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Know about your gut health! –Part 1

Gut health word cloud on a white background.

                                                        “All diseases begin in your gut”-Hippocrates

Why is it that we pay attention towards our digestion only when something goes wrong? Oxford dictionary defines,‘digestion’ as the person’s ability to digest the food. There is a whole physiology behind how the digestion takes place?  But, what is more, important is, maintaining a good digestive health!

          Have you heard about probiotics and prebiotics?

Probiotics are live bacteria which are good for health! I recently had a query where a person asked me bacteria is supposed to be harmful then how is it that you term this as good for health?   This is when I started researching the world of bacteria to understand more and also be able to make others understand the goodness of bacteria.

Whenever you have stomach upset, curd rice is something which is always preferred. Curd rice is old-time grandma’s remedy. Have you ever wondered why curd is recommended? Well, curd has live bacteria which helps in settling your gut which helps in improving the stomach upset!

There are different types of microbes which work in different ways, some are good for the gut and some are not. These microbes together are termed as MICROBIOME.

Now let’s get into the depth of the topic!

Microbes are brilliant chemists which take up a small thing from our body and convert them into chemicals which are sometimes used for our body and sometimes they are not.

Gut-Bacteria

 Healthy and unhealthy microbes

Healthy Microbes:

        1. Firmicutes

         * Firmicutes are microbes which are used in the fermentation of beer and wine.

* Firmicutes help in clearing up the toxic wastes

* These microbes are found in your gut and its main function in the gut is to help in digestion of fats in your diet.

  1. Bacteroidetes
  • Bacteroidetes helps in maintaining the lean body and helps in reducing the inflammation in the gut.
  • They help in regulating immune responses which protects you against the autoimmune diseases (Autoimmune means body starts attacking its own cells)
  • Bacteroidetes helps in breaking down of undigested fibre which we obtain from vegetables.
  1. Akkermansia
  • Akkermansia is a rare type of microbes found in the gut,
  • They don’t live on food remains.
  • They live on mucus which is a slimy substance that is secreted by the gut lining to protect itself.
  • It helps in reducing inflammation, so the count of akkermansia should be higher in your gut.
  1. Christensenella

      *  This bacteria is inherited from your mother.

  • This bacteria helps in keeping your body lean in spite of poor diets.
  1. Lactobacillus

 This bacteria helps in lining your intestine to protect against harmful microbes.

  • It also helps in protecting the intestine from a fungal infection, heard about candida albicans?
  • Lactobacillus works like a pesticide on these pathogens.
  • Lactobacillus count in your gut will go down if you are on antibiotics which is why I always prescribe probiotics and prebiotics with lactobacillus with an antibiotic course.
  • It is a very popular probiotic!
  1. Bifidobacterium 
  • Bifidobacterium helps in breaking down the indigestible fibre in the body and also protects your intestines against harmful microbes.
  • This bacteria is inherited in you from your mother’s breast milk.
  • It is a very popular probiotic!

Unhealthy Microbes:

As I had mentioned earlier, if there are some microbes which can help in maintaining the gut health then there are many microbes which help in creating gut problems!

Let’s talk about the unhealthiest microbes:

  1. Campylobacter
  • Campylobacter is a very common cause of food poisoning with symptoms of abdominal pain, severe diarrhoea, and vomiting.
  • Campylobacter is strong enough to be one of the reasons for miscarriage in women.
  • This harmful bacteria is found in raw chicken available in the supermarkets.
  • The most common mistake we do is washing the chicken thoroughly before cooking it. This makes the bacteria spread everywhere. The best technique is to rinse it with water from the top and cook it properly.
  1. E. coli
  • Not every E.coli is harmful but there are some strains which can cause severe anaemia. They are also one of the leading causes of UTI (Urinary Tract Infections)
  • coli in the gut mostly comes from uncooked meat. Catching it up from a raw milk is also quite common.
  1. Salmonella
  • Another common cause of food poisoning induced diarrhoea and stomach cramps are salmonella.
  • You will start getting the symptoms within 72 hours after swallowing this unhealthy bacteria and it can last up to a week.
  • Sometimes the food poisoning gets critical and hospitalization is required to recover from extreme dehydration caused by diarrhoea.
  • I am sure you must have heard about Salmonella typhi which causes typhoid which can be fatal if left untreated.
  1. Clostridium difficile

 This bacteria is always found in abundance in your gut lining which causes minor infections. If these minor infections flare up and start to give you symptoms, your doctor will give you a list of antibiotics to get rid of it. Because your healthy microbiome cannot cope up with those antibiotics, they are swiped out of the body which gives a chance to Clostridium difficile to capture all the gut space.

