ONE MAJOR tip I live by for a flat belly.

Such a click-bait title, but seriously, if there was only one tip I could give someone for a flat belly, it would be this.

It is though very important to understand that any “fast results for fat loss” or “lose two inches in two days” kind of programs will only help you reduce bloating and NOT fat. Fat loss only happens with manipulating the calories you eat vs burn. Thus, even if you do not workout at all, but are sick with fever or something, the body consumes less food and you will lose weight. Though not a healthy or sustainable way to see the number on the scale going down, you will still lose weight. If you train too hard, could be on or off the gym floor, and don’t eat well, you will lose weight. Often happens when you move into a new house and are setting the place up, thus involve in a lot of manual labor but are not eating enough.

So any tip for a flat belly that does not involve exercise and diet is really just helping you reduce body- water retention. Our body loves to hold onto fluids and water. This causes the tummy to bloat, giving you the sensation that you are holding onto more fat than there actually is. Follow the below routine to reduce bloating and help you feel flatter. Of course for permanent fat- loss, make healthy nutrition and fitness part of your lifestyle.

I will be discussing a lot more tips as part of my New Year Challenge program  (100% online program) that starts on Jan 11th 2018. Sign up online, to be part of my team and educate yourself while you also get fitter!

#FitTip time:

Start your day with my golden Tea (recipe below), and stay of all kinds of oil’s till 1pm (lunchtime). Of course make sure to not consume any dairy products since dairy is a MAJOR cause of bloating (thus, no tea/ coffee with dairy milk). I have also included some breakfast options below for reference. This needs to be followed 6/7 days at least and you will see your stomach reset and detox itself. Keep your breakfast still high in fibrous carbs and proteins, but low in fats and absolutely no oil’s.  Want to take this one step further? See if you can stay of oil’s till dinner. I will upload more videos with recipe ideas on my YouTube channel, make sure to subscribe to my channel so you do not miss out on any of them.

Golden Detox Tea:

1 full lemon

1/2 liter water

1/2 stick of cinnamon

1/2 thumb ginger (grated)

1/2 tbps turmeric powder

Heat water and add all ingredients (except turmeric and lemon). Once heated, just remove the cinnamon stick out, add the turmeric and lemon. Your anti-bloating drink is ready!

Lemon reduces the acidity in the stomach and helps with detoxification. The citric acid in the lemon is also great for a vibrant skin! Cinnamon is a powerful anti-bloating agent. Apart from that it also helps clean free radicles of the system and helps the body heal faster. The medicinal properties of ginger roots have been long known. Besides helping with digestion of food, ginger also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. This is particularly beneficial for people with osteoarthritis or generally week joints. Turmeric is called the Golden Spice for more than just its color. Right from treating oral health, gallbladder function, respiratory health, the cardiovascular system to brain health, it does it all. Because of its benefits to the digestive health, turmeric helps release bloating too.

I would suggest you have this upon waking up. Feel free to go in for a light to moderate intensity 30 min walk/ jog/ run post this for additional benefit. Breakfast options can be one of the below once,

1) Smoothies!- My all-time favorite!

2) Idly with chutney and sambhar (cooked without oil).

3) Millet or oats porridge.

4) Fruit ‘cereal’ bowl.

5) Mung beans and soy mylk curds.

6) Mix veg parathas (cooked without oil) and daal.

Overnight quinoa mason- jar

I do demo’s of a lot of these recipes on my Instagram page stories often, be sure to check them out.

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Let’s also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!

 

Top 10 things to consider before going Vegan in India.

I wish I could go back to my old self and read this article! But moreover, I have seen people get very excited about the concept of veganism after my seminars/ workshops and decide to switch overnight to last for exactly 24 hours later before they fall of the wagon.

Its not their fault, because in the sway of emotions, intelligence does not work ;). But these steps could make your transitions easy, surprisingly quick and even consistent.

Now you could choose going vegan for a number of reasons, your health, losing weight, the animals or the environment. Irrespective of your reasons, know that it will be the best decision you will make. Trust me this is true, because before anything else your body will thank you for it. You will see a huge difference in your energy levels, your immunity boosts up and you stay more fresh and connected to your body.

But before you jump into opening your vegan Instagram page or make declarations on Facebook, consider the following points:

1) Do not freek about getting it all right in the first go:

Credits: https://www.sketchport.com/drawing/2165063/falling-owl

Especially when you make a public announcement about going on a plant- based diet, people around you will suddenly become critics and point out every single thing you cannot eat.

