healthy living Archives

October 30, 2020 By Pallavi Barnwal Leave a Comment

How Often Should You Have Sex?

Men often ask me, how much sex should we be having? Can there be a number answer to it? Like thrice a week, once a week, and so on. Sex works for different people in different ways. It’s the classic chicken and egg dilemma. What comes first – happiness or frequent sex? For some people, frequent sex is what makes them happier in the relationship, whereas for others, happiness and the connection is a precondition to feeling desirous of having sex.

It’s Not An Easy Situation.

I know how painful it can be to steer through, how often to have sex. Getting turned down for it, or having to turn your partner down, is hard for couples even in a stable relationship. When the relationship is fragile due to fighting or communication problems, it can be even more problematic.

Throwing out an overly simplistic rule like “have sex thrice a week” doesn’t help matters much. There are three main reasons why I don’t support this thrice-a-week standard:

I’ve seen the stifling effects that these kind of rules and instructions can have on couples. We get bombarded by so many advices about what we’re “supposed” to do when it comes to sex (“be sexy but not too much for her”, “wait for him to initiate”, “try this position, this toy, this technique”, etc). Throwing another arbitrary rule on the table only makes the couple feel more anxiety. It means indirectly that they’re not “normal” or not measuring up and this can cripple the overall morale of the couple.

This general advice overlooks the individual reasons the couple is struggling with their sex life in the first place. The couple may have a power struggle or relationship issues that is manifesting in their bedroom. One partner might be going through biological changes that are affecting their arousal levels. The sex that they’re having may be so unpleasant/monotonous that one partner starts withdrawing. Someone might be carrying scars of past sexual abuse. The possibilities are endless, and each couple needs individualized attention rather than canned one-size-fits-all advice.

I firmly believe that the process of negotiating a sexual relationship that feels authentic, flexible, and connected is one of the most enriching experiences a couple can go through. The opportunities for personal and relational growth are immense.

So there’s no set-in-stone rule for how often couples should have sex. What’s much more important than forcing yourself to sleep together an arbitrary number of times is to find ways to talk about and work on your sex life together.

We hope this article helps you! For more on sexual wellness, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by our sexual wellness expert Pallavi Barnwal on GOQii Play. You can also connect with her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pallavibarnwalcoach

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October 29, 2020 By Priyanka Mangla Leave a Comment

Sprouts As Superfoods During the Pandemic!

During this period of time , when most of us are avoiding crowded markets again and again to purchase fruits and veggies , sprouting of the readily available beans and grains at home has become the best and cheapest way of getting complete nourishment. We have been using sprouts for ages either to recover post illness or to build muscle mass, increase stamina, to combat nutritional deficiencies and so on.

What Can Be Sprouted?

All edible grains, seeds and legumes can be sprouted. These include:

Grains: Wheat, Maize, Ragi , Bajra, and Barley .
Seeds: Alfa-alfa seeds, radish seeds, fenugreek seeds, carrot seeds, coriander seeds, pumpkin seeds, muskmelon seeds, sesame seeds.
Legumes: Mung , Bengal gram, groundnut and peas ( commonly used ) .

Benefits Of Consuming Sprouts

Increase in Nutrition: In the process of sprouting, the vitamins, minerals and proteins increase substantially with the corresponding decrease in the calories and carbohydrate content. There is an infinite increase in vitamin C content.
Good For Pregnant Women: Being high in folate, sprouts are beneficial for pregnant women. Folate is quite essential for fetal development and proper development of brain development of a child.
Ensures Healthy Eyes: As Vitamin A content also gets enhanced by a remarkable percentage, sprouts keep our eyes healthy and protect them from all the Vitamin A deficiency diseases of the eyes such as night blindness. Regular intake even delays the development of cataract due to ageing.
Healthy, Shiny Hair: Being rich in Vitamin C and protein, they ensure strong and healthy hair.
Good Heart Health: Sprouts are high in omega 3 fatty acids which make them heart-friendly.
Easily Digestible: Now the question arises in our minds, the black gram, the mung beans, and some other legumes do produce flatulence… will it be ok for those who suffer from bloating and indigestion to consume these legumes and beans? And the answer is yes! When we are consuming sprouts, they are in pre-digested form – which means they have already been acted upon by enzymes and made easy to digest. In fact, they contain a lot of fiber and water. Hence, they help overcome constipation.

