health and lifestyle Archives - Page 2 of 2

February 3, 2023 By Poonam Goyal 1 Comment

Sugar Cravings and How to Curb Them

Do you grab a candy bar to cope with your afternoon slump and then reach for a cola to get out of your post-slump slump? Or have you realized that munching sugary snacks makes you crave for more?

Why Should We Reduce Sugar?

Sugar is called an empty calorie, which means it is a calorie without any nutrients.
Health professionals believe that it is one of the main reasons why it can be so hard to stick to a healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight.
There is a belief that sugar restriction is only for diabetics but the facts are quite different. Excess sugar can lead to coronary heart disease, obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, PCOS, low immunity, cancer, bone issues, etc.
Another effect of excessive sugar intake changes in microbial flora. This can lead to bloating, GI issues, heartburn, etc.

The World Health Organization has recently lowered the recommendation for sugar from 10% to no more than 5% of the total caloric intake. This translates to 4-5 teaspoons a day for a 2000 kcal diet.

You must wonder why we keep talking about excess sugar all the time. This is because sugar is addictive in nature. The more you have, the more you want. The taste of sugar releases endorphins that calm and relax us, offering a natural high.

Causes of sugar cravings

Habitual: Habit can be one of the major causes which are formed deep within our brains
Hard workout: Many people are likely to experience sugar cravings following a workout. As depleted glycogen stores are likely to crave sugar to replenish it.
Your diet is not right: The more you eat these simple sugary things, the more your brain will want them, which can continue the vicious cycle of sugar cravings.
Use of artificial sweetener: The use of these alternative sugars may save on calories but they trick the mind into thinking you ate something that was extremely sweet or far sweeter than sugar. For this reason, the brain will crave for food or beverages that are as sweet as what you had.
Poor sleep quality: The body needs a certain amount of REM and deep sleep as a way to replenish the mind and body. When you have inadequate amount of sleep, the body is susceptible to craving sweets the next day.
Stress: High levels of stress can also cause craving. As stress increases cortisol levels, serotonin, which is a calming and relaxing hormone, is released by sugar.
Meal skipping: Skipping meals can cause you to have sugar cravings due to reduced blood sugar levels.
Boredom: It’s another reason why we end up eating sugar or sugary products.
Sugar is hiding everywhere: Sugar is hiding in many foods you would never think of as sweet from bread to pasta.
Few deficiencies which can cause sugar cravings include:
1. Chromium deficiency can cause intense cravings for sugar.
2. If your body lacks Magnesium, you may have strong cravings for sugar products especially chocolates.
3. Zinc deficiency can result in low insulin levels which may lead to sugar cravings

How to stop sugar Cravings

Give in a little: Eat a bit of what you are craving for. Enjoying a little of what you love can help you steer clear of feeling denied.
Try to combine foods: When you crave for sweets, try combining it with a healthy option. For instance, strawberry dipped in chocolate sauce.
Grab some gum: If you want to avoid giving in to a sugar craving completely try a stick of gum.
Reach for a fruit: Keep fruit handy when a sugar craving hits! Fruits are rich in fibres and nutrients along with some awesome sweetness!
Choose quality over quantity: If you crave for sugar, pick a healthier option but keep it small. For instance, dark chocolate with 70% cocoa.
Eat regularly: Eating meals at regular intervals keeps your blood sugar level stable and help in avoiding irrational eating behavior.
Skip artificial sweeteners: as they tend to increase your cravings
Get support: Stress, depression or anger turns people to eating sweet foods. But food doesn’t solve emotional issues.
Drink a glass of water: Some people say that dehydration can cause sugar cravings
Eat more protein: as proteins increase your satiety level.
Sleep well: It is important for overall health and may help prevent cravings.
Get up and go: When you feel sugar cravings, get up and go for a walk. You can also phone a friend or take a bath to relax.
Avoid certain triggers like places or activities that induce sugar cravings.
Eat more fibers: They help to slow the absorption of the food you eat and also help to curb sugar cravings
Keep and maintain a list of reasons why you want to eat healthy as its hard to remember when you get the cravings.

Few food options to opt for when you get sugar cravings

Fruits: contain sugar along with lots of healthy nutrients
Berries: taste sweet but are high in fibre and low in sugar
Dark Chocolate: swap regular chocolate with dark chocolate
Snack Bars: are made of whole foods and can make a healthy sweet treat
Chia Seeds: are high in soluble fibre so you feel fuller for longer
Cinnamon: because of its sweet taste and it is healthy
Yoghurt: is high in protein and can control appetite and craving
Dates: are very sweet and can fix your cravings
Sweet Potatoes: sweet in taste and give a feeling of fullness
Smoothies: are another healthy nutrient rich option
Prunes: are sweet in taste and good for the stomach
Trail Mix: has the sweetness of dry fruits and nuts with all their benefits

Do Sugar Detox Diets Work?

Sugar Detox Plans urge you to avoid all sweets. That means all fruits, dairy and refined grains. The idea is to purge your system of sugar. Diet changes like this are too drastic to keep up and you will fall back to your old habits. If you make simple changes to your diet, it is easy to keep them up.

Sugar cravings can be a challenging part of your everyday life. When they set in, they can take over your mind in a hurry. Make these small changes which can go a long way and hopefully, they will help you win the battle against your cravings.

We hope this article helps you reduce sugar cravings and make a positive lifestyle change. If this helped, let us know in the comments below. For more on nutrition, click here. If you need help to curb sugar cravings, speak to an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

November 6, 2019 By Dr. Viral Thakkar Leave a Comment

Stroke: A Few Untouched Aspects

Stroke is the sudden death of some brain cells due to lack of oxygen when the blood flow to the brain is lost by blockage or rupture of an artery to the brain. According to the WHO, it is the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disability. Stroke is also a leading cause of dementia and depression. For commonly known causes of stroke, please refer to the article “Stroke: Straight Dive or Pavilion” published earlier. While you might have read a number of reasons which lead to stroke, this article focuses on the importance of emotional health to prevent stroke.

