gut health Archives

December 25, 2021 By Luke Coutinho 2 Comments

Holiday Health Tip: It’s All In The Chew!

It’s precisely between this week and January 1st when people tend to put on most of their weight. There are two reasons for this – The crazy festive season filled with weddings and parties and then Christmas, New Year Eve and the fact that people tend to let loose during this time, with the justification that they will start anew with ‘healthy new year resolutions’ from January onwards.

What if I told you that you could enjoy this season and it would not impact your weight?

What if I told you that snacking on a cookie or dessert here or there would not impact your weight goals?

What if I told you that you could eat rice, roti, bread at lunch and dinner, and it would not impact your weight or health?

What if you could enjoy this festive season, have loads of fun, eat your favorite foods and still maintain your health and weight?

The human body is a miracle and we are living examples of this miracle. The way our brain and body functions, blood flow, smell, feelings, emotions, the ability to recover from the deadliest of diseases and the ability of our cells to heal and repair. Every day, trillions of cells in our body work non-stop to fight out germs and bacteria all around us, which if infects us, we could fall very sick and even die. That miracle is called ‘ immunity’.

Our stomach produces sufficient acid to melt down a razor blade. Such is the power of our digestive system. So what’s an ice- cream or a chocolate bar or a cookie going to do when it finds its way into our stomachs? Our body is made to digest the hardest of foods. Red meat is tough to digest but the body will break it down. Vegetarians don’t escape either. Cellulose in vegetables are extremely difficult to break down, but the body breaks it down eventually (this is one reason that vegetarians suffer from more flatulence than non vegetarians).

The body can break down meats and vegetables and desserts as well! The secret lies in the ‘chew’. The reason food tastes so good is because you’re supposed to enjoy it—slow down and savor it, not just get it to your stomach as quickly as possible.

How Does Chewing Thoroughly Help?

Chewing your food thoroughly is actually the first step in the complex process of digestion, and if you glaze over it, just chewing the minimum amount of times necessary to get the food down your esophagus, you’re actually compromising this process. And that’s the mistake many people make.

We have teeth not just to smile for a pretty picture but the primary function of teeth is to tear down and break up food into small bits. Saliva mixes with these small bits, further softening them, and guess what?

Let me get down to some basics!

Why Should You Chew Your Food Thoroughly?

When you chew, more saliva gets produced and your saliva contains enzymes that break down FATS and CARBS. Yes!!! Digestion starts in the MOUTH! By the time your food reaches your stomach, it’s already processed by enzymes and your stomach has no issues in completing the assimilation/digestion process.

You feel light
You feel full for a longer period of time.
You do away with flatulence, gas, indigestion and burping.
You learn to savor and enjoy the taste of your food.
Your body absorbs all the goodness of your food (vitamins, minerals) better.
You eat exactly how much your body needs, to maintain or arrive at a healthy weight

Imagine all the times you gobble down your food. You have undigested chunks sitting in your stomach, giving rise to gas, discomfort and chances are that most of your food gets converted to fat.

Chew your food. Enjoy a dessert but eat it slow, savor it and over time, you will learn not to abuse it. The more you chew your food, the cleaner you keep your intestines, stomach and colon because the body can quickly cleanse itself when digestion happens the right way. Say bye to constipation, fatigue and migraines/headaches.

Try This Exercise Today!

The next meal, eat it really slow. Take a spoon of food, chew it several times, savor the flavor and taste, and then swallow. Put your spoon down. Then take the next.

You will find yourself getting fuller quickly and then, you should stop eating. This way you save on calories you intake and over time, this will become a habit and you will serve yourself less food. Less food equals less calories, better health, longer life and a healthy weight.

Take 1 serving spoon less at every meal, chew and eat your food. You will find that it is enough and all these save spoons of food which add up to a lot of calories saved. You will lose fat and you will feel healthier.

Diseases are caused in most cases by overeating and we always think how much we eat is enough, but it may not be correct if you have been eating your meals fast. Chew your food and you will never have to diet. Your meal time is more important that your work, respect it. That’s your personal time between you and your body, where you feed and nourish it to keep you healthy and strong to do your work and live well.

This is a lifestyle change and if you master it! With it, you can enjoy all the foods you like in moderation.