When Can You Eat Them: You may have them as your post-workout meal in the morning, in your evening snacks when you are hungry and while raiding your kitchen for something to munch on.

How To Eat Sprouts: Besides having sprouts alone, you can make it delicious by adding chopped onion, tomatoes, cucumber and squeeze some lemon juice. You may make sprout dosa or pancakes or mixed sprout bhel with puffed rice. You can also try this delicious Sweet Potato Sprouts Tikki and Oats, Sprouts and Vegetable Uttapam. Make sure you are steaming or boiling sprouts in water before eating them. This will not only make them easily absorbable, but will kill any bacterial growth that may have developed during the process of sprouting.

Eating sprouts is the safest and cheapest way to get all the advantages of fruits and vegetables. If you are having them in your breakfast, it’s going to be a perfect power-packed breakfast. No packaged Muesli, instant oats, processed cornflakes, etc. are going to provide this much nutrition.

Please Note: Make sure the dried beans and seeds are of best quality, purchased from a good store where they are kept under good conditions and packaged as “food”. Seeds meant for planting purposes may contain mercury compounds and other toxic chemicals. Avoid purchasing seeds or beans of low quality because these may cause various bacterial infections like salmonella, e-coli infections.

We hope this article helps you! Go on and get your sprouts. Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below! For more on nutrition, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

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October 28, 2020 By Divya Thampi Leave a Comment

Your Mental Health Guide To Work From Home

It wasn’t that long ago that working from home was considered a luxury that only a few could afford. But with the pandemic setting in, working from home (WFH) became the norm. And suddenly it doesn’t feel like all that it was made out to be. To start with, the pandemic forced most people to switch from work-from-office to WFH, irrespective of their preference, and studies show that perceived lack of choice can add to people’s overall sense of unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Secondly, even for those who may have preferred WFH, the suddenness of the change deprived them of the opportunity to plan and prepare for it. In many households, the added responsibility of children being at home, with the schools going online, only added to the chaos.

But Work From Home need not be all distress, challenges and constraints. If we follow the right set of guidelines, it can be a pleasant experience for most even in the current situation. Here is a list of 7 guidelines to change WFH into a boon rather than a bane!

1. Follow a healthy routine

Having a healthy routine is one of the most underrated mental health tools. For the uninitiated, WFH seems to bring out the worst in people. From starting work before even brushing teeth to sleeping with one’s laptop still turned on by their side, there is no dearth of unhealthy routines in people’s lives. This can be disastrous for your mental health.

Follow a well-defined healthy routine. Start with sleeping and waking up at a set time each day, followed with a personal hygiene routine (shower, change), moving on to some stretching or exercise, followed by small rituals (like a cup of tea/ breakfast with family or meditation) to ease into the work day. Begin work at a scheduled time and as far as possible, stop at a pre-decided time. Take short breaks every 30-45 min and make sure that you take proper breaks for your meal.

2. Focus on all the benefits of Work From Home

Changing the way we think about WFH can bring about a significant shift in the way we feel about it. Instead of allowing your thoughts to routinely worry about how you dislike the current situation, deliberately list down and focus on all the opportunities and benefits that the WFH situation presents. From closer proximity to family members through the day or having more chances to invest in learning new skills, to finding more time to focus on your health and relationships, this situation presents a lot of openings to live a more deliberate and meaningful life.

3. Invest in your home office

Do not under any circumstances work from your bed and avoid working from that favorite couch you like to lounge on. It was okay to do so when you were doing that odd hour of Work From Home, on the weekends, but it is not going to fly when you are working from home every day. A separate work room that can shut out distractions while you focus on work, would be ideal. But if that is not possible, designate a particular corner or side of the room from which you will be working. Invest in a worktable (you could also opt for a second hand or inexpensive but sturdy collapsible table) and a chair that supports your back well. Your posture and physical comfort while working makes a big difference to how you feel about the work you do and how energized you feel through the day.