Till you explore food options and experiment with cooking, give yourself the freedom to be imperfect once in a while. Its ok if you eat a cookie or are unsure if your favourite vada pav joint has bread that might or might not contain milk. Going on a plant- based diet from a meat/ dairy eating lifestyle is a huge change in itself. Give yourself some credit for that and do not try to get everything right in one go.

You will have family dinner’s sometimes where you might be obliged to eat something or a cake at some birthday party. People will get used to you being on a plant- based diet soon and make arrangements in the future but don’t freek out if you have to dig into something not- so vegan in the first few weeks/ or even months if thats how long it takes you to switch.

The key is to make sustainable long term changes and not chase a 30 day challenge.

2) Plant- based food is more than just carrots:

Credits: https://pixabay.com/en/users/Alexas_Fotos-686414/

I have actually met a client who used to have only carrots for breakfast because he could not think of any other food options that were plant- based! Who says vegan’s eat only fruits and vegetables! If you follow my Instagram stories, you have seen me post pictures of everything from pizza’s to smoothies.

NO, you do not have to survive only on ghaas- phuus. Prepare to explore food options more than every before. Plant- based diet is never about limiting your food options but instead expanding it. In fact, if you are not eating delicious, yummy and colourful food on a plant- based diet, you are probably doing it wrong.

Explore using spices and herbs and pretty much everything you used for cooking when not vegan, just keep the dairy/ meat out. Over time, you will realise that its not that hard to cook vegan and most food falls under the ‘accidentally vegan’ category anyways.

3) Get comfortable with customising menu’s at the restaurant: 

Credits: https://pixabay.com/en/users/Pexels-2286921/

Call your server, politely ask him to call the chef. Explain to the chef that you will not consume any meat/ dairy. In India you will have to specify no cheese, no butter, no ghee, no cream, no paneer, no mayo, no meat. Most places will not understand the word vegan. Or you can use the old ‘doodh se allergy hai, khaya toh vomit hoga‘ trick.

This might be intimidating the first one or two times, but trust me you will get very comfortable with it. And restaurants are more than happy to customise your order. Makes sure to ask your server and chef their name and call them by their name as often as you can. People get excited when you call their name and are more happy to help you. Also, you will remember who knows exactly what you want the next time you go there.

Most pan- asian food is already accidentally vegan. They use tofu instead of paneer and no other dairy products. Mexian and indian food is also easy to customise. Italian- indian and some mumbai type street food might be tricky to customise. Make it clear to them whatever your reason for going vegan is and not just specify your order. Some places automatically assume you are on a diet and that’s why no butter. They will come back with the ‘thoda he butter daala hai, nahe toh taste kaise aayega‘.

Trust me, pizza without cheese still tastes great, most liquor is vegan and starbucks makes a kick- ass soy mylk coffee! Within weeks of exploring you will make your own side menu’s at all your favourite joints and wont miss out on much when out with friends.

4) Supplement: 

Honestly, I stopped taking multi- vitamins, flaxseed oil’s, calcium and a bunch of other supplements when I switched to a 100% plant- based diet. Supplements are only necessary when you are not getting enough micro- nutrients and vitamins from your regular diet. Plants and have more than enough micro- nutrients and taking a multi- vitamin when you are already eating healthy becomes an overdose and too toxic for the system.

There are however a few things to consider:

• Vitamin B12 and D! Get yourself checked for these two and only supplement if necessary. If not, make sure you are eating enough food fortified with these so you do not go deficient. B12 is derived from a bacteria that lives in the soil. Unless you are getting enough exposure walking/playing in the soil or eating unwashed root veggies, you are probably not getting enough B12. Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin and unless you get enough exposure to sunlight (sometimes even with enough exposure) you are deficient.
• Watch this video to understand more about iron and calcium.
• Make sure you get enough healthy fats in your diet. Plant based food is mostly carbs unless you consciously include fat sources. Take in nuts, nut butter, seeds, avocados etc to make sure you are getting enough.
• Protein is really not a major concern but try and consume atleast one portion of protein per meal. Lentils, beans, pulses, green leafy veggies are all great sources.

5) Be brave to try dairy/ meal alternatives!

Now when you switch from a vegetarian to a vegan diet, mock meat such as vegan fish/ chicken might not sound all that appetising. But give it a try and who knows you might end up falling in love with it!

Tofu is a great alternative for anything paneer and it took me months before actually trying it. Stupidest decision ever. I know a friend who actually buys his tofu and asks his favourite restaurant to cook chilly panner, except with his tofu instead of paneer. I though it was genius! If you get fresh and good quality soft tofu, you cannot even differentiate between the taste of the dairy version.

