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7 Foods To Avoid If You Have Asthma

Asthma

Asthma is an ancient Greek word which means “short drawn breath”. It can be quite troublesome as it causes chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. Patients suffering from asthma have more trouble exhaling carbon dioxide than inhaling oxygen because the air passages of the small bronchi become clogged, making it difficult to breathe. Most asthma patients face more difficulty breathing during the night time. 

Modern medicine has not been able to find a cure for this troublesome respiratory disease. Drugs and vaccines help in reducing symptoms and provide temporary relief. Allergy is a major cause of asthma, but it can be managed with a  proper diet and lifestyle, such as eating foods which are easy to digest and adapting lifestyle methods such as yogic kriya – which helps in proper assimilation of food, strengthening of lungs, digestive and circulatory system. 

Which Foods Should You Avoid If You Have Asthma? 

While there are foods which can help you alleviate the symptoms of asthma, here are some which you must avoid at any cost. 

  1. Sugar: Sweet carbonated drinks, candies, cakes, biscuits, and all the foods which are rich in sugar increase coughing and wheezing in children. Sugar attacks the immune system of the airway, causing narrowing of airways and mucous production. Instead of sweets, include jaggery and coconut sugar.
  2. Junk Foods: Foods like burgers, pizza, red meats, fries, etc., which are loved by a large part of the population, worsens asthma symptoms. These foods make one overweight, and the lungs have to work harder, making it difficult to breathe. Include simple, homemade foods instead of junk foods
  3. Alcohol: Sulphites, one of the allergens present in many alcoholic beverages, worsen asthma symptoms. It increases wheezing and breathing difficulty. Include more natural beverages like lemon water and coconut water instead of beer and wine.
  4. Beans: Beans cause gas in our body, putting pressure on the diaphragm and increasing acid reflux. It is better to avoid beans and other foods like cabbage, onion and garlic which are gas forming.
  5. Tea and Coffee: Another allergen, Salicylates, is found in tea and coffee. Though it is rare, some asthmatic patients are allergic to salicylates and find difficulty in breathing. As an alternative, you can include herbal teas like chamomile tea and passionflower tea instead of regular tea and coffee.
  6. Shrimp: Shrimp contains sulphites, which is an allergen. Yes, SULPHITES again! It can worsen asthma symptoms.
  7. Salt: Salt is one of the worst foods for asthma. It can tighten the airways, cause inflammation, and fluid retention, making it a very serious lung complication. Include natural flavouring ingredients like cumin, turmeric and chilli flakes instead of salt. 

We hope this article helps you understand which foods to avoid if you have asthma. By making mindful dietary choices, you can better manage your asthma symptoms and improve your overall well-being. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below.

#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.

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Healthy Weight Gain Tips

Weight Gain

We’ve heard one too many instances of people having great success with weight loss! In fact, every time I visit the gym, I come across many such success stories. However, I can’t help this sinking feeling that the real strugglers are the ones who want to gain weight and build muscles.

Are you one of them? Ever wondered what you’re doing wrong despite indulging in healthy food, doing every possible workout, and trying to increase your appetite? Let’s see how you can gain healthy weight. But before that…

Let’s See What You’re Doing Wrong

1. Protein: Gym trainers and dieticians often suggest including more protein, some in the form of powders and others suggest natural sources such as eggs, Sattu, curd, cottage cheese, and the likes. However, calculating the right amount of protein required is often missed. One requires around 1.25g/kg ideal body weight proteins to build up muscles. For example, if you are 60kg, then the required amount of protein required by you on a daily basis to build muscles is 75g.

If you aren’t having enough or the required amount of protein, you will not see a difference. Hence, take some time out and consult professionals who can help you calculate. To gain healthy weight and build muscles, you also need to watch your carbs, antioxidants, and workouts.

2. Carbohydrates: I’ve noticed this as a trend. Most people place so much emphasis on proteins that they forget about carbs. Did you know that if approximately 60% of your diet isn’t from carbohydrate sources, your body will utilize protein to supply energy? Which means your body will not have enough proteins for tissue building.

3. Antioxidants: Fruits and salads are often flawed to be used as a weight-loss diet. Vegetables and fruits are the best source of antioxidants that help in tissue repairs, prevent injuries and inflammation. So, include vegetables and fruits with Selenium, Zinc, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E in your diet on a daily basis.

