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February 13, 2020 By Soni Thakur 2 Comments

Beetroot, Will You Be My Valentine?

They say love comes in all shapes and sizes and isn’t necessarily limited to your life partner. But just like with humans, you need to love things which are good for you. You could love exercising, eating a certain kind of healthy meal or even fruit. For me, love came in the form of beetroot and for good reason as well.

Health Benefits of Beetroots

Beetroots are known for their nutritional content consisting of Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Fiber, Manganese, Vitamin A and C – all the essentials that your body needs.
Being rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, beetroots help in weight loss and fight inflammation.
It has been found that nitrates present in a beetroot convert into nitric oxide, which in turn dilates blood vessels, hence lowering blood pressure.
Beetroots aren’t boring! They can be consumed in a variety of ways by making it into juices, soups, salads, pickle, and smoothies.
Prevents Heart diseases.
Beetroots are the topmost choice for people with Diabetes as phytochemicals present in them are associated with regulating effects on glucose and insulin.
Boosts Energy levels.
When juiced, it is an all-natural detox drink.

Despite all these awesome benefits, there are many people who do not like the beetroot because of its bitter and earthy taste. I used to be one of them. I didn’t like the taste and completely avoided it in school. Later, when I graduated as a Nutritionist, I came across the super healthy beetroot again. Now, if as a nutritionist who knows its health benefits, I had my qualms about consuming beetroots, imagine others. How can one incorporate it in their daily diet? This made me come up with some awesome recipes which can make consuming a beetroot far more interesting.

Healthy Recipes With a Beetroot

The most common way to have them is raw by sprinkling pink Himalayan salt and a dash of lemon but there are other ways as well.

1. The Beetroot Pickle

What you will need:

Beetroot – 1kg
Coriander Seeds – 2 tbsp
Kalonji – ½ tbsp
Amchoor Powder – 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds – 1
Olive Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard Oil – 100 ml
Salt to taste

How to Prepare:

Peel beetroots, wash and cut them into small pieces of about 2 inches.
Take a pan, put 1tbsp olive oil in it along with cut pieces of beetroot and roast them till they are tender.
In another pan, roast all the other ingredients till you get that awesome aroma. Keep aside and let it cool down.
Grind all the roasted ingredients but do not turn them into fine powder.
Take a bowl, put beetroots and grinded spices all together and mix well. Store it in a glass jar by adding mustard oil and keep it in sunlight for the next 2-4 days. Your pickle is ready.

2. Beetroot Kebabs

What You Will Need:

Beetroot – ½
Oats Powder – 1 cup
Red Chilly Powder – 1 cup
Coriander Powder – ½ tbsp
Black Pepper Powder – ½ tbsp
Garam Masala – ½ tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
Onion – 1 chopped into small pieces.
Green chillies (optional)
Coriander leaves

How to Prepare:

Peel and grate the beetroot and squeeze the water out from it.
Take a bowl, put oats powder, beetroot, and all other ingredients mentioned above and mash them well.
Take a frying pan and fill half the pan with oil
Make tikkis of the batter and shallow fry them on a low to medium flame.
Serve them hot with paratha/ roti.

3. Beetroot Veggie Uttapam

What you will need:

Beetroot – 1 small
Fine Semolina – 1 cup
Onion – 1 small finely chopped
Tomato – 1 small finely chopped
Capsicum – 1 small finely chopped (yellow and green)
Curd – 1 cup
Green chillies (optional)
Salt to taste

How to Prepare:

Peel the beetroot and grind it into a thin paste.
In a bowl, mix the semolina, curd, salt, chillies and beetroot paste.
Let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
Take a non-stick pan, put a few drops of oil and gently spread the batter with a help of a katori or round spoon.
Sprinkle the chopped onion, tomato, capsicum and green chilies.
Cover it with a lid and let it cook on low flame for about 1 minute.
Flip it to the other side and cook well.
Serve hot with green chutney.