Meat also has no flavour to it. It takes up the flavour of whatever you marinate and cook it in. So might as well use the spices and herbs to get the flavour of whatever your favourite non- vegan dish is.

Tempeh and seitan is not very common in India, but when you get an opportunity, experiment with these dishes and you will find a whole new culinary love!

6) No need to go all fancy:

So you have decided to go vegan and follow a bunch of famous vegan celebs/ influencers. But when they cook and make their pinterest perfect dishes, you see the ingredients and recognise one out of the twelve mentioned there. This could be over- whelming and even confusing. You could make an effort to find these items online but nutritional yeast or quinoa could get expensive!

But there really is not need to go all fancy. Sure get fancy if you would like, but indian cooked food is more than enough to stay healthy and fit! A good idea would also be to follow some indian vegan influencers who upload food cooked with desi ingredients. Few of my favourite are Nidhi Kamal , Vegan Richa, and me maybe 😉

Experiment with what’s in your kitchen. Get inspired by the fancy smoothie bowls you see online, but trust me you can make similar once with whatever is available in your kitchen.

7) Get help:

I was not even aware of vegan communities and groups online for six months till I went vegan. If you live in India, trust me your city has a vegan group. In fact, I was not even aware that vegan people exist around me till months after going vegan. I thought I was the only one (In Russell Peters accent 😉 ) It was thrilling to go for my first vegan potluck and meet other Vegan’s. Explore the community and you will learn so much.

Plus you have someone to reach out to when you need help figuring stuff out. Having a vegan mentor is even better. Get online and make a post on the group Vegans In India and more than enough people will be happy to help. Don’t be too shy, no one will judge you for not getting everything right the very first time. No matter what part of the world you live in, there are vegan’s everywhere!

8) Find an alternative instead of ‘giving up’:

Ok so just because you chose to go on a plant- based diet, you do not have to give up on cheese, milk, ice creams or cakes! Once you connect with the vegan community around your location, you will be exposed to so many dairy alternatives and where to find them.

It is also really simple to make plant- based curds, mylk and cheese at home. Watch this video for a couple of ideas! Experiment with cooking or explore options available in super markets. White Cub makes excellent vegan ice creams available in most metro cities in india. Veganarke is currently local to bangalore but growing for milk/ curds alternatives in India. Unived is great for vegan supplements/ protein powders. Almost all major cities have countless home bakers, business owners that run all vegan businesses.

Giving up on something might lead to temptations and maybe even lead to you falling of the wagon. You want to find enough alternative options at least in the first year of going on a plant- based diet to make sure your you stick to it for long.

9) Eat enough!

 

Plant- based food is high in fibre so will fill you up fast. You might be eating high in terms of volume but not necessary calorically dense. Thus, people who switch to a plant- based diet might start losing weight instantly and fast. Eat apricots, dry fruits, avocados, dairy alternatives, dates, banana’s etc. All of these are high in calories and not as dense as having to eat the same calories worth of salads or soups.

If your goal is fat loss, great! get to your desired goal and then consciously work towards building muscle mass to maintain your weight. But if your goal is muscle gain, work with a nutritionist who understands or (even better) practices a plant- based diet to make sure you are getting enough calories in and in the right macros!

People too often switch back too soon thinking they will fall sick by not getting enough nutrients in on a plant- based diet. But darling its not as much about the nutrients (and trust me you are getting plenty of that!), but about just getting in enough calories.

10) Don’t expect everyone to understand you:

Especially in India where we worship cow and have been sold the dairy story from very early in our lives, people will not always understand you. In fact they will question your choices and decisions more often than ever.

Avoid getting into social media arguments with people trying to prove you are point. Trust me, a lot of the times the response simply is ‘you need to try it to know it’. In my seminars I have had people make statements such as ‘iv been drinking milk all my life and my health is absolutely fine’. Well that’s exactly how I felt before going vegan. Going on a plant- based diet and performing at my peak level now, I have a new best to compare it with. Sometimes, there is really no response to stupid arguments such as ‘plant’s have feelings too’. So do not waste your time and mental peace on stupid arguments.

I truly hope some of these tips do help you out! Remember to take your time and make the switch at a pace you are comfortable. There is no point in rushing too fast and then falling of the wagon. If you go on a plant- based diet but still cannot leave your cheese pizza, its still better than not taking any steps at all!

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!

High- Protein Vegan dinner recipe!

Protein, protein, proteins!

I made this high protein (25 grams of protein in one bowl) dinner bowl yesterday by putting in random ingredients but it turned out darn good!

Ok its legit as tasty as it looks ( 😉 ). No but seriously tastes amazing! Ill put the macros in below at the end of this post.