4. Workout: Your workout should focus more on strength training; however, ensure that you still do some cardio. Cardio will help your heart and lungs function better, which in turn will prevent you from falling ill during your program.

Foods That Help in Healthy Weight Gain and Muscle Building

  • Dates: They are loaded with iron, natural sugar and antioxidants. Eat 4-5 dates before your workout as dates provide you with instant energy and prevent muscle damage.
  • Sweet Nuts or Pulse balls (Chikkis): This is a sweet dish made up of pulses, nuts or seeds. It is nothing but roasted whole gram, peanuts or sesame seeds and jaggery. It’s a perfect combination of proteins and carbohydrates. Munching on them as mid-meal snacks work as an energy booster.
  • Nut Shakes: A big serving of dry fruits is difficult to consume at a time, but having them in a powdered form with milk will supply your body with good amounts of protein.
  • Fruit Smoothie: Eating fruits with curd will help add some antioxidants to your protein dose. This is probably the tastiest and most delicious way to consume fruits!
  • Combination of Cereals and Pulses: Just eating a pulse at a time will really not help as it doesn’t provide us with good quality proteins. But, when combined with a cereal, it will provide the benefits of both protein and carbohydrates. Options like Dal Paratha (Pulse Flat Breads), Puranpoli (Sweet Jaggery Flat Breads), Khichdi (mix of pulses, rice and vegetables cooked together), and Idli (steamed rice pan cakes) should be considered.
  • Adding Vegetables to Meat: Eating a separate serving of vegetable becomes difficult. The meal size may exceed if we have 1 serving of vegetable for vitamins & minerals and 1 serving of non-veg preparation for proteins. The best option in my opinion is to combine a non-vegetarian source with vegetables. For instance, Spinach (Palak) Chicken, Tomato Omelet, and Capsicum Stuffed with Mince.
  • Peanut Butter: People often go overboard with regular butter and get major changes in lipid profile but no change in weight. Ideally, one should apply peanut butter on their bread slices for the right fats and protein combination.

The key rule for healthy weight gain is to go for nutrient-dense meals. These healthy compact meals do not require an extreme appetite boost. Focus on healthy weight gain and be patient while you are in a weight gain program as it’s easy to cut on fats but takes time to add on muscles. Remember, it took 9 months to give you around 3kg of weight at birth. Stay at it and be patient.

We hope this article helps you! For more, check out Healthy Reads or you can speak to a GOQii Coach directly for expert guidance and motivation. Subscribe for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

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What’s More Important For Good Health: Sleep or Exercise?

sleep or exercise

Have you found yourself in a predicament where you stayed up too late, got only a few hours of sleep, woke up groggy and went half asleep to the gym? But what is actually good for you – is it sleep or exercise? Both, actually! Sleep and exercise are key components of a healthy lifestyle. You can’t choose between sleep or exercise, as you need both. Slacking on either one of them can affect the other.

What Happens When You Sleep Late and Wake Up Early?

Due to minimal sleep, your circadian rhythms shifts. This means you’re “exercising during your biological night” when you should still be sleeping and that’s counterproductive. Your muscle cells, which also have circadian rhythms, recover and perform better during your body’s biological daytime than they do during the biological night.

Obviously, working out when your whole body is awake is crucial when it comes to your muscles and getting a proper amount of sleep also helps prevent injuries during exercises. In fact, a lack of sleep can weaken your immune system (which prevents you from working out) and can also lead to weight gain and health issues like cardiovascular disease and diabetes, i.e. precisely what exercise aims to prevent. But on the flipside, regular exercise promotes more restful sleep. So, working out at the right time can actually bank you some quality shut-eye rather than curb it.

How To Sleep Better For Better Exercise?

Whether you need to set an earlier bedtime or find a different window for working out, make sure you’re not putting yourself in the position to decide between these two titan pillars of wellness. Consider revolutionizing your to-do-list routine in a way that makes you happier to achieve these goals.

Stay away from heavy and oily foods before bed for better sleep. Also, keep away from electronics an hour before you go to bed as the back-light from your cellphones can affect your sleep. Try to be as comfortable as possible, which means wear loose clothing and keep yourself warm.

Try these tips to sleep better. In fact, you can also try breathing exercises to help you get better sleep: Click here to know more.

