nutrition tips Archives

January 25, 2022 By Karishma Khot 2 Comments

7 Nutrition Tips For A Healthy Winter

Everyone likes the drop in temperature, hill station vacations, sitting around the bonfire while barbecuing delicious food, but do we really enjoy the cold and flu? Drying of our skin? Getting viral infections? And then the never ending consumption of cough syrups? The Winter season is one of cool breeze as well as the season of cold and flu, and to accompany it, we also have the ongoing Covid pandemic, which has the same symptoms to be tested positive. Hence, it is more important to take care of ourselves this year, and avoid getting any viral fevers, cold and flu. To help you with it, I have some healthy nutrition tips for you this Winter.

7 Nutrition Tips For a Healthy Winter

Keep a check on your water intake: The most common negligence we do in winters is that we tend to forget to drink enough water. As the temperatures are down, we often do not drink water and consume it only while gulping down food. This leads to dehydration in the body, and further damages our skin, leaving a major impact on our bowel movements, due to which most of the time we are constipated. Make sure to drink at least 3-4 liters of water per day.
Build your immunity: Common cold & flu are 2 symptoms, which you will get quite often in the winter season. So the best thing will be following a healthy routine daily, so as to keep them at bay. Try drinking Saunth (dry ginger water), every alternate day just before you sleep or anytime once in a day. As dry ginger/Saunth has a bioactive compound called as Gingerol, which is anti-inflammatory and has other medicinal properties as well.
Avoid overeating: In winter as the temperatures are low, we always tend to overeat, consume hot and spicy meals, eat fried snacks, etc. All we know is the winter makes us hungry, but we need to realise that they also make us put on weight. Issues of bloating, gas and constipation take a toll on our health. To avoid this, we should not indulge in all the cravings. Instead, to beat the cold weather, we should consume hot soups, warm khichdi, seasonal green leafy veggies, and healthy homemade snacks like steamed muthiya’s, sprouts poha, idlis, and many more.
Restrict caffeine: Drinking tea/coffee every 2 hours to keep the body warm is not a good idea. We not only increase our sugar intake but also our caffeine intake. Caffeine leads to dehydration in the body, and as in winter we already have a tough time meeting our water intake, drinking caffeinated beverages will harm us further. In that case, we can consume antioxidant rich and caffeine free Green tea’s. Drinking or sipping on Green tea, turmeric water, cinnamon water, and herbal teas will also be a great deal.
Go seasonal: It is also advisable to eat things which are in season, as they are found in abundance. Bioavailability of the nutrients is high, and helps us with the essential vitamins and minerals as well. So winter season belongs to berries like strawberries, mulberries, blueberries and fruits like oranges, chiku, plums, guava. Green leafy vegetables and root vegetables as well. So snacking on a roasted sweet potato for your evening snack will be a great thing.
Consume superfoods to stay warm: There are a variety of ingredients or to be more precise, many dried foods and spices, which keep our body warm from the inside. Including these while cooking our food is definitely going to keep us warm from the inside. These ingredients include anjeer, figs, dates, sesame seeds, cinnamon, peppercorn, garlic, cloves, ginger, saunth and star anise.
Say no to processed: In the fast moving world, we often tend to have packaged soups, as they are more easy to make than actually chopping veggies and making it fresh. However, these packaged foods are high in preservatives and additives, which are very unhealthy for us. Instead of using them, try blending fresh veggies and make a healthy meal for yourself.

We hope these nutrition tips help you have a healthy winter! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below. For more on staying healthy during Winter, check out Healthy Reads or ask a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized health coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

November 16, 2021 By Tahurah Muqeem 1 Comment

Food is Your Fountain of Youth! Healthy Eating Tips for the Elderly

As we mentioned in our IndiaFit Report 2020: India’s Ikigai – The Secret to Longevity, there are some folks who manage to live long and healthy lives thanks to their discipline, but most people usually find their health crumbling. In old age, a human either becomes disinterested in eating or can’t manage their meals due to medical conditions which make eating difficult. There is a loss of appetite as anxiety, depression, irritability or gastric trouble become commonplace.