As a proposal to good health, we request you to level up your kitchen by adding beetroots to it for Valentine’s Day. Hope you enjoyed reading the article. Share the love in the comments below! For more healthy recipes and nutrition facts, check out Healthy Reads or GOQii Play, both within the GOQii App.

#BeTheForce .

October 26, 2019 By GOQii 1 Comment

If You Must Take Control, Control Your Health! | Sakuntala Rao User Story

At some point in life, you can’t help but wonder that as you get older, things change. Life passes you by in such a blur that most times you’re unable to take control. Health issues begin to surface as medication and doctor visits become more common. While things seem bleak in this fixated downward spiral, there are individuals who think otherwise! At the age of 60, our player Sakuntala Rao can proudly say that life didn’t pass her by. She’s living it, breathing it and enjoying it to the fullest with good health… but was it always like this?

Early Life and Health Issues

Hailing from Bangalore, Sakuntala Rao had two major concerns – sleep issues and fluctuating weight. Albeit, she was aware of the reasons for both her concerns but was unable to find a viable solution. She attributes her sleep issues to high levels of stress. Being a control freak, she used to get worked up when things didn’t go the way she wanted. She had trouble falling asleep and used to wake up in the middle of the night unable to go back to sleep. Less sleep hours and disturbed sleep were regular occurrences.

On the other hand, her weight was something she had always struggled with. This was due to her travel routine for work, her diet which was completely erratic, marred with junk food, untimely eating, and zero portion control. As she puts it, her eating habits were all over the place.

To add to this, she was under medication for hyperthyroidism for 14 years before she underwent Radioactive Iodine Therapy which reversed her condition the wrong way. She developed hypothyroidism since most of the gland was destroyed during the procedure. This again contributed to hormonal imbalance leading to weight gain.

She often tried fad diets from time to time. Though she lost a little weight, she would gain it back in a month or two. Her daily routine was also devoid of any physical activity. After her retirement in 2017, she got herself a personal trainer to help her get active. She decided she wanted to focus more on health and fitness. That’s where GOQii came in!

Joining GOQii and Making a Lifestyle Change

In 2018, her husband got her a GOQii tracker as a gift. She explored the app, learned about the coaching mechanism, live video coaching by experts and blogs which motivated her to stick with GOQii. She was assigned a GOQii Coach when she signed up. Her goal was to just get fit which, with help from her Coach, got narrowed down to her two major issues – improving sleep and weight loss.

The first habit set by her GOQii Coach was an early dinner. She was also asked to perform Pranayama as demonstrated by GOQii Play Coach Ronak Gajjar. Sakuntala Rao was also given a few links to meditation which she was asked to listen to after Pranayama. She was also asked to stay away from her phone for at least an hour before bed.

All of this together, with the realization that she cannot control everything and that she needs to let go at times, helped her calm down. This reduced her stress greatly and thus, improved her sleep quality.

She wasn’t asked to change much in her diet as she had already started eating healthy. Only a few tweaks were made. For instance, including protein in each meal. She also began intermittent fasting on the 16/8 pattern – Her last meal being dinner at 6 pm and she breaks her fast at 10 am the next morning. The first thing she drinks is a glass of warm water followed by Ajwain (soaked overnight) and pink salt followed by nuts.

Her lunch consists of 2 rotis, some curry, and a large bowl of salad which consists of carrots, cucumber, radish, avocado, capsicum and some seeds mixed with curd. She consumes a cup of coffee and eats a fruit before that. Dinner consists of one roti, some curry, soup and salad.

Currently, she has set her goal as reaching a weight of 60kg in order to fall under the normal BMI range and maintaining that level.

Experiencing the Change

Sakuntala Rao says that her sleep has improved significantly. She is now able to sleep for an average of 7 hours and doesn’t wake up in the middle of the night. Her weight has reduced from 79kg in July 2018 to 70g when she last checked. She feels that progress has been difficult but consistent. She thanks her GOQii Coach for being persistent and following up with her, ensuring she keeps on track.

Now, she believes that mental health is just as important as physical health, especially after the age of 60 with people talking about Dementia and Alzheimer’s everywhere. She has enrolled herself for a dancing class as a hobby and she is also associated with a group called Silver Talkies. They cater to people over the age of 55 and get them involved in various social activities. The group has also planned a dance performance for early November in support of a social cause.