We hope this article has helped you and you don’t need to choose between sleep or exercise! To get more information like this from certified experts, subscribe for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

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What I Learned About Bringing A Real Change In Self

It wasn’t long ago that two of us friends visited a common friend and her family. As we all got chatting on a particularly interesting topic, I grew excited and participated enthusiastically. Everyone seemed to have a good time and I went back in good spirits pondering about some of the things we spoke about.

A few weeks later the friend who had accompanied me for the visit, gently pointed out to me that I had dominated the conversation that evening; chiming in more often than was necessary, cutting off others in my enthusiasm. As he shared his observation, I could feel the blood rushing to my head. Every cell in my body demanded that I put this friend in his place by giving free reign to the hurtful words that awaited their release from the tip of my tongue.

All through the din of my internal battle drums, a very quiet voice from somewhere close to my heart, stopped me. It calmly pointed out that may be this friend was not so completely wrong. But I still hadn’t reached a place of unconditional self-acceptance so as to receive such feedback with grace and gratitude. I was foaming at the mouth instead.

Just about managing to hold back the venom that was ready to spew through my words, I sat through the next 5 minutes in stoic silence letting my loving friend squirm in discomfort, though he deserved better for his courage and honesty. With the passing of minutes I managed to calm down sufficiently to be decent to him. We even managed to finish our coffee and share a few smiles before going off our different ways.

That evening I sat with my journal painfully writing down an honest account of what had happened on that particular evening — the evening of the get-together, when I was supposed to have been behaving like a self-centred loud mouth. As I sifted through the scenes, it became clear that my friend had been spot on in his feedback.

As all of us had engaged in discussing and debating on an interesting topic, I had kept pushing my point of view, expressing my thoughts and increasing my volume just a wee bit, enough to suppress any attempts by others to oppose me, not pausing for breath; almost as if I was scared that if I paused someone may take my place as the Prima donna.

I remembered observing and ignoring fleeting expressions of frustration and impatience on the listeners faces, as they experienced themselves being cut off half way through their sentences. I recalled the grace with which they chose to listen to me rather than express their irritation. I even remember having the nagging feeling that I should stop, slow down, pause and let others participate, but something kept egging me on. This “something” is what I was scared to confront. Because according to my judgment this “something” — the need to feel important, made me a pathetic person.

I felt embarrassment and anger course through me — Embarrassment about my appalling behaviour and anger towards myself for not doing better. After a few hours of internal battle, I came out relatively unscathed, resolving to work on changing my behaviour. I am glad to say that I have made progress since then.

As I looked back on that evening of introspection and asked – why was the experience so painful? What was it that helped me come out a better person, through it? This is what I learnt.

I had experienced shame and anger at the beginning because I had been judgmental about myself, telling myself that I was expected to be thoughtful and considerate at all times. Effectively I was holding myself up to standards that I may never be able to live up to — of not making mistakes. However after calming down with a few deep breaths, I had told myself what I tell many of my clients, who are trying to bring about change in themselves — You are more than your words and actions; acknowledging a flaw in a behaviour does not imply that you are a bad person. I had practiced with great difficulty what I preach to my clients — self-compassion and self-love.

I had held myself lovingly through the pain of knowing that in those moments I must have behaved like a selfish inconsiderate idiot, but had also assured myself that I still wasn’t any of that; that it was a behaviour demonstrated in a moment of ignorance and poor judgment; that I was capable of bringing about change. I had reminded myself that pain is the strongest indicator of growth.

Self-compassion and self-love had saved the day. And I will admit that it is not always easy to practice these. I had help — help in the form of all those friends and family who, in my life journey, not only showed me compassion but also let me know that I was loved, through my moments of weakness and strength; help in the form of those masters and authors who made themselves the instrument of change and generously laid out their life experiments for others like me, to learn from; help in the form of clients who dug deep into their being, to come up with the courage to care for themselves despite their flaws. I was grateful to them for allowing me to witness the transformation they brought in themselves with such love, for instilling in me the confidence that true personal growth needs a mix of honesty, courage, love and self-compassion and for giving me the inspiration to grow.

As I write this I wish and hope that more of us can practice self-compassion and self-love because we need it, we deserve it and because I am convinced that the only way we can bring about substantial change and growth in ourselves, is through love and compassion.

#BeTheForce 

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

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