The body of the elderly needs to be cared for and fed with good food so that it helps in combating stress, depression, fight inflammation and pain. With the growing rate of diabetes in the mid-40s, by the time a person reaches 70-80 years of age, the damage done to the organs by diabetes or any other lifestyle disease is unpredictable.

Healthy Eating Tips for the Elderly

It is important that the elderly eat small meals at frequent intervals. The diet should be a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. In fact, the food should be appealing. Let’s see how we can incorporate all of this:

The diet of the elderly should contain complex carbohydrates like Wheat, Oats, Ragi, Jowar, Brown rice and should avoid refined cereals like white bread and maida.
Protein is a very important nutrient because there is a lot of muscle wastage that occurs in old age. Loss of skin tone, loss of skin elasticity is profound. The diet should include good sources of proteins such as lentils, dals, soybean, milk and milk products. For non-vegetarians, boiled egg whites every day is recommended. Opt for skinless chicken which can be grilled, roasted or used in soups.
Healthy fats are essential to protect the heart and provide essential vitamins such as vitamin E which protects the body organs and nourishes the skin. Include soaked almonds, walnuts, dates, dried figs in the diet in the form of morning snacks. Fish like Salmon provides Omega 3 fatty acids which help fight against cancers.
As we age our digestive system slows down. Many face a problem digesting fiber. While it is easy to consume salads or raw veggies, for some, it is difficult and leads to constipating, bloating or gassiness. In this case, it is better to consume vegetables which are boiled or steamed. Unstrained vegetable soups and vegetable smoothies are good options as well.
Including 1-2 servings of fruits every day is crucial. Fruits not only regulate blood sugar but also provide essential minerals and vitamins to the body.
The most important thing is to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and hydrate! Especially at old age, it is more important to consume 2-3 liters of water every day. Having 1 glass of warm water immediately after waking up stimulates the body cells. For improving digestion, consuming 1 glass of warm water half an hour before and half and hour after meals is a must.
Don’t forget to include anti-inflammatory foods like turmeric, ginger and cinnamon. They will help protect against bone disease and reduce joint pains while protecting the heart. Consuming ginger water in the day helps treat various digestion related issues as well.

What’s an Ideal Meal Plan?

If you need a roadmap or an ideal plan, here it is:

Start the day with a glass of warm water, lemon water or ginger water with half tsp of honey.
Eat a healthy breakfast consisting of oats porridge, khichdi, vegetable idli, paneer dosa or poha with a glass of milk or boiled egg white.
Mid morning should contain a fruit which can be an apple, guava, watermelon, pears, banana, papaya or you can have a mixed fruit bowl as well.
Lunch should include roti or rice with 1 bowl dal, a bowl of vegetable curry, 1 salad and 1 bowl of curd.
Dinner should be the same as lunch, although, it should be lighter. Cut down the quantity of rice/roti. Eat dinner at least 2-3 hours before bed to ensure proper digestion.
Before bed, drink low fat milk to ensure good sleep and provide your body with calcium for strong bones. You can also add turmeric to it for extra benefits!

Before you undertake this meal plan or decide to follow it religiously, you need to consult your doctor or nutritionist to check how it may affect any existing medical condition you may have. Along with all kinds of fruits, veggies and healthy foods, don’t forget to stay active!

We hope these healthy eating tips for the elderly help you. Do share your thoughts in the comments below. To subscribe for GOQii’s personalized coaching and get more of these tips from a GOQii Coach, click here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

October 20, 2021 By GOQii 3 Comments

12 Foods You Have Been Consuming The WRONG WAY

foods

With all the sessions on GOQii Play and interactions within the app, most of us have understood “what to eat” in order to get the necessary nutrition for our body. But, have you ever wondered “how to eat”? Sounds silly? But it is not. It’s a valid question. The way we eat says a lot about how the nutrients will be best available to our body. However, it could get tricky here. While some vitamins can be destroyed during the cooking process, a little bit of heating enhances the absorption of certain nutrients.

You must have also heard your coach or diet expert say that eating foods in certain combinations enhances the absorption of various nutrients. To help you out, we’ve made a list of proper ways to consume these top 12 foods and beverages!

