fruits Archives

April 22, 2020 By Tabassum Parveen Leave a Comment

Healthy & Refreshing Summer Coolers!

Getting out of the house has been a task because of the heat. Venturing out means sweating profusely or being dehydrated due to lack of drinking water at continuous intervals. Want to take some extra precautions to keep your body cool and healthy? Try these healthy and refreshing summer coolers to keep you cool and ward off the heat!

1. Strawberry Pineapple Lemonade

Ingredients:

Strawberry – 2 cup fresh small size
Pineapple – 3 cup slices
Lemon – 1 or ½ cup
Ice – Optional
Honey – ½ cup
Water – 3 ½ cup

Method:

Place the strawberries, pineapple and water in a blender and prepare a puree
Strain the puree to remove seeds
Add lemon juice and honey
Add ice cubes and enjoy the drink

Benefits: This healthy, refreshing summer cooler is loaded with antioxidant properties. It supports the immune system, fights diseases and enhances your skin complexion. Its anti-inflammatory properties will help you deal with arthritis, gout, reduced blood pressure and stroke. Adding lemon will enhance its nutritive value by giving a dose of important vitamins to run body functions normally.

2. Mango, Raspberry & Basil Seed Popsicle

Ingredients:

Mango – 3 cup
Chia Seed – 2 cup
Raspberry – 2 cup
Cinnamon Powder – 1 teaspoon
Brown Sugar – 1 tablespoon

Method:

In a blender, mix the mangoes until it is smooth
Pour it in a bowl and add Chia seeds
Mix well and let it rest in a refrigerator for 30 minutes
In a blender mix raspberries, brown sugar and cinnamon powder until smooth
Let it rest for 5 minutes
In a popsicle mold, pour 1 tablespoon of mango and chia seed mix. Then 1 tablespoon of raspberry mix.
Place in the freezer for at least 2 hrs

Benefits: This Popsicle is one of the best nutrient-rich summer coolers! Mango and Raspberry are packed with nutrients that support the heart, digestion, eye, hair and skin health. Adding Basil Seeds will reduce body heat and boost metabolism. It can relieve constipation and improve the respiratory system.

3. Ginger Cucumber Summer Cooler

Ingredients:

Ginger – ½ Ginger
Cucumber – ½ Cucumber
Lemon – Few drops
Honey – 1 tsp
Water – 1 cup

Method:

Peel and grate the cucumber and Ginger
Blend it well by adding water
Strain it and add Honey and lemon
Decorate the glass with a slice of Cucumber and enjoy the drink

Benefits: Ginger improves digestive health and blood circulation. Along with Lemon, Ginger acts as an antibiotic. The combination of Cucumber, Ginger and Lemon act as a summer thirst quencher and also helps you lose weight by reducing water retention. It also boosts metabolism and keeps you hydrated!

4. Lemon Barley Water

Ingredients:

Barley – 3 cup
Lemon Zest – 2 Lemons
Honey – ½ cup
Water – 3 cup

Method:

Place the barley in a bowl and wash it properly
Place it in a pan and add lemon zest and water
Bring the mixture to boil and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes
Strain the mixture then add honey and stir it well
Let the water cool down, transfer it into bottles and refrigerate until it is chilled
Serve it and enjoy the drink.

Benefits: It is one of the oldest drinks used by ancient Egyptians to cool their bodies during summer. This summer cooler helps maintain body temperature. It also acts as a natural remedy to reduce kidney stones and clear off Urinary Tract Infection. Due to its fiber content, it aids weight loss, improves metabolism and keeps the digestive system healthy.

5. Gur Sherbet (Jaggery and Chia Seed Drink)

Ingredients:

Gur (Jaggery ) – Few pieces
Water – 1 liter or 1 cup
Lemon – 1 or 2 slices
Salt – Optional ( ½ Tea spoon )
Ice – Optional
Chia seeds – 1 or 2 tsp

Method:

Soak chia seeds and jaggery in water for about half an hour or overnight
Add few lemon pieces and serve chilled
Carry this drink to the office or if you are going out to stay hydrated

Benefits: One of the traditional summer coolers to replenish oneself. Jaggery is well known for its iron content. It also boosts immunity and reduces constipation. Adding chia seeds to it enhances this drink’s nutritive content by becoming a good source of fats that protect the heart and improve brain functioning.

Do try these healthy and refreshing summer coolers and let us know about your experience. Do you have recipes of your own? Share them now in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

October 9, 2018 By Navnee Garg 2 Comments

Navratri : Keep it Healthy!!