  • Clostridium difficile is a very antibiotic resistant bacteria so it’s not very easy for antibiotics to swipe this off.
  • Symptoms like watery stools, fever, and abdominal pain are common because of C.difficile flaring up.

Functions of healthy microbiome :

  • It helps in regulating your body weight. Microbes can actually decide how much energy your body extracts from different types of food you eat. If you are unable to lose weight, one of the main reasons could be unhealthy microbiome.
  • The microbiome helps in regulating your immune system. There was a research which proved that healthy microbiome helps in reducing the occurrence of cold and cough episodes. It also helps in reducing the inflammation of the body.
  • The microbiome helps in taking the bits of food which our body cannot digest and it actually converts them in hormone and chemicals.

How to make your healthy microbiome diverse in your body?

  • Please avoid antibiotics as much as you can because a week of antibiotic course can destroy your healthy microbiome for 3 weeks.
  • Increase your outdoor activities, try to open your house windows. It helps in increasing the diversity of healthy microbes
  • Include different types of seasonal fruits and vegetables in the diet.
  • Try to connect with nature whenever you can. Put your hands into the soil. This connects your body to healthy microbiomes.
  • Include foods rich in different healthy microbiomes as mentioned above.

Foods that nourish your gut:

  (1). Olive oil

  • Healthiest fats.
  • Rich in polyphenols and antioxidants which helps in reducing the inflammation.
  • Extra virgin olive oil is good to try!

   (2)  Oily fish

  • Rich in good fats, omega 3
  • Anti-inflammatory benefits
  • Fish oil capsules available in the market are not as good as eating fish because of the poor quality. It might not give you the same effect as oily fish.

   (3) Cocoa

  • Excellent source of flavonoids and polyphenols which helps in increasing the population of healthy gut bacteria!
  • It’s good for your cardiovascular system.
  • Always go for raw cocoa powder.

  (4) Wine

  • Polyphenols are chemicals which are found in tea, coffee, wine, fruits, vegetables and dark chocolates. When you eat any of these foods, half of it passes through the small intestine to the large intestine where it is extremely beneficial to increase the population of healthy microbes.
  • Red wine helps in reducing the inflammation in your body.

PS: I normally get this question that how do you know about inflammation in your body? Well, there is a blood test which is most commonly done called as CRP- C reactive protein which gives you an idea of the levels of inflammation in your body. Research has shown that consumption of anti-inflammatory foods reduces inflammation by 45% in the body.

(5) Turmeric

  • Turmeric is a gut-friendly spice. There are other herbs and spices like thyme, oregano, basil, ginger, cumin which are having anti-inflammatory benefits but turmeric works in increasing the population of healthy microbes,
  • The best way to consume turmeric for gut health is 1 tsp of turmeric with ½ tsp of honey in 150 ml of lukewarm water before bed.
  • An active component of curcumin is also available in capsule form but make sure about the quality of curcumin used to prepare the product is genuine.

 Foods to avoid for better gut health:

 Sugar

  • Sugar is cheap which has an excellent addictive effect.
  • It increases the cravings for particular food which encourages the growth of unhealthy microbes in the guts. All these unhealthy microbes need more sugar to survive which increases the population of unhealthy microbes in the gut and decreases healthy microbes!

    (2) Artificial sweeteners

  • They have a huge impact on your body, especially on your gut. It depletes the population of akkermansia (The healthy microbe which I have mentioned above!).
  • Addition of probiotics with artificial sweeteners might not give the required effect!

    (3) Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

  • MSG or monosodium glutamate works as a leptin blocker. Leptin is a hormone which tells your brain “I am full”. That’s how you crave more foods which have MSG!