There Are 2 Main Types of Stroke

Hemorrhagic Stroke: is caused by bleeding in the brain due to a weak spot in the wall of the vessel, which can cause an aneurysm (bulging of the vessel wall). The vessels can also be weakened by chronic or very high blood pressure and break from force. When the vessel breaks, blood leaks into surrounding tissue, and the brain doesn’t get the oxygen and nutrients it needs.
Ischemic Stroke: results from blocked arteries, which often occur from cholesterol build-up, called plaque. Plaques on the inside of the vessel can be fragile when blood flows past, causing the plaque to lift. But in the blood vessel, when a plaque lifts-up and the body tries to heal it, like it would scab on your arm, it makes a clot where that plaque lifted up, which blocks blood flow and can lead to ischemic stroke.

The human body is magical. When the mind perceives a threat or stress, the body releases cortisol and adrenaline to cope with it. These hormones impact the homeostasis of the body; the other parameters get deranged and affect the healing processes of the body. Now, if your personality is to take constant stress, cortisol and level of other stress hormones will be high to ensure the body deals with stress. This could cause retention of salt which might increase blood pressure. Stress also causes an increase in blood sugar, which means the vessels can’t dilate or contract to better control blood flow. Increased cortisol is also known to disrupt sleep cycles leading to fatigue.

Anyone Can Be At Risk…

…for many reasons, not just stress. Sometimes, it just how your body responds.

While there is no concrete reason to state that positive emotions, a stress-free life or a balanced psychological state will not lead to stroke. However, there are numerous research studies to indicate that there might be a relationship between negative emotions, stress & stroke. In my practice, I have usually seen stressed people holding negative emotions fall prey to issues like stress, heart ailments, etc. A University of Michigan study found that men who were more physiologically reactive to stress were 72% more likely to suffer a stroke.

Regardless of how your life or your job is, if you feel you are stressed, you most probably are.

If you’re still unsure, ask yourself these questions:

Does your significant other tell you, you seem stressed?
You tend to pick up fights and arguments with your family and co-workers more than normal?
You resort to alcohol, drugs, smoking to alleviate stress?
Do you find less joy in things that normally make you happy?
Do you find it difficult to fall or stay asleep compared to normal?
You don’t like to get up in the morning, especially on days you know you will come across stress causing situations

If the answer to the above is yes, then it’s time for you to work on yourself. Contemplate on the reason, give attention to the little things in life… It is the little things which lead to bigger changes! Some attitude changes like acceptance and forgiveness make a lot of difference!

Quick tip: Whenever you feel stress, start taking deep breaths. Mentally count till 5 & inhale, count another 5 and exhale. Make it as slow and steady as possible. Taking in more oxygen allows more oxygen to be available to the brain tissues. Some research suggests that deep breathing helps to rehabilitate the brain after a stroke. This style of breathing also helps to relax and calm the mind and whole being.

While everyone faces issues in life, it is the ability to cope with it, be in sync with one’s body which determines health!

#BeTheForce

August 21, 2018 By Trupti Hingad Leave a Comment

Tired of traditional Green Tea? Try This!

Green Tea which is native to India and China has been hailed and consumed for its health benefits globally. If you don’t know, this blog might help you to understand the super benefits of Green tea.

https://goqii.com/blog/?s=green+tea

Rather than the benefits of Green Tea, we focus on how to divert away from the traditional ways of consuming Green Tea. You might be tired of taking that warm cup of green tea every day. Don’t worry we have a solution to your problem.

Many of us enjoy coolers instead of hot beverages. Here’s how you can make green tea coolers which are tasty and low calorie. So enjoy the drink guilt-free.

ICED MINT GREEN TEA

ICED MINT TEA

Ingredients:

2 mint flavored Green tea bags

1 cup ice

Method

Brew 2 mint tea bags in 2 1/4 cup boiling water for 4-5min. remove tea bags, let it cool. To serve, pour tea into 2 ice-filled glasses. Garnish with mint leaves.

ICED FRUITY GREEN TEA

ICED FRUITY GREEN TEA

Ingredients:

Green tea bags-2

1/3 cup fruit juice without sugar (peach, plum, mango, strawberry or orange)

1 cup ice

Method: Put 2 green tea bags in 2/3 cup boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and let it cool. Stir 1/3 cup of unsweetened fruit juice. To serve, pour tea juice blend into 2 ice-filled glasses. (You can add jaggery or honey for sweetness)

FRUITY BUBBLE TEA

FRUITY BUBBLE TEA

Same as the above ingredients.

Method: Use green or black tea bags, substitute milk with 1/3 cup fruit juice such as orange, mango or peach. No sugar to be added.

LEMON GINGER TEA COOLER

LEMON GINGER TEA COOLER

Method: Bring 1 cup of water to simmer in a saucepan. Add 1.5tbsp of chopped or peeled fresh ginger. Remove from the flame and let it steep for 20min. Strain the juice into a glass. Add 2tbsp fresh lemon juice and 1tsp sugar or sugar-free. Let it cool. Put 2 green or black tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water for a few minutes. Remove the tea bags and let it chill. To serve, pour the lemon ginger infusion into 2 ice-filled glasses. Top each glass with chilled green tea and garnish with lemon slices.

Serve these healthy coolers to your guests or enjoy in kitty parties, or any occasion. They are a good way to quench your thirst after a hot day under the sun.

Give it a try and tell us if you like it in the comment section.