Neha Morche Archives

April 17, 2018 By Neha Morche 3 Comments

Beat the Heat with cool drinks

Its summer and the heat have already started to sap us out. The heat starts creeping in, finding its way to draw fluids from our body cells as we sweat while playing, travelling or even just sitting around in the sun. Keeping the body hydrated helps the heart pump blood easily through the blood vessels to the muscles. Hence, the muscles work efficiently.

Dehydration can be a serious condition that can lead to problems ranging from swollen feet, lack of concentration, lethargy, headache to heat stroke.

Let’s beat the heat by ensuring optimum hydration through adequate water intake throughout the day and grabbing some hydrators like:* Coconut water This has natural electrolytes to replenish lost minerals in perspiration

* Buttermilk it is a blend of curd with water and dash of Cumin powder, asafoetida, coriander leaves, rock salt, ginger all of which aid in improving digestion.

* Lemon water/Lemonade: Lemon a citrus fruit has a good amount of vitamin C, it turns our body alkaline.

* Jaljeera water: It a mixture of rock salt, cumin powder and is known to reduce indigestions.

* Soya milk Flavoured/plain soya milk as it provides a good amount of proteins apart from hydrating the body.

* Berry/seasonal fruit sorbet: Blending any berry like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries (which has a lot of antioxidants to increase immunity) with ice is good.

* Mint Mojito: blend of water + mint leaves and few drops of lemon for flavour. Mint leaves are extremely good body coolant.

* Green tea lemonade: a bunch of antioxidants and vitamin C from lemon to increase immunity.

* Peach ginger ice tea: Mash 6 canned peach halves with 1 and 1/2 cups of the juice, raw honey and 1 tablespoon grated ginger in a pitcher. This aids in good digestion.

* Peanut butter frappe: A glass of cold milk blended with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. In summer our food intake drops down drastically, apart from hydration this drink also provides a good amount of proteins and required fats.

* Honeydew ice: 1 cup each frozen honeydew melon and frozen diced cucumber with the juice of 1 lime and some raw honey.

* Any fruit or dry fruit milkshakes. (which will be a good substitute for evening snack)

* Subja (chia seeds) soaked overnight in water is a natural coolant, it can be had with milk

* Vegetable juice ( leafy vegetables/beets/cucumber) + citrus fruits + ginger + garlic + lemon

* Solkadi (a blend of coconut milk+kokum+ginger+corriander leaves) known for reducing acidity and is a body coolant.

* Kokum Sharbat: Kokum extract (after soaking in water) blended it with water, Cumin seed powder and rock salt. Kokum is again known for reducing acidity

* Aam (Mango) Pannah is raw mango drink mostly available in Maharashtra region of India. It has heat resistant properties. It is also rich in Vitamin B1, B2, niacin and vitamin C.

* Aloe Vera juice: This is natural coolant. It is available in the market in a concentrated form. It needs to be mixed with water. It has anti-bacterial, antifungal properties too.

* Bottle guard + 1 cup of black basil ( mint optional) is an excellent cooling agent.

August 6, 2015 By Neha Morche Leave a Comment

How to cultivate new habits?

What is habit? Is it just Good or bad? It does not just end here. It holds a deep meaning. Habit is an interesting element of our lifestyle. It is a routine behaviour which gets repeated unconsciously.

As they say ‘Old Habits die hard’ and New Habits are hard to form because the behavioural patterns that we repeat gets embossed in us. Having said that, I would say it is possible to form new habits through continuation. Research says that at least 21 days are required to form one new habit.

How can you cultivate these new habits? Is there any particular way?

Habits can be analyzed in three parts:

*Cue – Cue is the thing which triggers our habitual behaviour. This could be anything that our mind associates with particularly and we automatically form a habit out of it.

*Behavior – The behavior is the actual habit that we demonstrate.

*Reward– This is absolutely a positive feeling. This is a receipt of our hard work.

As I mentioned earlier that habits could be good or bad. But, how do we distinguish it?

A key factor in distinguishing a bad habit from an addiction or mental disease is will power. If we have control over our behaviour, then it is a habit. Good intentions can override the negative effect of bad habits.

Eliminating bad habits:

There are many techniques for eliminating old established bad habits. Identifying and removing factors that trigger and reinforce the habit is key. Recognizing and eliminating them as soon as possible is advised. Habit elimination becomes more difficult with age because repetitions reinforce habits cumulatively over the lifespan.

Focus on rewiring habits:

I have been asked what diet plan to follow to lose weight (Is there a long term goal). To reach there we need to first achieve micro goals or habits.

These micro habits set our routine to lead a healthier lifestyle and weight loss is just the by-product.

Getting into a dietary routine will not be difficult as long as we are able to maintain regularity. Regarding the diet plan what my experience is people follow it for some time to achieve their goal but after certain period when they get into their old routine they are back to square one, which means it’s only giving you temporary results.

At GOQii we believe in developing all small and positive habits which them becomes a routine. (You may agree with me that breaking certain routines takes time as we discussed earlier) that means it stays with you for longer time. Eventually, this routine adds on to our disciplinary lifestyle.