12 Foods You’ve Been Consuming The Wrong Way

1. Tomatoes: Cooking tomatoes makes them more nutritious and the longer you cook them, the better it is. Heat changes the “lycopene” present in them to a form our bodies can readily absorb. So you can either soup it up or cook tomatoes into pasta sauce and omelettes to benefit from its antioxidant, cancer fighting, bad cholesterol lowering properties in a full blown way.

2. Boiling Vegetables: Boiling vegetables is a no-no because water soluble vitamins like Vitamin C leach out and drain into the water. Moreover, it reduces the antioxidant content. This phenomenon is especially noticeable in Spinach. Of course, if you are going to consume the liquid when making soups, it’s a different thing. Steaming, roasting, sautéing methods of cooking result in more nutritious vegetables on your plate.

3. Going Absolutely FAT-FREE with Vegetable Juices/Salads: You can absorb more nutrients from your salads/green juices when you consume them with a wee-bit of fat because most nutrients in them are fat-soluble (Vitamin A, D, E, K). But, the type of fat can make a difference. For salads skip the mayo and instead, add cold pressed coconut oil, olive oil, avocados, egg yolks, nuts and seeds. For green juices, add a teaspoon of coconut oil for enhanced absorption.

4. Garlic: Unlike Vitamin C, Allicin is an enzyme found in garlic that benefits from exposure to air. If you mince it and quickly throw it in a pan, you are doing it wrong! This enzyme is not activated unless the cell walls are ruptured. Crush/Press those garlic pods instead of mincing. Let it sit for 10 minutes before exposing it to heat so that your finished dish contains maximum amount. With activated Allicin, you get to benefit from its anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal , anti-viral , anti-bacterial and cholesterol lowering properties.

5. Whole Grains, Beans & Pulses: Have you ever noticed how cloudy and dull the water gets once you soak your grains, beans or pulses in it? Well, it’s because of the presence of Phytates – the compound that binds the vitamins/minerals in the food and prevents them from being absorbed by the body. Soaking them overnight releases the phytates and you get the maximum amount of iron and zinc. Not only that! Soaking them overnight in warm water and then cold for 24 hours followed by cooking them negates the effect of gas formation. So you don’t end up feeling “gassy”.

6. Flaxseeds: If you have been sprinkling a spoonful of these into your morning smoothie or onto your yogurt snack, you have been doing it wrong! Our bodies are not capable of digesting “whole” flaxseeds and excrete them as it is. In order to reap benefits from these pods, chew them properly. You can either consume them raw or immediately after slightly roasting them. Even flaxseed meal (powdered) works, but make sure its consumption is immediate.

7. Yogurt : There are 2 points to consider:

i. If you have been draining away the watery fluid floating atop your yogurt, you’re actually draining away all your whey protein. Apart form Whey, it also contains Vitamin B12, Calcium and Phosphorus. Give your yogurt a quick stir to retain all its benefits .

ii. If you think you are going to get “probiotic” benefits out of yogurt by cooking a hot dish that involves yogurt based gravy or marination, you’re not going to. Most live/active cultures (the “healthy bacteria” in them) can’t stand heat and will be destroyed in the cooking process. While you will be getting the Protein, Calcium and Vitamin D, “probiotic” benefit is something that will be missed out .

8. Carrots: Cook, then cut. Cooking whole carrots and cutting them after they are cooked keeps more nutrients intact. Carrot is one vegetable (tomato is a fruit) that is better if cooked as heat breaks down its cell walls.

9. Broccoli: If you have been boiling, frying, overcooking or even over-steaming broccoli florets, then we have some bad news for you. Too much cooking destroys the enzyme that turns a chemical called glucosinolates into cancer fighting agents. Even if you are steaming them, make sure you do it only for 2-3 minutes.

10. Strawberries: Just 1 serving of these berries takes care of half of your daily Vitamin C requirement. However, if you have been cutting your berries prior to eating them, you’re missing out on your Vitamin C. The vitamins in strawberries begin to breakdown when exposed to light and oxygen (unlike Allicin). So eat them whole and if you want to store them, deep freeze! Cool temperatures help them retain their Vitamin C.

11. Citrus Fruits: Do you throw away the lemon or orange peels? These citrus peels contain 4 times more fibre and disease fighting flavonoids than the fruit itself. If you’re thinking how you can consume the peels, here’s what you do:

Grate peels just like you do with cheese and store in the freezer. Use them for recipes that call for lemon ‘zest’.
Add peels to a pitcher of water for an effective detox.
Marinate your meats, cottage cheese, fish with your own citrus rub.