My next upcoming article will cover different probiotic and prebiotic sources, how to choose your probiotics and gut-friendly recipes!

To be continued……..

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Know all about Yoghurt and its benefits

yoghurt 1

The summer heat is killing! Wish I could eat something that’s chilling and soothing for the stomach, is the thought process that most of us go through. There are lots of summer foods and coolants available but nothing as handy as yoghurt and yes it is also one of the best foods for weight watchers.

Let me share some facts about it!

Personally, Yoghurt has always been a part of my diet. The reason it was added to your meals is to have a healthy gut. As a child, I never understood these nutritional nitty-gritties, it is only when I started studying nutrition, I learnt about the benefits of curd.

Curd or Yoghurt as it is called is it same? While most think it’s the same thing, there is a slight difference between these two.

Yoghurt is a diary product that is created by fermenting milk using bacteria called yoghurt cultures. The bacteria ferment the lactose in the milk causing it to produce lactic acid, which gives yoghurt its tangy and acidic taste. The word ‘yogurt’ is derived from the Turkish word    ‘yogurt’ which means “to curdle or coagulated; to thicken”

The curd is another type of dairy product. Curds are made by curdling or coagulating the milk. This can be done by mixing edible acidic substances into the milk, such as lemon juice or vinegar. Introducing this substance to the milk will allow the milk to curdle and separate into two parts. The liquid part is the whey and the milk solids will be the curds. The whey contains the whey proteins of the milk, whereas the curds are the milk proteins or casein

Curd also contains measurable amounts of vitamins A, E and K; thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, folate and vitamin B12. It also contains calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, fluoride and selenium, as well as saturated fats, and oleic acid, which is a monounsaturated fat.

We all know yoghurt is creamy and delicious. But, beyond that what else do we know about the yoghurt?

  • Yoghurt is a great source of high-quality protein, including both casein (80%) and whey (20%). Plain yoghurt made from whole milk contains about 8.5 grams of protein in each cup (245 g).
  • Yoghurt contains a family of trans fats called ruminant trans fats or dairy trans fats. Unlike trans fats found in some processed food products, ruminant trans fats are considered to have beneficial health effects. The most abundant ruminant trans fats in yoghurt are vaccine acid and conjugated linoleic acid or CLA. Yoghurt may contain higher amounts of CLA than milk.
  • Yoghurt contains small amounts of natural milk sugar (lactose). Many branded Yoghurts are also high in added sugar.
  • Yoghurt is an excellent source of several vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin B12, calcium, phosphorus, and riboflavin.
  • Yoghurts with live or active cultures contain probiotic bacteria (probiotics) that may improve digestive health.
  • Regular consumption can prevent aggravation of certain medical conditions namely High BP, IBS and antibiotic-associated diarrhoea.
  • Yoghurt is a rich source of calcium and protein and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

In Hindu worship, Yoghurt is added in Panchamrita. Yoghurt symbolizes strength and prosperity.

Did you know that yoghurt can make your workouts less tiring by reducing the muscular stress?  If yoghurt is consumed on a daily basis, it facilitates the further functioning of the active T-cells (dominant cells responsible for maintaining the immunity of the body). In case of people who follow a regular workout regime, yogurt soothes the muscle stress and post workout recovery is faster and better.

When you make it at home, it’s safe. But, when you buy from the market…. BE AWARE: Yogurt is often marketed as a healthy food. However, the sugar and flavourings added to many yogurts can make them more like junk food.

Reading the label is the first thing you should do when choosing a yogurt. The nutrition facts and ingredients list can tell you a lot about what’s in your yogurt.

How to choose healthy Yogurt –

1. When possible, choose a yogurt without large amounts of added ingredients. Instead, try to choose a yogurt with few ingredients.

2. Although yogurt already contains some natural sugar in the form of lactose (milk sugar), food companies often add large amounts of simple sugars to make yogurt taste sweeter.

3. Probiotics are the friendly bacteria that turn milk into yogurt. Look for yogurt with the “Live and Active Cultures” seal and avoid yogurts that have been pasteurized after production.

yogurt-with-mixed-berries_1339-7892

You can also make your own chia seed yogurt to make plain yogurt less tart. And, as a bonus, you’ll get extra protein, fibre and healthy fats with the chia seeds.