I first started with over roasting capsicum/ onion’s and tomatoes. I roasted them for about 20 minutes on 200 degrees. But roast them to the crisp you like. It was roasted without oil but with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and chilly flakes instead. That was part 1 of my bowl.

The next part was just 40 grams of boiled soy beans. The beans were soaked for 8 hours (all day) before cooking them.

The third and tastiest part was stir fried black lentils. Now I used a little bit of oil and stir fried these cooked black lentils (30 grams) with onions, garlic and finely cut tomatoes. For the spices I added turmeric, coriander powder and red chilly powder. To cut through the acidity I topped it with a bit of lemon juice. Also sprinkled in some sea salt.

The sauce used to garnish on top was a blend of Sriracha and peanut butter (1 teaspoon of both).

And there you have it! High protein vegan- dinner is ready!

Macros for the same are:

Protein: 25 grams

Carbs: 53 grams (13 grams fiber)

Fat: 9 grams

Calories: Approx 393.

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!

Newbie to a plant- based diet and losing too much weight :(?

This is the second most popular weight related question I get after the “how to lose belly fat”. For someone who is new to a plant- based/ vegan diet, if you do not look after your nutritional intake carefully, you will lose a lot of weight in a short span. This does not necessarily mean you are losing muscle mass, nor is it necessarily unhealthy weight loss (though some cases it might be).

Our bodies are fighting with us constantly to get back to an optimal weight range. The food we eat (or in many cases don’t eat) may interfere with our weight loss/ gain. Consuming more toxin’s into the body such as processed foods, factory- farmed meat/ dairy etc leads to a toxic environment in the body. Thus your body tries to stop all other activities and heal itself by trying to throw these toxin’s out. Side effects of the same could be anywhere from weight gain to lifestyle diseases such as diabetes.

The less toxin’s we put into the body, the faster the healing process and quicker it will get back to optimal weight range. So if you go from a high meat/ dairy diet to a plant- based diet over night and lose weight suddenly, consider it as a way for the body to get back to its optimal range and healthy. If however you feel you are under weight and feel week, lack of energy, depressed, stressed etc. read on.

Apart form toxin’s the body loses weight because of a few other reasons. Lets talk a little bit of science:

1 gram of carb= 4 calories

1 gram of proteins= 4 calories

1 gram of fat= 9 calories

Approx 3600 calories= 1 pound of body weight.

Animal based food (meat AND dairy) are both very high is saturated fat but low in carbs.

Eg:

100 grams beef= 15 grams fat

100 grams beans= 1 gram fat

So naturally if you are consuming high- fat, you are consuming high calorie. Think of weight gain/ loss as literally calorie- in vs calorie- out. If you eat more than you burn per day, you gain weight. If your per day caloric requirement is 2000 calories, you could be getting these easily from a high meat/ dairy diet because of all the fats. Though not the healthiest way to get calories and could lead to cholesterol/ heart diseases. But will help in weight gain.

Plant- based foods are high in fibre instead.

Again eg:

100 grams beef= 0 fibre.

100 grams beans= 16 grams fibre.

Fibre fills you up very fast. Think about eating a bag of chicken nuggets (no fibre) vs the same amount (in weight) of veggies (high fibre). Though not comparing taste (and by the way meat by itself does not have any taste, it gets the taste from the plant- based spices added on top to flavor it. Imagine eating raw uncooked meat for the taste ;/) or all the time it will take for you to chew the veggies, plant- based food will fill you up very fast and you will not want to eat too much of it. 500 calorie worth of oil’s/ processed, fibre deprived food does not send signals to the brain telling it to stop eating but 500 calories worth of high- fibre food will signal the brain that the stomach is full.

So you involuntarily end up eating less food and feel fuller, faster.

Ok so now we know why we lose weight with the sudden switch, lets see how we fix it.

Easy- eat food high is plant- based fats! Think dates, apricots, nuts, seeds, nut based butter, plant- based dairy alternative that are not processed like home- made soy- milk curds etc.

Also think quality over quantity. Dont take the ‘eat- more’ approach. It will not work on days you are busy, have no time to cook and travelling. Think about eating moderate but calorically packed food. For instance,

Eg:

A bowl of white rice= 200 calories (but too much to eat)

3 dates= also approx 200 calories (but quick and easy to eat).

My next YouTube video will have specific recipes and also a full workout plan that will help you take the right steps towards gaining some healthy weight on a plant- based diet.

But hope this post got you thinking!

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!

Veganizing food at Farzi Cafe- UB City!

