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April 21, 2023 By Kusum Soni 1 Comment

10 Easy & Effective Tips For Fat Loss

fat loss

In recent years, food choices have become plenty and the comfort of ordering food online via an app makes it difficult to eat healthy much less aid fat loss. With so many choices, abundance and variety, natural and healthy foods have somewhat been left behind.

Even food brands, restaurants or eateries that sell “healthy foods” don’t help you cut back unwanted fat. So how exactly can your food choices help you reduce body fat? Here are a few tips that can help you reduce fat and get healthy!

10 Effective Tips For Fat Loss

  1. Begin Your Day with a Fruit: Eat a fruit within 15-20 mins of waking up. This is handy for both working and non-working folks who are rushing through their morning routine. Fruits being rich in fiber, fructose and micronutrients, replenish glycogen stores in the liver after a long fasting period at night and jumpstart metabolism which aids fat loss.
  2. Avoid Processed/Packaged Food: Certain processed foods that come in plastic packets are calorie dense, don’t have natural dietary fiber, and usually lack essential nutrients & minerals required for fat loss. Whereas dietary fiber from whole grains has longer intestinal-transit time and hence has a higher satiety value as compared to processed/packaged foods. This prevents the creation of required calorie deficit for fat loss. Thus, avoid products containing refined flour, white sugar, salt and fats such as biscuits, breads, chocolates, sugar cadies, packaged fruit juices, pastries, white pasta, white noodles, pizza, samosa, Kachori, vada pav, etc.
  3. Begin Your Meal with a Salad Twice a Day: For instance sprouts + vegetables. Since raw, non-starchy vegetables contain high amount of water and fiber, they can be consumed in a relatively larger amount contributing to increased satiety with fewer calories. Thus, aiding fat loss by creating an energy-deficit. Vegetables are important sources of many nutrients which boost the speed of various biochemical reactions that burn stored fat. Dietary fiber from vegetables also have a prebiotic effect and promotes growth of health beneficial bacteria which even aids lipid metabolism.
  4. Add Protein in Meals: Proteins take longer time to digest. Hence, it keeps us fuller for a long time which in turn prevents us from eating more often. Secondly, proteins are building blocks for muscles which again help in increasing the basal metabolic rate. Thus, help in burning extra fat stored in Adipocytes.
  5. Small & Frequent Low Calorie Meals: Try to eat smaller meals every 2.5 to 3 hours rather than eating a huge meal after a long gap or eating too frequently. Spacing out the meals adequately and breaking it down into smaller meals gives our body enough time to metabolize the food. This leaves little or no chance for food to get converted to fat and get stored in your body. Don’t forget to eat up to 70-80% of your stomach’s capacity.
  6. Drink a Glass of Water Every Hour: Now, you might be thinking, how water can help in fat loss? Well, water fills you up in zero calories and being a medium of all cell fluids, it facilitates all physio-chemical reactions in the body including the ones which causes fat oxidation.
  7. Go for Home-Cooked Meals: Yes, at least 4-5 days in a week, eat home cooked food. This prevents intake of outside food which may have an unhealthy quality and quantity of fats. You’d rather eat a satiable and nutrient dense meal which aid fat loss.
  8. Use Cooking Oil Sparingly: Go for steamed, grilled, roasted, sautéed cooking methods using non-stick cookware to reduce the amount of oil used for cooking.
  9. Get Active: An active lifestyle helps in burning the stored fat by increasing the basal metabolic rate and blood circulation. Exercise should be a combination of aerobic/cardio and resistance training.
  10. Sleep Your Way to Fat Loss: Are you getting adequate sleep? Yes! If you don’t sleep well, it will create stress in your body and facilitate the release of cortisol which leads to fat accumulation in the body over a period of time. So get a good night’s rest. Try these tips to sleep better!

Remember, food is for nourishment of body not for over indulgence. Eat to Live, not Live to Eat. If this article helped you, let us know in the comments below. You can browse through more articles on weight loss here.

If you want to lose weight in a healthy, sustainable manner, get the right advice from a certified expert through the GOQii Transform weight management program here.