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India with its varied cultures, festivities abound. We just completed lord Ganesha’s festival and now Navratri, where we welcome Goddess Durga, starts from tomorrow, the 10th of October. With festivities come the problem of eating plenty and eating sweets. This Navratri let’s focus on eating healthy as it will help you detoxify your body and also cleanse your mind, leaving you with a great feeling.

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Here are some healthy tips to relish this season:

Prefer small meals and do not starve yourself. Binge on fruits, nuts and juices whenever you are hungry and try to stay away from the sweets, this will help you maintain the glucose levels in the blood.
Hydration is the key to Detoxification. Drink lots of water and fluids like coconut water, lemon water, juices, green tea and buttermilk.
Indulging in fibrous meals helps to reduce the carbohydrate intake. Combine carbohydrate-rich foods like potato, sabudana (Tapioca Sago) with fibre-rich vegetables such as spinach, capsicum, cabbage, tomato, bottle gourd etc. Also, prefer healthy cooking methods like roasting, grilling or baking over deep frying, this helps in avoiding excess fat/oil consumption.
Protein need not be missed, when Amaranth (Daliya) is in the Navratri Include milk porridge or Namkeen daliya (Salted oats) along with the meals to add protein to your plate.
Kuttu (Buckwheat flour) is an excellent combination of carbohydrates (70-75%) and protein (20-25%). Preferring chapattis over pooris will help to avoid acidity or indigestion.
Samak rice (Barnyard millet) is another energy dense option which can be included in any quantity.
Defeating sugar craving with fruit raita (yoghurt), apple kheer, dates, porridge or Samak rice kheer will keep you guilt free.
Healthy snacking can help you get the required vitamins and minerals. Binging on roasted makhanas (fox nut), mixed roasted nuts, baked chips, and roasted peanuts is always better than consuming the fried Navratri Namkeens which are available in the market.
Substituting sugar with jaggery or honey is also a great option.
Opting for skimmed milk over full crème milk will help keep calories in check.

HEALTHY OPTIONS FOR NAVRATRI:

BREAKFAST	MIDMEAL	LUNCH	TEA BREAK	DINNER
Dalia porridge	Coconut water	Grilled vadas with chutney	Green tea with mixed nuts	Paneer (cheese) tikka with vegetables
Fruits kheer	Lemon water	Kuttu roti, sabzi, raita and salad	Tea with roasted makhanas	Milk and fruits
Fruit shake with nuts	Fruit infused water	Baked sabudana Tikki, raita and veggies	Jasmine Tea	A bowl of vegetable and salad
Samak Rice Kheer	Fruit bowl	Samak rice with curd and veggies	Baked chips/ namkeen	Pumpkin and bottle gourd soup

Always prefer homemade meals and avoid “Vrat Special Thalis” (fasting food plates). It is a good way to avoid unnecessary oil and fatty foods. Have a healthy and fruitful Navratri this season and don’t forget to enjoy Garbha, as this dance form is an excellent cardio session.

We at GOQii wish you all a Happy Navratri.

August 6, 2018 By Anusha Subramanian Leave a Comment

6 Effective DIY Techniques to Clean Pesticides of Fruits & Vegetables

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This is the second blog in the series of Hazardous chemicals in our food products. In today’s blog, we take you through some DIY ( do it on your own) techniques to clean your fruits and vegetables. Read part 1 here: https://goqii.com/blog/invisible-health-hazards-lurking-in-your-kitchen/

Fruits and Vegetables are irreplaceable ingredients of our everyday diet. Apart from the fact that they’re delicious, they are also packed with various nutrients and minerals. The paradox here is that these health powerhouses are coated with various disinfectants and pesticides which are extremely hazardous for health. It’s almost impossible to list the pesticides found in vegetables and fruits as there are over 1000 different varieties which are used to grow crops.

Even though minor amounts of pesticide residue on food doesn’t really pose a great health hazard, you should be careful of what you buy and also where you buy them from. There are many simple and effective ways to remove these toxic chemicals from your food which can be done at home.

Salt Water Wash

Saltwater wash is one of the easiest technique of washing your food. The Saltwater solution will remove most contact pesticides that are present in your food. All you need to do to make the solution is to add 1tbsp sea salt into a bowl which is half filled with water. Hand scrub your fruits and veggies in the solution and ensure to rinse thoroughly before consumption.

Vinegar Soak

Create a solution adding 90% water and 10% white vinegar and let the fruits/vegetables soak in the mixture. Stir your fruits and veggies in the solution and leave them for about 10 minutes, rinse thoroughly with cold water before using. You must be careful while washing fruits with thin skin as the solution might damage their porous outer skin.