Farzi Cafe at UB City, bangalore (and branches in other cites) is a very cozy yet live place to sit and enjoy the bangalore weather. This was my 4th or 5th visit here and I have had a fantastic experience every single time. Their cocktail menu is creative and very fancy, just like their food menu.

The chef’s mostly will customise the menu to get you vegan options, but the last time I went, we ordered items from the menu which were ‘accidentally vegan’. The chef’s are well aware of the concept of veganism, so make sure to call the chef from the kitchen to take your order instead of trying to explain the steward’s to veganize your food.

Ok lets just get to what we ordered. We literally told the chef to get us any two appetizers of his choice and one entrée. I love doing this at new places because

1) Its vegan food, duh! everything tastes good ;).

2) Mostly when you leave it to the chef’s, he will get the best dish because he wants you to like his choice.

The first appetizer he got was the Vada Pav #farzified.

This is sort of an inside- out take on the regular vada pav where the pav is inside the vada. We made sure the bread used to make the pav was vegan in case you are wondering. Honestly, if you like vada pav, this tastes exactly the same. Nothing fancy but very creative. The serving size is also very filling for two people. The vada’s are huge and filling. Spice level was moderate. But the garlic powder bed on top of which the vada’s sat was pretty spicy. A good start if you want something chatpata.

The next thing we got was the Karela Calamari.

This was literally deep fried bitter gourd sauted in sweet and sour mango sauce. Can I just say that bitter gourd has never tasted this good! Ok in retrospect we should not have got two deep fried apperizers because we were full by the end of this! But hey, what are cheat meal’s for ;). It would probably also be a good idea to gulp a good cocktail with your aperizers. Their Chai- Pani (cocktail) is amazing! We had a race the next day so we could not drink :(.

Ok moving on, our entrée was Wok tossed vegetables with peanut and tamarind salan- served with a side of dhaniya kulcha.

The curry was the yummiest! And surprisingly not very heavy on the stomach. This could be because it was vegan and made without cream/ ghee etc. Once again, the quantity was enough for two people. Its served with a side of fresh and warm dhaniya kulcha. I have tried the appams in asparagus sauce also here and that is very light and delicious too! Overall, I would rate the entrée a 7/10.

The only drawback literally of going to Farzi as a vegan is their lack of dessert options for someone on a plant- based diet :(. But then again, that’s just a in general problem at non- vegan restaurants in India. They have an exceptional dessert menu but none of them can be veganized. We left the place craving for something sweet.

Overall, UB city has some fantastic options like Sanchos (mexican), Srirache (pan- asian) and even Rasovara (Gujrati/ Rajesthani). I have tried them all and its really easy to veganize options in all of them. If in a mood for some desi- street style food served fancy, try Farzi. Else there are ample vegan options available for whatever your taste buds demand. Also, yeah none of them have dairy- free desserts :(. Maybe I will do a blog on only top 10 best vegan- desserts available in Bangalore! Imagine all the desserts I will have to try for that. For work of course ;).

Cost at Farzi: Approx 1400/- for two. No alcohol or desserts included.

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!

Will methi soaked overnight help in fat loss?

 

The most popular question I get on a regular basis is “is there any shortcut to lose weight fast?” Everyone wants to get there fast without having to put work in. But the truth is, there really is no substitute for hard work. Granted taken the right steps will help you get there a little easier, that’s why we hire nutritionist’s, fitness experts etc to show us the right direction. But you still have to put in the work! You still have to eat healthy most of the time and exercise on most days. A fitness expert can only write the routine for you, but you still have to work!

Methi water is one of such “shortcuts” I have come across people asking me about. While this by itself will not help you lose weight, but when combined with right nutrition and workout regimen, you will definitely see a marginal benefit in your progress.

Lets talk how,

1. A tablespoon of methi has about 6.4 grams of carbs and about 4-5 grams of fibre (daily intake for fibre should be 25-35 grams). Since modern day processed food diet lacks fibre, this is a fantastic way to get it in. The fibre in methi aids in digestion and helps relive constipation. We all know that a healthy body starts with a healthy gut and methi seeds help fix issues like IBS, indigestion etc.
2. While on a fat loss program, the body is constantly under a caloric deficit and inflamed due to moderate to intense fitness routine. Fenugreek seeds have been known to reduce inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation has been linked with reduces insulin uptake, bad bone health and even heart diseases. The increase in influence resistance is what is particularly important when it comes to fat- loss. Once we eat any food, it is converted to sugar in the body and either used up as energy or broken down by the hormone insulin to be stored in the liver or muscles as a source of future energy. However, inflammation interferes with the hormonal balance and increases the body’s resistance to the hormone insulin.
3. Fenugreek seeds also are loaded with calcium, B vitamins and iron. While on a fat- loss program, it is essential to have enough micro- nutrients as part of your diet. Micro- nutrients ensures the body has lesser and lesser cravings for junk food. This way you are more likely to stick to your diet plan than fall on the wagon.
4. Methi seeds help boost testosterone levels in the body. This is the hormone linked with increase in muscle mass (indirectly read as fat loss). It is impossible to “burn” off all you eat in an hour’s exercise program to lose weight. Think about it, one donut could be anywhere between 400-600 calories, that is about an hour on the treadmill just to burn off one donut! The right way to lose weight and keep that weight off is only by increasing muscle mass, that increases the body’s metabolism. A good metabolism means you are still burning fat while not in the gym.
5. Some studies have also linked methi seeds as an appetite suppressant. This could be due to the high- fibre content of the seeds. I however personally do not find myself feeling less hungry because of methi seeds. However, with all the benefit’s mentioned, there is really no harm in including them as part of your daily diet.

