Thomas Edison, once said: “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” But, these words seem to be far from reality with lifestyle diseases on the rise year after year, thanks to unhealthy eating habits and poor lifestyle choices.
It is said that habits are often formed during childhood and according to psychologists’ dietary habits formed in childhood tend to last throughout your life. Eating right and being healthy have always been taken for granted. More often than not, health has always been the last priority. Under the garb of a hectic and busy schedule, health has been ignored totally. Excuses galore to eat home-cooked food and why not? When enticing advertisements and discounts come knocking on your phone by the minute, it’s difficult to resist temptations. The availability and convenience of junk food make it difficult to limit or avoid. It’s not the adults alone but kids are falling prey to eating junk food as well.
It is interesting to note that COVID-19 has brought health and immunity-boosting products to the forefront again. Brands are not shying away from capitalizing on this and promoting their products under the pretext of marketing them as healthy, nutritious, and immunity-boosting. People should not fall prey to such claims and must stick to the natural ways of boosting immunity and building good health. This type of ‘food-labelling’ on food aggregator apps with sections like healthy and nutritious food is not reliable. It’s important to be on guard and make informed and conscious decisions about your own health and well-being.
So, what is a trusted method for staying healthy? Various studies have thrown light on the lack of nutrition in the meals consumed by Indians. It is imperative that the right eating habits be ingrained from a young age. However, it is a difficult task to get children to form the right eating habits. You may have wondered whether you should steer clear of it at all cost or follow the mantra to enjoy everything in moderation. But, consumption in moderation is difficult as junk food is tempting because these highly processed foods are abundant in calories-especially in the form of fat and sugar-and little to no vitamins, minerals, or fibre. These ingredients make the craving for such foods strong. The more you eat these foods regularly, the more you get addicted.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one should have only 25 gms of sugar in a day. But, most end up having more than double/triple that amount. Consumption of unhealthy foods has a direct correlation to obesity and other lifestyle disorders such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiac issues and the likes. Too many youngsters are obese, have Type 2 diabetes and heart problems. The problem is heavy consumption of junk food.
The recently released GOQii Indiafit Report 2021 based on data collected from approx 5 million GOQii users indicates that the average pre-pandemic fasting sugar levels in January till mid-February was 138 mg/dl whereas in March till mid-April it rose to 165 mg/dl. 11.02% of users reported suffering from diabetes. Cases of Diabetes among teens are 2 times that of young adults. 13.67% of users reported high cholesterol, a figure that has remained stable for the past two years. Further, on immunity levels, as per the survey, it is observed that 15.18% of the people fall sick more than 2 times in a year, therefore they have lower immunity levels. The data revealed that more than 20% of teen users and young adults fall sick more than twice a year and hence have lower immunity levels.
The fact that obesity itself is a disease should not be ignored either. As per the National Family Health Survey – 4 (NFHS-4)- 4% of all adults in India between the ages of 15-49 are obese and 20% are overweight. As for children, 1.25% are obese and 3.75% are overweight. Over 25% of the urban population was found to be either overweight or obese.
Living a good healthy life requires one to embrace permanent and lasting changes – creating new habits, adding beneficial foods and fostering a sense of responsibility to improve the quality of your life. One has to take responsibility for their own lives. Make a lifestyle change that will give you strength and freedom to make the right food choices, and also help you build a healthy relationship with food.
The way you think about your health and wellness plays a role in the action you take towards living a healthier lifestyle. If you prioritize your health, you’ll develop a “wellness state of mind.” The first thing you will begin with is making the healthiest choice when it comes to food and physical activity. Before you begin to make changes in your lifestyle, knowing where you are in your journey towards health and wellness is important.
As a preventive healthcare company, we are striving to get people to be active and disease-free. Our coaches promote balanced nutrition and healthy eating. When it comes to eating right, one should ask themselves some very valid and pertinent questions – Am I having a balanced diet that comprises of all food groups such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, plant and animal sources of lean protein, low fat, low or eliminating sugar and low salt to sustain health, energy, and well-being. Remember eating right is not at all complicated. You don’t need to count calories all day long, just eat balanced and right foods and you will automatically start living healthy.
– Authored by Vishal Gondal, Founder & CEO, GOQii