We hope this article helps you make that lifestyle change. For more tips like this, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

September 9, 2021 By Shaeba Shaikh 2 Comments

5 Tips To Maintain A Healthy Gut This Monsoon

Maintain a healthy gut

The fresh, dewy weather, the chirping birds and the amazing smell of wet mud! The rainy season has its own charm but along with it, it also brings a host of diseases and infections. One such being a compromised Gut! The symptoms of a compromised gut may include an upset stomach, acidity, bloatedness, flatulence, gas, etc. making it crucial to maintain a healthy gut during this season.

How Can You Maintain A Healthy Gut?

Here are 5 simple yet effective ways in which you can maintain a healthy gut:

Adding Ginger/Garlic: These are the most commonly used herbs in our households and they provide us with an array of benefits. Raw Ginger/Garlic acts as a Prebiotic (food) for friendly gut bacteria, thereby improving gut health. Gingerol and Allicin present in them respectively, are found to have antibacterial and antifungal properties which keep infections at bay. Adding fresh herbs to your food/soups or drinking a warm cup of Ginger tea will be a great way to improve gut health.
Eat Cooked Foods Over Raw Foods: Cooking has a bacterio-cidal (Bacteria killing) effect on the food prepared. Humidity provides a conducive environment for bacterial and fungal growth. Raw foods can be a host for bacterial growth. Hence, cooking foods rather than consuming them raw is a better alternative. Eg: Having a veg soup over a raw veg salad will be a better alternative.
Eating Fermented Foods: Probiotics are the beneficial gut bacteria which work as the first line of defense against any infection. They also synthesize Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA) and Vitamin K in the body, thereby giving energy. Adding Idlis, dosas, homemade curds, Khimchi, Kefir, etc. to your diet will improve the number of probiotics and thereby improve gut health.
Consuming Fruits/Vegetables Immediately After Cutting: If vegetables or fruits are cut and left exposed to air, it can attract flies or insects which can infest the food. If this food is consumed, it can cause infections and affect gut health. Hence, eat the fruit/vegetable immediately after cutting/chopping it, or cover it if you wish to consume it later.
Eating Foods Which Are Light: Foods such as rice, dal, legumes, soups, vegetables, fruits, Khichdi, etc. are lighter on the stomach and are easily digested and absorbed as opposed to the tempting fried Pakoras, vada pav, etc. which can cause bloatedness, acidity and/or flatulence.

Do keep these tips in mind and maintain a healthy gut for a healthy you! Did these tips help? Want to know more? Check out Healthy Reads or you can ask your GOQii Coach directly by subscribing for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

August 12, 2021 By Soni Thakur 4 Comments

How To Boost Metabolism & It’s Importance

You’ve heard the word “metabolism” or the phrase “boost metabolism” a lot either in general conversation about health or by a GOQii coach but have you thought about why it is so important? Metabolism is the sum of chemical and physical reactions in our body or the amount of energy or calories our body burns to maintain vital functions. Raise your hand if you know it is important for weight loss but did you know that it has other functions as well?

Why Is It Important to Boost Metabolism?

It works in 2 processes i.e. catabolism and anabolism which are the buildup and breakdown of substances, whether it is digestion of food or the elimination of food, if these two processes are disrupted by any means then you can imagine what health issues we might face.
The better your metabolism, the more calories your body will burn and it will be easier to drop pounds.
It is important for the biochemical process of combining nutrients with oxygen to release the energy the body needs to function.
There are certain metabolic diseases and disorders like diabetes, thyroid (hypo/hyper), phenylketonuria (PKU), etc. that can be caused when the metabolism fails or decreases/increases than the body’s requirement. Although reason for these metabolic disorders is not just one but it is the reason and these are complex, but who wants to experience the pain of not losing weight, being obese or struggling daily with any other big or small issue caused due to the ups and downs of metabolism.

How Can We Boost It?