Recipe – It is as easy as mixing 2 cups (473 ml) of yogurt with 1.5–2 tablespoons (22–30 ml) of chia seeds and letting it sit overnight in the fridge. This is the best post workout snack.

Well, you can flavour your cuppa of yoghurt with either fruits, berries, banana, chocolate, mint coriander, mango or cinnamon and cumin spice, granola mix.

Is Greek Yoghurt healthy?

Greek yogurt has almost double the protein of regular yogurt. Unless you’re using the non-fat varieties, Greek yogurt has about three times the saturated fat than regular yoghurt. Greek yogurt contains about half the sodium of regular yogurt. Greek yogurt is also an excellent source of iodine. Greek yogurt contains roughly half the carbohydrates of regular yogurt, so It is definitely healthier and keeps your waist in check.

Let’s enjoy the cup of yoghurt in our next meal.

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Beat the heat with these 6 healthy summertime Coolers

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“It was so hot!! That I had a coke to cool down….

“I just can’t do without chilled juice in this heat “

Yes, we are in the middle of April and it’s getting hotter by the day. As the heat wave increases, we have this constant feeling of being completely sapped out of our energy. This feeling lingers through the day making us lethargic and lazy.

When the temperature soars and sweat pours, we are unable to satisfy ourselves with just chilled water, and want something more? The reason being increased sweating leads to dehydration. Sweating depletes the electrolytes in the body, and hence plain water does not quench our thirst and the body craves rehydration through soft drinks and juices.The downside, however, is that these drinks and juices come with loads of sugar and chemicals.

Having carbonated beverages or powder based refreshment doesn’t actually serve the cause of dehydration. These hardly contain any electrolytes and contain high amounts of sugar, which we need only in a small amount, as glucose does help in carrying the electrolytes into the blood.

Here is the solution!! I have tried to put together a few of my favourite healthy and refreshing drinks, to enjoy all through summer, these beverages are still high in sugars, but do not contain any white sugar, they are made instead with natural and unrefined sugars like jaggery, honey, and naturally sweet fruits.

  1.  Jaggery Lemonade

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Let me start with my all-time favourite, jaggery juice or lemonade made with jaggery

Some will say it’s the same as adding sugar, But NO !! Although the glucose content in both may be similar, jaggery is loaded with antioxidants and minerals like zinc, iron, and selenium. Mixed with water it has a cooling effect on the body in the summers, and also aids in digestion.

Serves 4

25 gm jaggery, crushed

1-inch piece ginger, grated

1 lemon

Water

Soaked Basil seeds (optional)

Soak crushed jaggery, add grated ginger in 4 glasses water, for 2 – 3 hours (I usually keep it in the fridge while soaking, so that it soaks and chills at the same time). After 2 hours, mix and dissolve any lumps of jaggery that might be present. Squeeze juice of a lemon in it, strain the mixture, add soaked basil seeds to have a further cooling effect, and serve.

    2.  Aam Panna (Raw mango cooler)

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Raw Mango is an extremely healthy fruit, a godsend for the summer that is high in Vitamin C, prevents dehydration, sunstroke, reduces body heat, relieves diarrhoea and constipation and activates the liver too.

A traditional recipe, one of my favourites, since summer also brings seasonal raw mangoes with it.

Serves 4 – 6

1 Raw mango

Mint leaves

10 – 15 g of black jaggery.

Water – to dilute.

Boil the raw mango in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Retain the liquid. Peel the raw mango and scoop out all the pulp, discard the seed, and blend the pulp in a mixer with jaggery and mint leaves, strain and mix with the remaining liquid. At this point, the raw mango concentrate can be frozen into cubes and used as per requirement, 2 cubes in a glass of water. Or diluted with chilled water and served immediately.

     3.  Iced Green Tea with Ginger, Mint, and Honey

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We already know how healthy a cup of green tea is, but what if you are not in the mood for anything hot? Let’s just make iced tea with green tea!!