Of course there are loads of other benefits not only to fenugreek seeds, but leaves as well. But so are there with a lot of indian herbs like turmeric, cinnamon etc. I would suggest adding them to your diet but not depending on them as an only source to expect miraculous weight- loss.

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!

Why do indian men/ women carry a lot of fat around the belly?

Let’s talk belly fat! Because 70% of the clients I meet just want to reduce belly fat.

Now it is important to understand that the body decides where to lose fat from once you start exercising and eat right. No, spot reduction is not possible people! So the hours you spend on working those abs will not help you with belly fat reduction, I am sorry :(. You can however spot tone muscle fibres. So, for instance of you work really hard on your upper body and not enough on your legs, you will develop more strength and muscle fibres on your upper body. We see this in the gym all the time with guys having huge biceps/ chest but with chicken legs.

So once you lose all the belly fat and want to tone up your abs, the core training workouts will marginally help. So now that we understand spot reduction will not help, how do we go about reducing belly fat.

Well first understand women tend to carry more fat around the lower abs/ hips and thighs just because its biology. A women body is designed to procreate and the extra layer of fat around the belly will help you carry a baby safe. Men tend to carry a layer of fat around the lower back instead because through the generations men were the gender working in agriculture and outdoors and an extra layer of fat around the lower back is protective and helpful to work long hours with a bent back.

A little bit tiny layer of muffin top is healthy and good for you and OKEY! With a little bit of strategic training and understanding hormones will help you however get rid of it if you do want to.

Belly fat storage has been linked with high cortisol levels. Cortisol is the stress hormone released by the body in response to external or internal stress detected by the brain. External stress factors could be things like work pressure, relationship and family pressure, long work hours etc. Internal stress could be caused by not eating for long hours, hormonal imbalance in the body, lack of sleep/ rest etc. Cortisol receptors are stored around the belly and the more the release of cortisol, the more it goes and sits around the belly. This cortisol will then hold onto any fat from the food you eat and store it instead of using it as a source of energy.

Thus, you see a lot of people with lean limbs but a lot of fat around the belly. To reduce belly fat, reduce cortisol. My top ten tips to reduce cortisol is a whole different blog post I will write about soon. But external stress is not always in our control, we can however control internal stress. Taking steps like eating enough micro nutrients so that the body can repair itself, sleeping well, and not injecting toxins such as meat/ dairy are some of the ways we can control cortisol activity. Watch out to my article of some easy to follow tips to naturally reduce cortisol also soon.

The other way to help fight belly fat is by adding strategic cardio to your fitness routine.

Watch this video to learn more

Eating less processed food and more clean natural food like fruits and vegetables also helps! The more you stay away form packaged and process food, the lesser toxins you put into your body and easier it is for the body to digest. A lot of times what you think is belly fat might really just be water retention by the body and a bloated belly instead. Tips to reduce bloating are as follows:

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!

Plant- based diet- Step 1.

Happy world vegan day!!!!

One of the best decisions I made for my body was to go on a plant- based diet. Do I ever think about going back or ‘miss’ any food that is non- vegan, you bet I don’t. And this comes from a hardcore food lover and a once cheese pizza addict. If you have met me in person, you have seen how my eyes spark up at even the talk of food. For me, if something does not taste like unicorns in your mouth then its not part of my diet. My entire career is built on making people fall in love with food and building a healthy relationship with food. Trust me, you cannot meet any other person who loves food as much as I do. The first thing I do when I am booking flights to visit a new place is research the best food out there. Food is Bae, food is life, food over everything and everyone.