#BeTheForce

April 16, 2023 By Subuhi Sami 2 Comments

Eat These Berries To Boost Your Immunity & Improve Your Health

berries to boost immunityBefore we delve into which berries can help you boost your immunity, let’s understand what immunity is. It can be defined as a complex biological system associated with the capacity to recognize and tolerate whatever belongs to our system, and to recognize and reject what is foreign or outside material. Many cells, along with the lymphatic system, play an important role in maintaining the Immunity of our body. Some types of white blood cells, like phagocytes and lymphocytes help the body remember the invaders and destroy them.

How Does the Immune System Work?

When the body senses foreign substances (called antigens), the immune system works to recognize the antigens and get rid of them. B lymphocytes are triggered to make antibodies. Phagocytes do the phagocytosis (invade foreign substance). After they’re made, antibodies usually stay in our bodies in case the same germ attacks our body again. This is the reason why when someone gets sick with a disease, like chickenpox, they usually won’t get sick from it again.

How Do Berries Boost Immunity? 

Berries appear to have immune-boosting benefits due to their polyphenol content, a type of plant antioxidant that gives berries like blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, cranberries, elderberries, raspberries and gooseberries their vibrant color. Polyphenols are linked with preventing cell damage and they interact with our gut bacteria to reduce inflammation, enhancing immune response, this in turn, plays an important role in the prevention of underlying inflammatory conditions, like cancer.

Some berries that can help one improve immunity, which are readily available in India include: 

  • Elderberry: Eating elderberry is a natural way to improve your immunity. They contain strong antioxidants and vitamins which makes them helpful in keeping inflammation at bay and they also help reduce stress levels. Notably, inflammation and stress are two major factors behind a weak immune system. Consuming elderberries daily can protect you against various cardiovascular disorders as well.
  • Blueberry: These berries are known as immunity boosting superfoods. Blueberries are rich in an antioxidant called flavonoids. They help in limiting damage to the body cells and improve immune function. Moreover, blueberries are also rich in vitamin C, vitamin A and potassium, which are associated with strong immunity.
  • Strawberry: They contain antioxidants and also have vitamin C, which can keep you healthy. It can also help you get rid of the flu and cold. Moreover, its ability to fight against free radicals in the body can make your immune system strong. Its nutritional value for heart patients is very good as it is low in LDL.
  • Blackberry: They contain vitamin A, which serves several functions in the body, which includes supporting the immune system. Apart from that, it also supports the growth and maintenance of teeth and bones, as well as keeping skin healthy. It can also help you maintain healthy eyes.
  • Cranberries: They are a good source of Vitamins C, K, A and have strong antioxidant properties. It can not only help you boost the immune system, but can also work against cardiovascular diseases and inflammation. Cranberries also benefit oral health, as the vitamins prevent bacteria from damaging teeth. They are very high in fiber as well, which can lower blood pressure and cholesterol. 

Some others include Mulberry, which acts as a blood cleanser, grapes which are good for healthy skin and gooseberry is a heart healthy food! Make it a habit to include berries in your diet in order to overcome and lower the risk of several diseases. 

We hope this article helps you choose berries which boost your immunity and improve your health! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

You can browse through more articles on nutrition here. Additionally, you can also get this information directly from a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

April 14, 2023 By GOQii Leave a Comment

Prebiotics and Probiotics: What’s the Difference?

Prebiotics and Probiotics - what's the difference

You may have heard of prebiotics and probiotics, but do you know the difference between the two? While they sound similar, prebiotics and probiotics have different roles in promoting gut health. In this article, we’ll break down the key differences between prebiotics and probiotics, and how they work together to support your digestive system.

What Are Prebiotics?

Prebiotics are a type of dietary fiber that the human body can’t digest. Instead, they serve as food for the beneficial bacteria that live in your gut, helping to promote the growth and activity of these microbes. When prebiotics are fermented by the bacteria in your gut, they produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are important for maintaining gut health and supporting immune function.

Some examples of common prebiotics include inulin, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and galactooligosaccharides (GOS). These are found in a variety of foods such as bananas, onions, garlic, asparagus, artichokes, whole grains, and legumes. Prebiotics are often used in conjunction with probiotics to promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria.

What Are Probiotics?

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are beneficial to your gut health. These microbes can be found in certain foods or supplements, and are also naturally present in your gut. Probiotics help to promote the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria in your gut, while also inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria.

Some examples of common probiotics include Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Lactis, and Saccharomyces Boulardii. Probiotics are often added to foods such as yogurt, kefir, and fermented vegetables, or can be taken in supplement form.

