Mastering the modern life: How to keep up with the nutrition

by | October 15, 2019, 12:00 AM IST

The pace of the current-day lifestyle is challenging to say the least, which makes fueling your body with the right amount of nourishment essential. Here's how to bridge the nutrition gap to live your best life.

Today, life is being looked at through a healthy lens while trying to shuttle between different tasks and trades. People are demanding the maximum out of their bodies while carefully monitoring what and how much they eat. One is constantly stretching their limits to match the growing expectations of the modern lifestyle—be it staying awake till late, working longer hours, or following a rigorous fitness regime. To sum it up, there is little to no equilibrium, with our health ultimately bearing the brunt.

“While we are more concerned about calories, our awareness about nutrition is up for question. Majority of the Indian population is deficient in some or the other micronutrients, and are falling sick very often. The fact remains, even though we are more aware about our body and its needs today compared to our forefathers, we aren’t half as healthy and sturdy as they were,” Varun Khanna, director at Full Life Healthcare and CMO of Fast&Up, shares his concerns.
Here are different factors that are holding you back from living your best life
Your sedentary lifestyle is degrading the quality of life in more ways than you realise. Lack of sleep over the week, and oversleeping during the weekend is more casual than occasional. Exercise is taken on with an all-or-nothing attitude, and eating on the go has emerged as the subtle art of multi-tasking. Take a moment and identify various aspects of your routine, which are keeping you away from achieving optimum fitness levels.

Lack of strength: Most women work on the take-till-you-break motto. The physiology of a woman is more resilient than her male counterpart. In addition, the societal expectations wire the female mind to endure the pain and discomfort till one absolutely can’t. As a result, you tend to neglect nutrition and ample supplementation that lead to deficiencies, and perpetual low energy levels.

Inadequate sleep: Just like a machine needs lubricant, sleep helps the body to recover and repair. Lack of sleep can wreak havoc on the body, having adverse effects on your overall health, from mental stress to weight gain.

Insufficient physical activity: A desk job, a buzzing city-life, a crammed schedule—such a living often translates to several hours of physical inactivity. There’s never enough time or energy to hit the gym since most days tend to be mentally draining. One can opt for simple exercises like a walk in the park and climbing a flight of stairs, or go for a rigorous workout in the gym, and other outdoor activities like running, hiking, etc. Daily physical activity of 20 to 40 minutes is the simple secret to ageing gracefully.


Unattended stress:
Stress is not limited to mental and emotional discomfort alone, but extends to physical issues as well. Untreated stress can contribute to health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

Insufficient nutrition: It’s not enough to be careful with your food choices but also to discern how well it benefits you. Environmental factors are highly affecting the produce, which implies that simply one apple a day, won’t be able to keep the doctor away. Gaurav Aggarwal, founder and CEO of One Life, says, “Consider the quality of food that was available a few decades ago to what we get today. The produce is certainly nutrient depleted. Also, the level of free radical damage is high due to pollution, stress, and an inactive lifestyle. In such a scenario, there’s a need to replete the existing nutrition gap.” 
Are dietary supplements the need of the hour?
The Indian audience has always been skeptical about resorting to dietary supplements, which are only considered a viable option when a doctor recommends them, often in the process of treating an existing health problem. There needs to be a marked shift, and people need to actively adopt preventive healthcare practices to keep diseases at bay and improve the quality of life.

Dushyant Sharma, founder and director, Temple Wellness Ventures, India, explains, “Low immunity, vitamin deficiencies, excess fat, or carbohydrate consumption are pre-cursors to major diseases. Such inconsistent and poor dietary choices driven by a stress-fueled lifestyle are some of the primary reasons why supplements have gained prominence in the past decade. They aim to prevent the deterioration of bodily elements and functions.”