So how did an addict like me give up cheese, paneer, ice creams, ghee, butter, milkshakes forever? Like I have always said, do not “give up” anything but instead find an alternative that you love more than what is currently causing harm to your health. I have delicious food just like you do. No, wait, I lied. My food tastes better ;). And I am not talking about baked chips tasting better than deep fried or anything. Remove the health aspect out, plant- based food actually tastes better! Meat has no flavour. Try eating raw meat and you will know what I am talking about. Plants have a distinct taste to them. Meat has to be cooked using herbs and spices (plants!) to make it flavourful. I attended a talk today where the speaker said that if you had raw meat and a juicy mango in front of you, which one would you choose? Think about it.

So now that I have convinced you that plant- based food is flavourful, let talk about how to make it tasty and eating more of it.

1. Give yourself enough time to fall in love with it. Give your taste buds time to transition and be consistent with small changes you make. Maybe having 2 servings of fruits per day. Do it long enough for you to start enjoying the taste of fruits. Trust me, you will. Each one of them tastes distinct.
2. Make only one change at a time. Maybe starting your day with a smoothie like this . And no, these are NOT only for your post workout but can be had anytime. Or maybe switching just your lunch dairy- meat free?
3. Find an alternative you like! Now dont expect to fall in LOVE with almond mylk and soy curds from the very first time you try it. If you make curds at home, even store bought curds will not taste good enough for you. So obviously try multiple alternatives and choose one you like the best. Why only cow titty milk when you can have hemp mylk, soy mylk, cashew mylk, almond mylk, rice mylk, peanut mylk, oats mylk and the list goes on and on.
4. Be ready for some trial and error cooking at home. Soy curds clicked the very first time I made it at home. Check out my recipe link here but almond curds made at home was a disaster. Hey you live and learn!
5. Reach out! Follow some inspirational vegans on facebook and Instagram. Trust me the recipes and pictures they upload will make anyone want to turn vegan.
6. Try a rainbow of fruits and veggies. Especially if you travel and see something exotic that grows on trees, EAT IT! Colours excite us and the plant kingdom has such a wide range of flavours to offer. An apple tastes so different from an orange or a papaya. Try them all!
7. Go spice shopping- actually. I love Food Hall for this but if you find a cheaper alternative please comment below! Spices add the excitement to your food. Go shop for spices and experiment with it. Try weird combinations and let me know what clicks! Like I just made a herbal tea with cut apples, cinnamon and cloves and it was like magic early cold- rainy bangalore morning.
8. Explore all the vegan restaurants in your town and eat from each one of them, twice. This will open up your mind to the kind of options available. Restaurants also cook for the best taste and you will learn how to make your food tasty.
9. Try at least one new recipe per week. This way you are constantly learning new flavours and keeps food fun.

Hope these steps help you to take your first step!

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!

When to leave yourself in a choice- less state and when to give yourself a little freedom?

A lot of times my clients tell me I am too strict with them and don’t give them a lot of freedom with fitness or nutrition plans. This is sort of true because I obviously want them to get the best out of my programs and see the best version of themselves in the short time we have together.

But the same is not true when they see me uploading 4-5 cheat meals on my Instagram stories ;). The trick to enjoy the change in your lifestyle is to know when to leave yourself in a choice less state and when to be strict with yourself.

Lets break this post down in two parts: Workouts and nutrition. I will walk you through each part and explain when I do not give my body a choice and when I let myself a little freedom to do what I want. Following some simple steps, you too can maintain a lean physique and enjoy the freedom to cheat more than other people around you who strive really hard to maintain their body weight. You could call it the 80/20 rule or maintaining a balance between hard work and smart work. Either ways, these tips will keep you on track and stay committed towards always sculpting a better YOU.

FITNESS:

Choice- less state: I WILL squeeze in 6 workout sessions per week and that is a choice- less state. Now the world could come to a stop or I might be diagnosed with cancer and have only 7 days to live that week but I WILL squeeze in 6 workout sessions no matter what. I could be travelling to any part of the world but in the past year and a half I don’t remember ever having a week where I did not squeeze in 6 workout sessions.

NOTE, I did not say I will workout 6 days/ week, but rather complete 6 sessions per week. There are days where I wake up to morning cardio and then do an evening strength training session. I might take two days completely off that week where I am travelling. But 6 sessions is non negotiable. I have gone and exercised with bad menstrual cramps (its completely safe to do so, watch my YouTube video to know more) or with an ankle sprain. But 6 is the number and in that case my body doesn’t have a choice. Its mind over body every single week.

Freedom: Some times these workout sessions last only 20 minutes. Yup, I give myself the freedom to choose how long the sessions will last. Most are about 45- 90 minutes long, but some days when I am too exhausted or travelling a lot, they might last only 20 minutes. Maybe 20 minutes of stair climbing or a quick swim in the pool. I make a weekly workout calendar in the beginning of the week that looks like this.