12. Tea: Now, we have been drinking tea more than ever. Do you enjoy your tea with milk? There’s a downside to this. Milk proteins bind with Catechin in tea, making it difficult for your body to absorb this beneficial compound. So, tea no longer turns out to be a heart healthy drink. Plus, the excess amount of sugar which some people add only makes things worse. So just sip on some nice black or herbal tea without adding anything to it!

So try all of the above and #LevelUp your nutrition. We hope these tips help you extract the most amount of vitamins and minerals from your food. Which one of these facts left you surprised? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

To understand more about these foods and to get proper nutritional advice, speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

August 31, 2021 By Sunita Arora 2 Comments

11 Easy Habits to Help You Lose Weight

As a lifestyle coach and weight management expert, I often see people struggling to lose weight. In my previous blog, I have shared my insight on 11 Unhealthy Habits That Are Destroying Your Health. While I hope you read that, I will be sharing a few easy habits you can adopt to lose weight! By making small efforts and small changes in your habits, you can easily achieve your weight loss goals.

11 Habits For a Healthier You

Read Food Labels: Reading food labels helps you make the right food choices! It helps with certain medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, etc. by helping you avoid food with ingredients which may aggravate these conditions. On the label, the greatest quantities come first. A product that lists sugar or corn syrup as its first ingredient will always be high in calories.
Maintain a Food Journal: After doing all of the above, if you’ve still not shed some weight, maintain a food journal. It will help you track your food and beverage intake. Then you can easily decide where you need to cut out extra calories which have affected your weight loss goals.
Begin Your Day With Protein: We couldn’t stress enough on the importance of breakfast! Never skip it. Eating a high protein breakfast helps us curb cravings and aids weight loss. Give a kick-start to your day by including nuts, seeds, oats, cottage cheese, yogurt, buttermilk and eggs in your breakfast.
Eat Slow and Chew More: The entire digestive process starts in the mouth with chewing. The faster you eat, the more food you will consume. Chewing food at a slower pace can help you reduce overall food intake. It can also help you get more nutrients from the food you eat.
Let Dinner Be The Last Meal: Boredom or stress can lead to unhealthy snacking! People often eat out of boredom or stress even when they aren’t hungry. If you feel hungry even after a good dinner, go for lighter, healthier options which are rich in fiber and protein such as nuts, whole grains, legumes, hummus, yogurt, air-popped popcorn, etc.
Don’t Skip Meals: Skipping meals can slow your metabolism down, making it harder to lose weight. It also leads to poor, unhealthy food choices, overeating and obesity. When you don’t eat enough, you don’t get the required nutrients for muscle growth, bone health and the immune system which leads to issues such as fatigue, hair loss and low immunity.
Avoid TV and Gadgets While Eating: Working or Watching TV while eating has harmful effects on your health. By paying attention to what you eat, you are more likely to make healthier food choices. You will enjoy your meals more with its smell, flavor and texture!
Use Smaller Plates: Using smaller plates helps one control the quantity of food consumed. It helps you maintain portion control. Using bigger plates often leads to overeating. If you are eating out, you can always ask for a half portion. This will save a lot of calories and prevent overeating.
Aim For 8 Hours of Sleep: Lack of sleep is associated with an increase in calorie intake. Going to bed early and taking in 8 hours of sleep helps in reducing weight. Without enough sleep, it is difficult to plan meals and exercise. If you stay up late, you will definitely overeat.
Drink Plenty of Water: Increasing your water intake reduces your appetite and helps you lose weight. Drinking 2-3 liters of water daily helps you flush toxins from your body and gives you a feeling of satiety too! Keep yourself well hydrated, always!
Move More: Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining weight and good health. Regular physical activity can improve muscle strength and boost metabolism. Depending on your workout, it can either prevent weight gain or help you maintain your weight.

We hope this article has helped you! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! To learn more tips and tricks for weight loss, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to coaching sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

To get these tips and tricks directly from your GOQii Coach, subscribe for personalized coaching now: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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