Ultimately what is it that we are looking for? A permanent or temporary solution to our health?

June 29, 2015 By Neha Morche Leave a Comment

Fatty fruit Avocado is an all-star Nutrient

A tree native to Mexico, Avocado is one fruit that is nutrient packed as well as has healthy fats thus making it a unique fruit.

Initially, one does get averse to this fruit due to its hard texture but, it is known for its high nutrient value. It has a hard black green outer skin and is extremely creamy inside. Avacados have become an incredibly popular food among health conscious people. And, this does not come as a surprise to me as it does have lots of health properties.

Infact, today, this fruit is easily available in supermarkets. One has a choice to choose either the ripe fruit that is ready to be eaten or buy raw then ripe them and refrigerate it for a week. One should take care it should not be cut because, once cut it gets exposed to air and turns brown and with that the fruit’s nutrient properties get oxidised. Avacados can be consumed daily but, in moderation.

Let’s take a peek into the benefits of Avocado:

Avocados are rich in phytochemicals, hence helps in increasing immunity.
It has 4gms of protein higher than any other fruit.
It has monounsaturated fats (oleic acid) which helps in lowering bad cholesterol.
The sugar content (fructose) is also less compared to other fruits.
Avocados are an excellent source of vitamin K, Vitamin B complex, vitamin C, and vitamin E, and viatamin A.
It contains copper, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. Potassium is an important mineral that most people do get enough of. Avacados are very high in potassium which supports healthy blood pressure levels.
A medium avocado contains 11 grams of fiber, which is close to half of the daily recommended fibre intake. Fiber can have various important benefits for weight loss and metabolic health.
It slows down the digestion hence controls the blood sugar level.

As they say all good things come with some bad points. Avacados also has its disadvantages. These are

One can develop an allergy with this fruit.
It has saturated fats along with monounsaturated fats which can lead to weight gain.

Avocado can be eaten as it is or in the form of milkshakes, salad, soups and sandwiches. Avocado oil is available in the market and can be used for cooking.

Given all the positive health benefits that Avacado has, it is an excellent reason to always include this healthy fat source when you eat fruits. Without it, a lot of the beneficial plant nutrients will go waste. So do include it to make your diet healthy.

June 24, 2015 By Neha Morche Leave a Comment

Bone health for life and ways to make them strong

I am not sure how many in India have watched this ad commercial on television which shows a woman asking her friend “what do you do for calcium” and other answers “Milk”…the friend repeats her question again and says “I understand Milk but, what do you do for calcium”, the second lady repeats ‘Milk’ again…

Basically, the first woman was trying to find out for the absorption of calcium from milk what does she do? The answer to this question is plain and simple-Vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium. If Vitamin D level drops from the blood, calcium will not get absorbed. Therefore it is imperative that an individual always checks vitamin D level before popping in calcium tablets.

What is the bone made up of? Calcium is the answer that most people would give. Agreed but, along with that phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, folic acid, vitamin c, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin K, vitamin B complex, fats, proteins are also necessary for healthy bones. Foods sources are milk and milk products, dark leafy vegetables, soyabean, oil seeds, carrot juice etc

Bones are an integral part of the weight of the human body. They are the substance which forms our skeleton…and because of the skeleton our body looks well structured. Bone formation starts from the womb itself and continues till the age of puberty. When we are young bone growth is faster and as we Age it becomes slow and in the latter stages of life age it becomes brittle (the condition is called osteoporosis). We have to look after our bone health from early stages of life. Here are the factors which affects bones.

Calcium and vitamin D in your diet- Less of this will not form a good bone density so early bone loss and there is an increased risk of fractures.
Physically inactive: Our body is meant to move and be active in order to developing in terms of healthy bones.
Tobacco and alcohol (You might want to explain here how tobacco and alcohol lead to weak bone)
Age: Bones become thinner and weaker as you age.
Family history will put it on higher risk.
Gender and Hormone levels: In women, bone loss increases during menopause due to low estrogen levels. In men, bone loss increases due to low testosterone.
Eating disorders and other conditions: People who have anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa they are at higher risk of bone loss. Also, bariatric surgery and conditions like Crohn’s disease, celiac disease and Cushing’s disease can affect body’s ability to absorb calcium.
Smoking and tobacco leads to low bone mineral density, increased levels of the hormone (cortisol) leads to a bone break down and bone fractures.
Long term alcohol consumption interferes with bone growth and replacement of bone tissue.Alcohol consumption during adolescence reduces peak bone mass and can result in relatively weak adult bones that are more susceptible to fracture. In adults, alcohol consumption can disrupt the ongoing balance between the erosion and the remodelling of bone tissue, contributing to alcoholic bone disease.

This week we are celebrating International Yoga week. Bone health can further be strengthened with the help of Yoga.

Yoga strengthens the areas which are most likely to suffer such as the hips, spine, and wrists. Yoga can help maintain bone density of these body parts. Poses that focus on the spine can also help improve posture, preventing the stooping of the back.

Finally let’s not ignore the fact that healthy bones starts with early age. Take step towards being active and having good food to make your bones stronger. It’s never too late to start.