream after meals habit gradually. From ice cream once every 2 days, she switched to flavored yogurt to plain curd nowadays. He says the best part is he didn’t even realize he was giving up on these things. He is thankful to her for being patient and hand holding him gradually through this entire journey towards an active and healthy lifestyle. She has met all his expectations of daily motivation, support and information. 

What Does Coach Mubasheera Have To Say? 

Rishikesh Ayre is very determined and passionate now, but when he had started his journey, he was very fussy and lacked the willpower. We have been together in this weight loss journey for 2 years now. When we began, Rishikesh’s weight was around 103kg, and he has lost 16+ kg in 2 years (current weight is 81kg). The major problem with Rishikesh was hunger control, irregular timings, lots of cravings and binge eating on junk food + lack of physical activity and low stamina. We have successfully managed to include more than 1 hour of proper daily intense workout along with reducing processed food and managing hunger. His endurance and stamina has improved and he can do 20 push ups now (initially he struggled with 11-12). He cycles non step for 2 hours as well.

Rishikesh is a fussy eater (hates milk and is a coffee addict) but after lots of interesting challenges, such as the no sugar challenge, made him reduce 2 tsp of sugar to 1/2 tsp and has begun to include milk to his diet now as well. During the initial part of the lockdown, he suffered from disturbed sleep but that was taken care of with a few sleep hygiene practices. Our long term goal now is to maintain healthy weight and continue with an active lifestyle! 

Does the journey of Rishikesh Ayre inspire you to begin yours? Speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

For more inspiring stories, check out Healthy Reads.

#BeTheForce 

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