Her current physical activities include functional workouts 4 days a week, walking for at least 4 days and attending dance class 2 days a week. She attempted swimming but gave up as she couldn’t overcome her Aquaphobia (fear of water).

What Sakuntala Rao Thinks of GOQii

Sakuntala Rao praises her GOQii Coach for helping her make such a positive lifestyle change. She said her Coach was very prompt in her responses, be it a comment or a problem. She is very pleased with the fact that her Coach personalizes her entire routine keeping her age in mind. She also shares a lot of information which is educational and useful.

Has this story inspired you to make a change? If anything, it tells us that even if we can’t control everything, we can certainly control our health and the choices we make. Want to share your story with us? Fill this form and we’ll reach out to you.

Keep inspiring, stay motivated and #BeTheForce

August 8, 2019 By Trupti Hingad 41 Comments

Foods That Help Cure Sinusitis!

Have you woken up one morning with terrible pain in your forehead or between your eyes? To add to this agony, you experience a swelling face, stuffy nose and congestion. Your upper teeth hurt and it feels like your head is about to explode! If you have these symptoms, it is an indication of Sinusitis!

What is Sinusitis?

Sinus points are basically air spaces in your skull lined with mucous membranes. Most people have four sets of nasal sinuses.

Two in the forehead above the eyes
One inside each cheekbone
A group of them, called the Ethmoid Sinuses, behind the bridge of the nose
Another group behind the nose and underneath the brain called the Sphenoid Sinuses

These sinus points are like fingerprints. If there is an infection in these points, it leads to a condition called Sinusitis. Basically, it is an inflammation of the sinus cavity due to a virus, bacteria or fungus. Tiny hair-like structures called Cilia move mucus across Sinus Membranes, towards an exit.

All of your sinus cavities connect to your nose to allow a free exchange of air and mucus. Infections or allergies affect the sinus tissues, making them inflamed, red and swollen. But don’t worry, nature is loaded with remedies for most conditions!

Foods That Help Cure Sinusitis

Spicy Foods: Hot spices like pepper, chillis (capsicum), jalapenos, relieve sinus congestion as they help release the mucus that causes a stuffed nose. Spicy foods help in opening the sinus cavity and promote the restoration of normal breathing.
Garlic: contains an enzyme called Allicin that destroys bacteria and viruses that cause Sinusitis.
Vitamin E: found in nuts, seeds and vegetable oils helps you get rid of a sinus congestion.
Zinc: in Lean Meat, Poultry, Licorice and Seafood helps in relieving a congestion.
Warm Herbal Teas: like Peppermint, Ginger, Licorice and Holy Basil (Tulsi) teas are some of the best for your sinuses and throat during a bout of Sinusitis. Tea moistens mucus membrane, helping to clear the sinus network.
Chicken Soup: contains an amino acid called cysteine that causes a runny nose and clears out the nasal congestion.
Leafy Green Veggies, tomatoes, oranges, yellow fruits and veggies contain Vitamin A that helps build a healthy mucus membrane.
Grapefruits, Oranges and Lemon are rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants. Thus, they help clear a sinus congestion. Oxidation damage can contribute to Chronic Sinusitis. Antioxidants protect the mucus membranes from free radical damage.
Pineapple is rich in antioxidants which protect the delicate mucus membranes from damage. Bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapple, breaks down the junk that builds up in sinuses and reduces inflammation.
Coconut Oil is very good at reducing inflammation and also in killing many bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Try oil pulling with a spoonful of coconut oil and you’ll notice your sinuses clear up. Simply swish around a spoonful of it for five to ten minutes and spit it out.
Turmeric/Ginger Root: Turmeric root is wonderful, fragrant and contains natural anti-inflammatory Curcumin. This spice is also an antioxidant. When combined with spicy ginger root and brewed for hot tea, this combination can help loosen mucus from clogged nasal passages, alleviate sinus pressure, and make you feel better all around. Ginger root also has the added bonus of calming an upset stomach – a frequent side-effect of excessive night time sinus drainage.
Apple Cider Vinegar: acts as a boon for sinus infections. Firstly, it is a natural antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory that can kill the destructive microorganisms which cause the infection. Secondly, it helps the body maintain a healthy alkaline pH level, which helps breaking up mucus and discourage the proliferation of the condition.