Lemon Juice Spray

Lemon juice spray has proven to be a very effective way of removing pesticides from your food. The citric acid in lemon juice not only helps in removing pesticides but also helps in killing the microorganisms on the outer surface. To create the spray, mix 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 2 tbsp of baking soda and 1 cup of water. After making sure that the baking soda is properly dissolved, pour the mixture into a clean spray bottle. Leave the spray on your fruits and veggies for about 5-10 minutes before you rinse it off with water.

Trim the Edges

Many vegetables, mainly the leafy ones like lettuce, cabbage, celery etc tend to have an abundant amount of micro-organisms and pesticide residue on their outer surface. Even though washing them under running water helps remove some of them, chopping the top and outer layers of these veggies will ensure more cleanliness.

Peeling

We are no strangers to peeling, it is one of the most basic methods used in households to discard those harmful microbes and pesticides. Most fruit peels contain many essential nutrients, hence it isn’t always the best way to clean your food but peeling of the outer surface of your food will ensure a cleaner, pesticide-free produce.

Baking Soda Scrub

It is important to know that this method only works with foods which have a hard skin and don’t easily wear off. All this technique requires you to do is sprinkle some baking soda over your eatables and rub them together gently. Ensure to wash them off thoroughly before use.

In our busy daily lives, going an extra mile to clean your eatables is almost deemed impossible but it is important to understand that health is our most prized possession and spending 10 minutes to clean your food properly can avoid many serious diseases and illnesses.

January 25, 2018 By Palak Mittal Leave a Comment

Fat or sugars- which is more harmful

fat vs sugar

You may have heard that carbohydrates can lead to weight gain (and this very statement might cause you to think that sugar is worse) but, you probably have also heard that fat can lead to weight gain (and this statement may force you to think fat is worse). With these two different thoughts in your head, you find yourself hopping from a low-fat diet to a low-carb diet and then back to a low-fat diet.

Well, if you are confused as to which one is worse (Fat or Sugar), you are not the only one. This ‘fat v/s. sugar’ debate has been on for a long time and has created lots of dialogues and articles – none of which however come up with a clear picture.

Here is the truth: While there is actually no good sugar that you can include in your everyday diet, fat can be good or bad (depending on the kind you pick).

Excessive Sugar Equals Fat:

Excessive sugar converts to fat in your body; as you eat something sugary or drink a soda, your body does not use all the energy that is produced by sugar. The extra sugar that you consumed, is stored by your body and eventually, is turned into fats. Therefore, an intake of too much sugar has no nutritional value other than it getting stored in the body and converting to fat. Sugar is present in common snacks like biscuits and cakes, cereals, fruits, aerated drinks, smoothies and ready meals. Limiting the sugar intake should be a priority for you to maintain a healthy body. There are many negatives of a high sugar diet.

High sugar diets can lead to resistance to insulin resulting in diabetes.
The main reason for causing caries in teeth.
Sugar-rich diet raises Low Dietary Lipoprotein (LDL) (bad cholesterol), blood glucose and insulin levels. These are all major risk factors for heart disease.
Sugar is addictive and causes the release of dopamine in the brain. The pleasure sensation that the brain gets when dopamine levels are elevated creates an addiction.
Excess sugar is not used up by the body and is stored as fat for future use. It is a major cause of obesity.
However, fruits contain a small amount of fructose. Humans can easily tolerate the small amounts of fructose found in fruit. Reduce the added table sugar in your diet.

Fat Depends – there are good fats and bad fats:

Fat is considered deleterious to health and the root cause of high cholesterol. However, there are different kinds of dietary fats
Saturated – Animal fats and dairy
Monounsaturated – Olive oil, avocado, ground nuts and
Polyunsaturated – Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats in fish, walnut and flax seeds.
Eating a moderate amount of saturated fats, such those found in butter and meats, coconut oil along with seed oils such as olive and avocado are okay.

Foods with good fats are vital for good health:

Essential for absorption of fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A (vision), Vitamin D (strong bones), Vitamin K (blood clotting), and Vitamin E (healthy skin). These vitamins are vital for brain health.
Saturated fats found in butter and coconut oil play a role in improving immunity. The saturated fats are present in white blood cells and their loss can reduce the ability of white blood cells (WBC’s) to kill germs.
Less fat in the diet can lead to skin becoming dry and chapped.
Fats provide twice the caloric energy as sugars. A fat rich meal helps to keep the body satisfied. A diet rich in walnuts, salmon, olive oil, and butter aids in weight maintenance.
Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats raise the levels of High-density lipoprotein (HDL or good cholesterol) in the blood.

In conclusion, I would say both sugar and fat cause equal damage and cause us serious medical problems and especially when bad fats are combined with sugar in a meal. You need to come up with a diet plan that avoids sugar completely and uses only good fats. Also, avoid processed foods and eat whole natural foods along with regular exercise.