Experts discuss the major reasons behind indian audience’s resistance towards supplements:

Given our culture and the anecdotal approach towards healthcare, we have always been sceptical about terms like ‘chemicals’ or unfamiliar ingredients in general, and find solace in consuming ‘natural’ ingredients. What we completely miss out on is the fact that these natural ingredients also have active molecules aka chemicals that provide those very benefits that the nature-derived ingredients are known for. Supplements aim to provide those benefits in a more scientific and concise manner. The awareness about the same is building with the medical community advocating their benefits as preventive or even adjuvant therapy. Most of the shift in attitude of course is based on the visible beneficial results.
Dushyant Sharma, Founder and Director, Temple Wellness Ventures India

The key barriers that this sector faces are assumptions of supplements being medicines, and having side effects on the body. A major part of the audience is not friendly with consuming pills, and the clinical packaging of a lot of brands adds to the intimidation.
Aditi Chakravarty, Head of Brand Marketing at Setu

The Indian mindset is completely changing, and people are now more open to consuming supplements than ever before. Due to increased awareness regarding one’s health, and of course quality standards, many concerns that used to keep Indians away from nutritional supplements are now being allayed. There are also novel ways of consuming supplements, such as in the form of effervescent tablets, which take away the ‘medicinal’ image, and make it more delicious and fun!
Varun Khanna, CMO, Fast&Up; Director, Full Life Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
Supplements and preventive healthcare

If the food produce that’s available to you isn’t healthy enough, there is little you can know or do about it. In such a scenario, supplements serve as an effective and accessible way to ensure the required intake of nutrients necessary for optimum health. Taking this route is easier than you think as every supplement comes with a fact panel that lists the contents, amount of active ingredients per serving, and other added ingredients like fillers, bindings, flavourings, etc. along with a suggested serving size for your perusal.

Aditi Chakravarty, head of brand marketing at Setu tells, “More than just resorting to supplements when you are ill, they should be taken regularly along with the food we eat. Given the perpetual stretch we are in, and the growing need to be fit, our diet simply does not provide for the essential nourishment that our vitals need. Hence, being future-ready and smart about your health is what supplements aim at bringing in. They are created by sourcing the highest quality of natural ingredients, backed by extensive research, and patented formulations.”
Are supplements an all-natural source of nutrition?
There’s a whirlwind around add-on nutrition concerning whether they are akin to medicinal drugs or simply a far, unrelated look-alike. To promote a positive approach, Khanna clarifies, “With a boom in biotechnology, it is now possible to derive your major vitamins, amino acids, etc. through fermentation. There are more standardised ways of extracting herbal ingredients which didn’t exist a decade ago.” Gayatri Dawda, senior nutritionist from One Life India confirms by adding, “Most nutraceuticals are sourced from natural extracts. Many manufacturers are inclined to providing raw, organic ingredients with minimal processing to the consumers.” 

Do supplements clash with medicines?
When on medication, supplements are advised to be taken only under supervision in order to avoid any unforeseen interactions. An expert who knows your medical history will be able to accurately access the role of supplements in your recovery. This is because, “Supplements have ingredients that may increase or decrease the potency of the drugs taken for illnesses,” Aggarwal explains. A medical opinion is also recommended during pregnancy or when one is nursing.

Get started!
As you hurriedly head towards 2020 where slowing down is not an option, it’s significant that you are prepared for the modern indulgences that the year unfolds. “Clinically-researched and naturally bio-active health supplements are a key to a supercharged tomorrow, and given the growth that the health and wellness sector is seeing, Indians are ready to take their health in their own hands now,” states Chakravarty.

Supplements complement your food and do not substitute it. Hence, stick to a wholesome diet, and take your pick of supplement(s) depending on your need. For instance, team your meals with vitamin E to promote hair and skin health, vitamin D and calcium for stronger bones, and iron to combat weakness and treat anaemia. vitamic C, turmeric, garlic, glucosamine, probiotics, and fish oil are other popular choices in supplements.

With growing needs, this sphere is also advancing. From offering supplements for better weight management, and nurturing eyes to keep up with the jarring screen time to oral sunscreen for a uniform coverage of the total body surface area and deeper sun protection, there’s a plethora of nutritional options to choose from.
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