Worst Foods For a Sinus Infection

Caffeine weakens your adrenal glands and causes sinus congestion
Fried foods/Processed foods containing additives are best avoided during a sinus infection
Foods with high sugar content, especially ice cream, worsen a sinus infection
Refined carbs like bread, pasta, and rice do not help during sinus congestions
Fermented foods like cheese worsen sinus
Starchy heavy foods like noodles are not for people with a sinus problem
Milk is known to worsen a sinus congestion as it thickens mucus and promotes microbial growth
Foods high in saturated fats like egg yolk and meat are to be avoided during a sinus infection

Keep your sinus clean and relax, breathe refresh and stay healthy! We hope this article helped you. Please do leave your thoughts in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

July 16, 2019 By Navnee Garg Leave a Comment

Almond Milk! Cheers to Good Health!

In recent months, you must have come across the term Almond Milk either in some recipes or even cooking shows. Ever wondered what it is or how it is made? Surely, it isn’t the already famous “Badam Milk” that we’re used to but something totally different from that!

Almond Milk, in its essence, is an inexpensive, healthy alternative to conventional dairy that you can easily make at home. It is great for those who cannot or choose not to drink cow’s milk. It is made by grinding almonds, mixing them with water and filtering the mixture to create a product that looks a lot like milk and has a nutty flavour.

Homemade Almond Milk Recipe

Soak 1 cup of almonds for up to 2 days
Drain and rinse the almonds
Blend almonds with 2 cups of water
Line a glass measuring cup with cheesecloth or a nut bag
Pour the blended almonds in
Squeeze and press to extract about 2 cups of milk
Refrigerate and use within 2 days

Nutritional Value

Health Benefits of Almond Milk

Before trying any recipe, you should know the benefits it provides so we can consume it in the right portion size, at the right time and with the right meal.

Let’s have a closer look at the health benefits that almond milk provides.

Low-Calorie Drink: How can something made from almonds, which itself is high in calories, can be low in calories? Thanks to the processing used to make it, only a small portion of almonds is present in the finished product. This makes it great for people who want to cut on calories and lose weight without compromising taste. Unsweetened almond milk contains up to 80% fewer calories than regular dairy milk. Using it as a replacement for cow’s milk could be an effective weight loss strategy.
Low in Sugar: Homemade almond milk is low in sugar, which makes this nutty milk a guilt-free drink! Although commercially available ones might have sugar added to them, the homemade recipe above leaves the sugar content up to you. More so, since diabetics need to limit their carb intake, replacing dairy milk with almond milk may be a good way to achieve this.
Hello Vitamin E: Not only is Almond Milk low in calories, but it is also a good way to sip in some Vitamin E, providing 37% of the daily Vitamin E requirement in just 30ml. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that combats inflammation and stress in the body.
Naturally, Lactose-Free: This is a boon for people with lactose intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as Almond Milk is naturally lactose-free, making it a good alternative to dairy.
Go Dairy Free and Vegan: Whether it is religious beliefs, health and environment or a lifestyle choice, veganism is the “in trend” right now and almond milk is nothing less than a blessing to Vegans. Albeit, it is low in protein and is not suitable as a full replacement for dairy in young children.
Recipe Rich: If you’re worried that consuming this product will be boring, you need not worry. It can be used in various recipes. Apart from a refreshing beverage, it can be used along with cereal, muesli or oats for breakfast, in tea, coffee or hot chocolate, smoothies, while baking muffins and pancakes, soups, dressing, homemade ice creams or almond yoghurt! There are plenty of options to keep you interested!

How excited are you to try this recipe at home? If you try it, do share your experience in the comments below!