How Do Prebiotics and Probiotics Work Together?

Prebiotics and Probiotics work together to promote a healthy gut microbiome. Prebiotics provide the food that Probiotics need to thrive and multiply, while Probiotics help to balance the ratio of beneficial and harmful bacteria in your gut. By consuming both Prebiotics and Probiotics, you can support the growth of beneficial bacteria, improve digestion, and enhance immune function.

It’s worth noting that not all Probiotics and Prebiotics are created equal. Different strains of Probiotics and types of Prebiotics can have different effects on the gut microbiome, so it’s important to choose high-quality supplements such as these to improve your gut constitution.

If this article helped you, let us know your thoughts in the comments below! You can find more articles on nutrition and improving gut health here. 

You can also get this information and a lot more directly from a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here. 

#BeTheForce 

April 13, 2023 By GOQii 6 Comments

Common Myths About Exercise & Nutrition

Nutrition and Exercise myths and facts

In the quest to lead a healthier and fitter life, we do end up reading and talking a lot about it. While exchanging information is good, the kind of information you exchange also matters. Are we following the right advice? Is this correct? Can this be verified? Is this information about nutrition and exercise coming from a trusted source?

There is no harm in reading about nutrition and exercise and following through, provided that it comes from a reliable source. Doing your own research on a topic can save you from following myths and sabotaging your own journey.

Keeping that in mind, let’s explore some common myths around exercise and nutrition.

Myth #1: Some Fruits Shouldn’t Be Given to Diabetic & Weight Loss Cases

Fact: Mango, Grapes, Chikoo and Bananas are often considered as enemies for diabetics and weight loss cases, considering their natural sugar content. Yes, I agree they are naturally loaded with sugar content, although best in class when it comes to nutrients. One should always consider the nutrients in a food rather than the natural sugar content or calories.

These food, when consumed at the right time and right quantity, provide fruitful benefits! For instance, Mango being high on Fiber, when consumed as an in-between meal gives you fullness and makes you not munch on the otherwise unhealthy stuff. Studies have proven that Mangoes have anti-inflammatory & antioxidant properties, which help obese people lose weight and in turn is helpful to diabetics. Bananas‘ high levels of B6 helps Type 2 Diabetics due to its anti-glycatic properties.

Myth #2: Rice is Fattening

Fact: Rice is high on carbohydrates and not high on Fat. When taken in right quantities and timing, it will get utilized by the body and will not end up being stored in the form of Fat. Again, rice is not responsible for weight gain. It is how our body processes food and reacts to excessive food, irrespective of whether that food is Rice, Quinoa, Oats, Whole Wheat or even Protein.

The best way to eat rice is to combine it with some protein source or fiber. For instance, Rice + Dal or Rice+ Fish Curry. Timing is equally important. You can have rice post a workout for your lunch, wherein your body can burn it off during the rest of the day. We can enjoy it for dinner too, provided the dinner is around 7-7.30pm.

Myth #3: Spot Reduction

Fact: There is nothing like spot reduction! As and when we lose or gain weight, it happens overall and not in one place. When we lose, it is as per the fat cells in the specific area which may have a tendency to lose more or gain more, depending upon your genes. When we train our muscles to be stronger, body burns more to repair and maintain them. While doing so, it does not take fat from the local area, it will take fat from all over to burn.

Myth #4: Ghee (Homemade Butter) Makes One Fat

Fact: Homemade Cow’s Milk Butter (Ghee) contains CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) which helps you mobilize the stubborn fat in your body to help you energize. It has added benefits like anti-ageing, sexual vitality, healthy skin and eyes, etc. Want to lose weight? Add a spoon of homemade ghee to the plate.

Myth #5: Multigrain Biscuits and Fat-Free Snacks Are Healthy

Fact: We often get fooled with the marketing gimmicks that Multigrain is healthy, fat-free is the best snack, etc. If we get into more details, we can clearly see the facts. Just turn the packet of these foods around and read the label. The ingredient list goes in a descending order of the content of the food and the first ingredient is wheat, which we end up thinking to be whole wheat, where as it is the processed form of wheat which is Maida.

Majority of the contents are not healthy, it is just that they are given fancy names to fool us like Demerara Sugar, which is actually just normal sugar. The marketing names used are often the least in the percentage in the food, like Ragi, Multigrain, Oats, etc.