Ok thats like 12 sessions in one week, but minimum I need to finish is 6. This way I get at least 6hours of physically being active per week. I also shuffle around the sessions sometimes and might not go by my written plan 100%, that’s another freedom I have. But 6 sessions is a choice- less state. Given I have the freedom to move around my sessions and choose what activity to do excites me.

Having the golden- 6 rule still keeps me on track and accountable. Sure there have been weeks where getting 6 in is a challenge, but knowing that I do not really have an option will push me to finish my weekly fitness routine. I have come home from long trips at 11pm and gone for a 20 min quick workout. I also have woken up at 3.30am on some days to finish my training when the rest of the day is packed with work. But most week’s are fine and more than 6 sessions easy. I live in the gym so I can afford that, but with a 9- 5 desk job don’t try to over stretch yourself with extra gym time that is more than necessary ;).

So if I complete 12 sessions in one week does that give me the freedom to do less than 6 sessions the next week? NO- 6 is choice- less. No matter what.

The freedom to choose date/ time/ activity but choice- less state when it comes to showing up. There is no way you cannot maintain a lean physique by just being consistent.

NUTRITION:

Choice- less state: Well there are a few things when it comes to my nutritional intake. One for example, when I am in bangalore breakfast 5/7 days will be cooked by me. This could be oats, quinoa, pancakes, smoothies etc. But 100% oil free food till lunch. I could choose whatever I feel like eating, but I need to make sure I know what is going in my food so I will cook it and it will remain oil free. The max I would do is use a 2 calorie per spray, spray oil for my first pancake but that too rarely because I do not have the patience to cook pancakes more than 1 time per month. This way I at least have the first half of my day done right.

Two is a plant- based diet. No, even if I am stranded in an imaginary island with no trees or fruits, I will NOT eat meat or milk a cow to drink milk. Cow titty juice is just gross. I will starve to death but not eat anything not plant- based. So no matter how tempting it is, no birthday cakes that are non- vegan, no desserts with dairy and no paneer or ghee! Not even one tbps not even one drop. That’s a choice- less state. I personally don’t think its as much about ethics as it is about determination and will power. It’s a no brainer for me now once someone says “that has milk”.

Freedom: Bring on all the vegan desserts! I never stop myself from vegan anything (probably why I don’t already have a six pack ;)). I also wont stop myself from weekend outings. I will go and enjoy all the plant- based food depending on what my body craves for. Mostly I don’t have much cravings and will just go out once maybe, but I don’t restrict myself too much. I dont have a cheat meal but its mostly cheat weekends.

I will eat whatever is cooked for the family even for my weekends. The food might have a little bit oil or is fried but thats the freedom I give myself. Unless I am consciously trying to lose weight, I am not very concerned about calories or macros. Overtime however, I have realised that I tend to make healthier food choices just out of lack of cravings and satisfaction of how my body feels and looks. But you really cannot go much wrong with home cooked food. It cannot be all that bad even if you indulge a little bit.

The freedom to eat what my body feels like provided its plant- based and free from animal products s what keeps my nutrition on track. 

Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!

 

 

 

What do I listen to when running a 5km?

Running does NOT give me the ‘runner’s high’. It is really NOT the most fun activity for me and I will avoid it whenever possible. I personally would love to do anything that involves iron and lifting heavy weights ;). But have been trying to excel at running lately and even prepare my body for my first ever trail run (25 km)! I know right, its exciting!

However, I NEED music plugged in at all times while running. Yes, I will go back home and NOT run if my headphones are not charged or my phone is dying or something. I might consider running barefoot but will not run without music plugged in.

Now I love desi music in general be it a club or the gym floor, but most of my running music is all english with a couple exceptions. Most of these songs are very motivating and will keep you self motivated to run faster. They are also all upbeat and peppy, duh! The playlist is 30 minutes long so if you are planning to listen to these while running a 5km, aim to finish the 5km before the playlist gets over (:

Try them and follow me on Saavan for more playlists by me!

 

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Do mail me with specific questions on info@RoshniSanghvi.com if you have any.

Visit my webpage RoshniSanghvi.com for customised meal and fitness plans to help you stay fit!

Visit my Instagram  for daily videos for motivation!

I also upload recipes and videos on Youtube. Do visit my channel and subscribe for more info.

Lets also connect on Facebook  and SnapChat (@roshnisanghvi)

Do like/ comment/ post your views/ tag a friend and share this post with anyone who may find it useful!