Let’s understand certain ways in which we can boost metabolism

Protein: Eating more protein can boost metabolism to burn more calories.
Mixing up certain exercises: can help us burn more fat by increasing metabolic rate.
Water: If your body is dehydrated, then your metabolism may slow down as your body needs water to process calories.
Eating small, frequent meals: like a small snack every 3-4 hours keeps your metabolism going.
Adding spices: like green/red chilies, pepper, garam masala, etc. have natural chemicals that can kick your metabolism into a higher gear.
Recharge with organic green tea: Research suggests that drinking 2-3 cups of green tea may push the body to burn 17% more calories during moderate intensity workouts.
Eat enough calories: Eating less calories than our body’s requirement may give us quick results but this can cause your metabolism to slow down and that in turn, can make you gain more weight and create imbalance issues.
Get plenty of sleep: Sleep disruptions or not getting adequate sleep has been known to have harmful effects on our metabolism.
Manage stress: It has been seen that when we are continuously under stressful conditions, our body releases cortisol (stress hormone) which in turn affects our metabolism.
Keep a check on B vitamins: as they play an essential role in the metabolic rate. So, make sure to meet your body’s requirement of B vitamins by including foods like eggs, bananas, orange juice, peas, spinach, whole grains, baked potatoes, etc.

All these points might sound difficult, but trust me we can make it happen with just small changes in our diet and lifestyle. It does not require inclusion of any costly, fancy food products. We hope this article helps you boost metabolism and make a positive lifestyle change. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below!

For more on metabolism, gut health and digestion, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

Get these tips directly from your GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

December 8, 2020 By Neha Sharma 1 Comment

12 Amazing Home Remedies To Reduce Acidity

Acidity can literally be a pain to deal with but before we move on to home remedies to reduce acidity, it’s important to know its origin, symptoms and causes. Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) is produced in the stomach to digest food and it plays an important role in digestion but sometimes, HCL is produced when there is no food inside the stomach and it leads to the eruption of the lining of the stomach, giving rise to acidity.

Sometimes, the acid finds its way to the esophagus and you experience inflammation and a burning sensation in the food pipe. This needs to be treated as soon as possible as it may lead to ulcers. Meal timings, physical activity, proper sleep, no stress, less consumption of tea or coffee, moderate intake of alcohol and modification in cooking are some of the key points which help keep acid under permissible limits.

Simple and Effective Home Remedies to Reduce Acidity

Let’s look at some simple but amazing home remedies to reduce acidity which can be easily included in your daily routine:

Basil Leaves: are easily available. One can chew a few leaves of basil or can have basil tea as its calming and soothing properties help reduce acidity.
Fennel Seeds: can be chewed after meals to increase the rate of digestion and they help in reducing acidity. Fennel tea can be taken 1-2 times a day or it can be infused with water and taken on an empty stomach to curb acidity from morning itself.
Buttermilk and Curd: are always considered important for digestion and lactic acid present in them normalizes the acidity in the stomach. You can also add roasted cumin powder, a pinch of black pepper and a few leaves of mint & coriander to ease digestion.
Ginger: Grated Ginger can be boiled with water and that water can be taken the whole day or before and after meals to increase the rate of digestion. Ginger tea with honey can be taken without milk to reduce acidity.
Banana: gives instant relief from acidity. It can be taken during morning or mid morning and can also be combined with curd.
Ajwain: Ajwain water can be taken on an empty stomach (1 tsp of ajwain can be soaked in a glass of water overnight) or ½ tsp of ajwain with a pinch of black salt can be taken after meals to ease digestion.
Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp of cumin seeds can be soaked overnight in a glass of water or can be boiled in water and its water can be taken after meals to increase the rate of digestion.
Cold Milk: gives instant relief from acidity and one can have a cup of cold milk to neutralize gastric acids in the stomach. For those who are lactose intolerant, other options should be taken into consideration.
Cardamom: Chewing 1 cardamom pod after meals prevents acidity, flatulence and aids in digestion.
Coconut Water: turns the pH of the stomach alkaline and thereby prevents acidity and the lining of the stomach from getting ruptured.
Aloe Vera: Always go for fresh aloe vera! Mix the pulp with some water and have it 2-3 times a day. Otherwise, you have to go for organic aloe vera juice.
Lemon Juice: Have some lemon juice in lukewarm water on an empty stomach the first thing in the morning. It helps a lot in reducing acidity.

These are a few home remedies which you can use to reduce acidity. Last but not the least, positive lifestyle modifications also go a long way. Before you switch to any of these foods, consult your doctor, coach, nutritionist or dietitian.

We hope this article helps you. Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more on acidity, digestion, nutrition and other lifestyle issues, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

#BeTheForce