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July 30, 2023 By GOQii 4 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.

12 Foods You’ve Been Consuming The Wrong Way

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!

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!

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 to Personalised Health Coaching here.

Find more articles on nutrition here.

#BeTheForce 

January 20, 2023 By GOQii 1 Comment

Decoding Bread Myths & Best Bread Tips To Follow

bread mythsWe are all well aware of terms like whole wheat, multigrain, seven-grain, 12-grain, all natural, organic and enriched. Often, we try to look out for the healthiest option when we hit the grocery store to buy that perfect piece of loaf. Every time you eat bread, be it a sandwich, a muffin or a bagel, you’ve got an opportunity to improve your diet. For most us, choosing whole-wheat bread products is the easiest way to eat more super-healthy whole grains. But, when you’re standing in front of the bread array in the supermarket, by just reading the various label claims, just how do you know which is the best bread to buy? Choosing the best bread can be confusing. Here are three bread myths that need to be DEBUNKED!

3 Bread Myths Busted! 

#1: If it looks brown and has the word “wheat” in the name, it has lots of fiber and whole grain.
The Truth: Its always the first ingredient listed on the ingredient label that tells the story. If it’s “wheat flour” or “enriched bleached flour” (or similar), that tells you white flour was mostly used, not “whole-wheat flour”.

#2: Breads with healthy sounding names like “seven-grain” or “100% natural” are the best choices.
The Truth: Just because the name of the bread on the package sounds super-healthy, it doesn’t mean the bread actually is healthy. Certain seven-grain and 12-grain breads, for example, list “unbleached enriched flour” as their first ingredient and some are mainly made with “wheat flour”, not whole wheat.

#3: Rye bread is a 100% whole-grain, high-fiber choice.
The Truth: The first ingredient listed on the label of most brand brands of rye bread is none other than unbleached enriched flour. The second ingredient is usually water, and the third, rye flour. That explains why most rye breads have only 1 gram of fiber per slice (some have less than that). So, rye bread isn’t usually 100% whole grain.

Tips To Buy The Best Bread 

1. Just “whole wheat” or “made with whole grain”, doesn’t classify as healthy
Look for labels that say “100% whole wheat” or “100% whole grain”, and don’t settle for anything less. If it’s 100% whole wheat, the first ingredient listed in the ingredient label has to  be whole-wheat flour or 100% whole-wheat flour. You want whole grains because they’re naturally low in fat and cholesterol free; contain 10% to 15% protein, and offer loads of healthy fiber, resistant starch, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and often, phytoesterogrens (plant estrogens). With all those nutrients in one package, it’s no wonder whole grains provide so many health benefits.

2. Watch the Sodium
Most bread products come with a dose of sodium which is added to help control the yeast activity and for flavor. If you eat three servings of whole grain bread a day and each slice has about 200 milligrams of sodium, that contributes 600 milligrams to your daily sodium total. It may not sound like much, but it represents one-third of your limit if you’re trying to stay within 1,800 milligrams a day.

3. Serving Size Matters
When comparing bread products, look carefully at the serving size on the label. Some bread slices are much larger than others.

4. “Diet or Light” Isn’t Always Better
There are several brands of bread that are promoted as being low in calories. They usually have the word “light” in the name or on the packaging. Often, “light” bread means a smaller serving size and a product that is pumped with some extra fiber.

A Quick Checklist Before You Buy Bread: 

  • 4 grams of fiber per 2-slice serving (or similar)
  • 100% whole wheat flour as the first ingredient on the label
  • Less than 401 mg sodium per 2-slice serving
  • 1 gram saturated fat or less per 2-slice serving (most have zero saturated fat)

We hope we’ve busted those bread myths and this article helps you buy the best bread out there without compromising your health. If you found this article helpful, please share your thoughts in the comments below!

For more tips on nutrition, click here or ask a GOQii Coach for assistance by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.  

#BeTheForce

January 10, 2023 By Karishma Khot 2 Comments

7 Nutrition Tips For A Healthy Winter

Nutrition Tips

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. Hence, it is important to take care of ourselves, 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 

  1. 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. 
  2. 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. 
  3. 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. 
  4. 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.
  5. 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. 
  6. 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.
  7. 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 

December 26, 2022 By Saba Mirza Leave a Comment

Simple Tips to Keep Your Holidays Healthy and Fun

How To Stay Healthy On A Vacation!The holiday season is upon us! These next few days have celebrations after celebrations and it is also a time when most people choose to get married. With multiple weddings, get-togethers, picnics, outings or even vacations, how does one resist eating and not skip a workout? You don’t essentially need to be a monk. You can still enjoy and keep your holidays healthy! Here are some simple tips to help you keep your holidays healthy as well as have some fun at the same time!

On a Road Trip

  • Pack some homemade stuff to eat on the way. Have sandwiches made with multi-grain breads or whole wheat breads, plain or vegetable idlis, homemade cookies, cupcakes for kids, veg upma, boiled sprouts salad, chickpeas and so on.
  • Take a variety of seasonal or your favorite fruits. Carry nuts as well to curb hunger pangs that usually arise out of boredom.
  • Avoid roadside high-calorie, unhealthy foods! They are unhealthy and sometimes even unhygienic depending on where you eat from. Eating these in moderation also won’t help!
  • Keep yourself well hydrated. Keep drinking plain water. Carry juicy fruits such as watermelon, litchi or even better – coconut water or lemon juice.
  • Avoid aerated, sugary drinks and caffeinated energy drinks as they are high in calories and provide zero nutritional value. They will dehydrate your body making you feel thirstier.

On a Long Vacation Away From Home

Again, with a few careful steps, you will be able to keep your holidays healthy and indulge as much as you want!

  • Moderation is key! While in a new city, you definitely want to try the new and unique delicacies the place has to offer you. Eat them all! Just choose wisely and maintain portion control. You can achieve this by leaving the hotel with a filling and healthy breakfast.
  • Eat fruits and healthy drinks which will keep you full when you travel/explore. Avoid overstuffing yourself.
  • While sightseeing, prefer walking or cycling wherever you can. It is a fun way to burn calories and cover more ground.

 While Attending Parties

  • As a rule of thumb, don’t go too hungry or too full! Too hungry will make you overeat and too full will not allow you to savour the taste of all the delicacies that might be there!
  • Just eat some healthy snacks before leaving. Something like a salad, sandwich or fruit.
  • Don’t eat while meeting and talking to other guests. You will lose track of the food you’re eating. Finish your conversations and then eat carefully and mindfully!
  • Opt for healthier alternatives like green salad over a Russian salad or grilled items over fried items or fruit desserts over rich, creamy desserts.

Remember not to skip exercising. You can do a light workout when you wake up or when you get the time. Keep a resistance band handy as there are many exercises you can perform using one. If you need expert guidance, join our live, interactive sessions on GOQii PRO within the GOQii App. You can even reach out to a GOQii Coach for tips by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

Play it safe and play it wisely! If you keep everything in moderation and stick to healthy alternatives and exercise, you can make your holidays healthy and fun!

#BeTheForce

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