4. Get physically active

Your physical health and mental health are intricately linked. When you are involved in physical exercise, not only does that make you physically stronger but also stimulates the production of endorphins – chemicals in the brain that act as mood elevators and painkillers. Physical activity also reduces stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. So, whether it is practicing yoga or shaking a leg to Zumba or going for the good old brisk walk, make sure to add a dose of physical exercise to every single day.

5. Connect with nature

Spending more time in green spaces and/or bringing nature into your everyday life, whether it is by growing plants or exercising outdoors or being around animals, is known to benefit mental as well as physical health. It helps reduce stress, increase relaxation, boost self-esteem and improve your mood. For city dwellers, having tea in the balcony each day or taking a walk in the open air (even within the building complex) could be ways to make interaction with nature a part of your daily routine.

6. Take Digital breaks

Technology has saved the day by making many things possible in today’s world. And yet, we all know that excessive screen use can disrupt the delicate balance of our body and mind. Consciously take breaks from screen for at least 1-2 hours during the waking hours. It could be for some time soon after waking up and during your meal times or an hour before hitting the bed and your time with family or exercise time.

7. Socialise and nurture harmonious interactions

We humans have a strong need to feel emotionally connected with others, irrespective of our gender, class or age. While following the physical distancing rules, make sure that you have relaxing chats with friends, family or even colleagues on a regular basis; chats that go beyond the transactional interactions. Regular audio or video calls with close friends or a sibling or a grown-up child, who resides in a different city or engaging in planned catch up sessions with friends can help fulfil the much-needed connection.

Allow yourself to be more relaxed in your interaction with colleagues. Setting the intention to not get upset with unplanned events & unpleasant interactions, at the start of each day, can set you up for success and making a choice to pause and breathe deeply each time you notice feeling stressed, can do wonders for your mental well-being.

We hope this article helps you! For more on maintaining good health during Work From Home, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

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October 27, 2020 By Aruna Bhatia Leave a Comment

Quinoa vs Rice: A Head-to-Head Comparison

We’ve been consuming rice for as long as we can remember. Rice is a cereal grain whereas quinoa is a seed grain. Off late, a lot of people have been replacing rice with quinoa for what they assume are added health benefits. Is there a reason? Which one is better in this quinoa vs rice debate? Let’s compare!

Quinoa vs Rice: The Facts

Carbohydrates: are essential for fueling our body and its functions. Both rice and quinoa provide us with complex gluten-free carbohydrates, but eating white rice will raise the blood sugar levels faster than quinoa due to the difference in fiber content. Higher fiber content in quinoa is also helpful for weight loss as it helps one feel fuller for a longer time.
Protein: are the building blocks of our muscles and equally important for our metabolism. Proteins are chains of amino acids out of which the nine essential amino acids are present in quinoa. Whereas rice is low in lysine and has an incomplete protein profile. Quinoa has in all 12 amino acids which make it a hit in consumer demand.
Antioxidants: While rice mainly has starchy endosperm, the removal of its bran strips it off its fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Quinoa on other hand is a good source of antioxidants and sprouting increases its antioxidant levels even further.

Both quinoa and white rice are easy to cook and versatile in nature. Both can be easily included in various Indian recipes, but taste wise, rice is more plain and subtle while quinoa is mild. White rice wins over easy availability. Although, Indian farmers have started cultivating quinoa now, rice will always have a place in all Indian households.

To summarize the quinoa vs rice comparison, we can say that while rice might still be a favorite in many parts of India, it doesn’t match the nutritional profile of quinoa.

We hope this article helps you make a sound choice between quinoa and rice. Which one would you pick? Let us know in the comments below! For more on nutrition and grains, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to live sessions by nutrition experts on GOQii Play.

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