Serves 6 to 8

6 cups water
1/4th  cup ginger, peeled and sliced
3 to 6 bags green tea (depending on how strong you like your tea)
1/2 cup mint leaves, tightly packed, plus extra to serve
1/4th  cup honey
1 lemon, divided

In a medium-sized pot, combine the water and ginger slices. Bring to a boil. Once the water boils, remove from heat and add the tea bags and mint leaves. Cover the pot and steep for about 15 minutes.

Strain the brewed tea; separating the liquid from the mint leaves and tea bags. Mix in the honey and juice from the half lemon into the tea. Transfer to a pitcher and cool at room temperature before refrigerating.

Slice the second half of the lemon. When ready to serve, add 1 to 2 lemon slices into each glass, along with a few mint leaves and ice cubes. Once the tea has cooled, pour it into the glasses and serve.

     4. Muskmelon, Coconut and orange drink.

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Coconut water is a very refreshing drink to beat the torching tropical summer thirst. Its liquid is packed with simple sugars, electrolytes, and minerals to replenish dehydration conditions inside the human body, combine it with a few fresh fruits and you have a designer tropical drink.

Serves 3 -4

2 cups or ½ a muskmelon, cubed

1 orange segmented

1 ½ cups coconut water (1 large tender coconut)

¼ tsp black salt

Mint leaves for garnishing.

Combine all the ingredients in a mixer, and blend until smooth, pour into glasses, and serve immediately garnished with mint leaves. We don’t strain this juice as we would like to have it with all the goodness of its fibres.

  5.   Kokum Juice.

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Another gem to have in your kitchen in the summer, the benefits are endless and better explained here, but, most commercially available kokum syrups are loaded with sugar and preservatives, hence a fresh version would be more beneficial.

Serves 4 – 5

150 gms kokum
4 glasses of cold water
1 pinch salt
2 tsp black salt (pink salt)
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
15 – 20 g jaggery
½ tsp black pepper powder
mint leaves  for garnishing

Soak kokum and jaggery in ½ a glass of hot water for 5 minutes. Blend it with blender, drain & keep aside. Mix all ingredients together in 4 glass of cold water and garnish with fresh mint leaves.

     6.  Fruity lemon fizz

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For all those fizz lovers, don’t worry I haven’t forgotten about you. And YES!!! Fizz can be made healthy too.

Serves 1 – 2

1 Tbsp any mashed fruit (strawberry/peach/kiwi/cucumber/pineapple/sweet melon/watermelon)
2 Tbsp whole sliced fruit
3/4 cup sparkling club soda/sparkling mineral water
¼ cup mineral water

1 Tbsp lemon juice/orange juice
1 lemon slice/orange slice

Mint leaves
honey or stevia if needed.

You will need a good amount of fruit per glass since this will be what flavours your water. Adding frozen fruit can be very helpful because as the frozen fruit melts into the water it easily saturates the water with flavour.  Frozen fruit also chills your beverage nicely. Another trick is to gently mash some of your fresh fruit to release the flavour.
Add your fruit, sweetener (if using), mint leaves, lemon juice and water to your serving glass. Stir/mash briskly and allow it to chill in the fridge until ready to serve, add chilled club soda to the glasses just before serving.

NOTE: I have tried to use natural sugars in my recipes, for diabetics, you can enjoy the same drinks with stevia instead of natural sugars if you are looking for optimum sugar control.

Overdoing anything, even if healthy will do no one good. Hence, the ideal serving size for these drinks would be 1 glass a day. Chilled to perfection!!

So Let’s enjoy every sip of these healthy coolers!!

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Healthy options to add in Milk

saffron-infusing

There is no denying that malt based drinks are a common ‘health food drinks’ in most houses today as has been for a few decades now. There are enticing ads claiming the benefits of these health drinks and how it is nutritious for your growing child. There are ads all over in News Papers, Magazines, TV and even online.

The other day, I was watching one such TV commercial that was promoting a malt based drink. The commercial in its usual enticing style of selling the product mentioned, the malt powder when added to milk – improves the quality of the milk. I kept wondering what is in that powder that helps them improve the nutritive value of Milk.

Out of curiosity to understand more, I went through couple of food labels of malt based milk drinks, I realised that most of these powders have a cereal base (any flour including wheat flour), soy, milk powder, loads of sugar, a flavouring agent like cocoa powder, and some vitamins and minerals.