Myth #6: More Cups of Green Tea = More Fat Burned

Fact: Green tea, when taken in the right quantity and at the right time, can help you burn fat. This is due to its caffeine content. When people have it in larger amounts like 6-8 cups or more in a day, it ends up making them dehydrated and acidic. Rather than increasing the metabolism, it slows it down.  Thus, there is no extra ‘burning’ that will happen if one has it more. As we always say, anything in excess is not good, even if it is healthy.

Myth #7: Skipping Meals Helps One Lose Fat

Fact: Skipping meals will make you lose weight for sure. Although there is a difference between weight loss and fat loss. What do we do when our mom is not at home to give us food and we are very hungry and you cannot place an order for food?  We look for easy options at home to kill the hunger, right?

Our body does the same when we skip meals. It will look out for options within the body. The easiest one is the muscle glycogen storage, it will opt for that first and when one loses muscle content, there is a loss in body weight too, as muscle weighs a lot naturally. Although, metabolism goes down and fat content remains the same or increases. Skipping meals helps you lose precious muscle content while the fat still sticks around, in fact, increases too at times. 

Myth #8: Only Running Helps in Weight Loss & Maintenance

Fact: Running is a great sport/exercise. It has its own high due to the endorphin rush it gives you, especially when running outside. No doubt it gives you great results with regards to weight loss, although it is majorly muscle loss that happens if the pre and post run meal is not taken care of.

If one keeps running for a long time without strengthening workouts, they are bound to lose more and more muscle. Thus, weight loss will surely be seen but not in a healthy way. Later, when one stops running, they will gain all that weight quickly as the metabolism is low. Running will help one lose fat only when combined with strengthening workouts over the week.

Myth #9: Eating Extra Protein Helps Build Muscles

Fact: Given the fact that muscles need protein to survive, everyone assumes if you have extra protein, the body will keep it only for the muscles. This is not the case. At any given point, our body will take as much as required and the rest goes in to excess. Let that be Carbohydrates, Proteins or Fats. Whatever is excess and that which the body doesn’t require will go to storage, which is fat.

Myth #10: Lifting Weights Isn’t a Good Way to Lose Weight Because It’ll Make Me Bulk Up

Fact: Weight training will break your muscle and repair it back to be a little stronger and denser than the last time. Yes! This process will add up on your body weight but not fat.  You will start adding bulk depending upon the type of training you take and the type of nutrition support you have. The bulk up can happen only if you aim at it and train accordingly. If we are not looking at bulking up, one can train as per that. For instance, lesser weights and basic reps of 15-20.

Myth #11: Physical Activity Only Counts If I Do It for Longer Periods of Time

Fact: Workouts done the right way, at the right time, give us the right benefits! Some have a notion that if one trains for longer hours, the results will be better and faster. When one trains for longer hours, our body starts secreting Cortisol, which is a stress hormone. Due to excess cortisol, the body will store more fat and start losing muscle. This will in turn make metabolism slower. Thus, the quality of workout matters rather than the timings.

Myth #12: People Who Are Thin Don’t Need Exercise

Fact: One exercises because they want to be healthy and fit, not to lose weight. Majority think only those who want to lose weight need to workout. Everyone needs to workout. However, the type of exercise and its intensity will vary depending upon the person’s health and fitness goals. Thin people need to aim at gaining muscles. Often, thin people have the same percentage of fat as the person who actually looks fat. This is because the person who looks thin usually has least amount of muscles and thus, the body weight is lesser (as muscles are very dense).

Myth #13: If You Binge and Detox Later, It Nullifies The Binging.

Fact: This is like punishing your body! First you eat a lot and then you make it starve by detox methods or working out for hours. Rather than doing this, while eating out, one can practice mindful eating. Mindful eating involves chewing well and enjoying the food. It will end up in portion control too as your mind knows where to stop. If you binge, you eat fast. You eat the food with guilt and later punish it. Which is completely wrong! By practicing mindful eating we can eat out and not punish the body. We do need a detox at times to cleanse toxins but not as a punishment for binging.

If this article helped you identify myths and clear all your doubts on nutrition and exercise with facts, let us know in the comments below! You can find more articles on making a healthier lifestyle change here.

To bust more myths and get the right information from a certified expert, speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce

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