These ads are so welcoming that most give in and buy the product. And, they don’t come cheap. They cost approximately Rs 300-Rs. 500 per kg. But, do we actually need to spend so much for just a cereal based powder with so much of sugar, colour and preservatives? And do they actually improve the quality of milk? How many of us know if these claims that have been made are true? Are these ‘health’ drinks truly healthy?

The ads claim that these health drinks helps absorb calcium from milk. Well, the truth is sugar hinders absorption of calcium and also depletes phosphorus. And, most of these powders contain loads of sugar.

The most common query I have come across while dealing with children, adolescence and a few adults too is they don’t like plain milk or are worried that whether plain milk would be sufficient. Hence, I have come up with few healthy options that will increase the nutritive value of milk and a few tasty options which make the milk taste better.

Healthy options

    1. Saffron: – Saffron milk is traditional milk in Indian families used only during special occasions, due to the high cost of saffron. The benefits of saffron are just as rich as the spice itself. It prevents cancer, helps in puberty in undernourished girls and helps grow healthy hair and skin. If this milk is had on a daily basis, it develops immunity, it prevents common cold and cough.

    1. Chestnut (Singhara) powder– The Potassium rich Chestnuts not only good for people with high blood pressure and heart patients but, are also very useful for pregnant women. They give a feeling of fullness hence also helps in weight loss. I enjoy adding chestnut powder during summer in my glass of milk as it gives cooling effect and prevents back pain.

    1. Turmeric: – Curcumin rich turmeric milk is one of the oldest and the best grandma’s recipes. It is the best home remedy for cold and cough. One cannot deny the benefits that turmeric milk gives as against antibiotic pills? In the west, Curcumin tablets have become a big craze and people are paying a bomb to buy and consume these tablets. On the other hand in India, turmeric is an integral ingredient in every kitchen. Let’s have yellow milk, to fight infections, body pains or just to feel fresh.

    1. Oats: – This fibre rich cereal is always suggested in my diets for people who just have milk for their breakfast. Adding on oats completes the meals by combining the good quality protein that is present in milk with high fibre carbohydrates. Adding a fruit or dry fruits to oats porridge is like a cherry on cake.

    1. Almonds and Pistachio powder: –Almond Milk (Badamdhoodh), just like saffron,also has traditional value to it. You also find these flavors in the market powders too. However, they come with lot of synthetic flavors. Instead, it takes just a few minutes to powder almonds and pistachios and the full packet of a kilo gets ready for a month’s use. The benefits of these dry fruits are known to most. They benefit people of all age group, from children to old age. The impact of it on brain and memory boosting makes it my favorite family drink.

Tasty options

  1. Dark cocoa: – Those who have been bought up with common chocolate flavoured milk find it a little tough to shift to other flavours. Hence, opting for a dark cocoa powder would be a healthy option. Dark Cocoa has a lot of antioxidants that boost cardio vascular health.

    1. Ragi – This one is my son’s favourite option as he always misunderstands it as chocolate milk. This calcium rich cereal is naturally a little sweet, and gives a perfect chocolate brown colour to the milk. Point to note- Use a small quantity (1 tsp. in 1 cup milk) of this flour as it is a thickening agent and the milk may get lumpy if used in a large quantity. Ragi porridge is a perfect drink for growing kids, pregnant women and elderly.

ragi

    1. Fruit– Milk can be an enjoyable drink at any time by preparing it as a milkshake. Those who find it boring to chew a fruit on daily basis can surely combine it with milk. For weight watchers, combine milk with fruits like watermelon, apple or kiwi whereas weight gainers can go for some high sugar fruits like mango, banana, figs etc.

    1. Dates: – Now this option is for sweet addicts who do not find any other options palatable because of lack of sweetness. They can freely use dates to sweeten their milk. This would be a very healthy post work out meal and filling snacks for young children.

You can also combine 2 options together, for eg:- A fruit/dry fruits and oats or pop in some flax seed powder in your singhara powder.

So if you find these options convenient for your daily milk dose, then dump those so called ‘Health Drink’ powders and “GO ALL NATURAL”.

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