Urban millennials vs protein deficiency: Who will win?
A person needs 1 gm per ideal body weight of protein every day to keep up.
Why India is one of the largest producers of milk, yet recent findings show our intake of protein-based calories is negligible and hasn't changed in twenty years.
Welcome to 2020 India, where the portion sizes are generous, extras toppings aren't expensive, and new apps are making it too easy to order in, rather than grocery shopping and home cooking.
The average guy works long days and parties hard on the weekend.
His life revolves around…
- Hitting snooze before waking up late and rushing out the door without breakfast.
- Stress-filled office presentations loaded with multiple cups of caffeine-pumped drinks, sugary biscuits and fried snacks
- Late-night overtime to make those deadlines fuelled by skipped meals or instant noodles.
- Bar hopping on weekends overflowing with alcohol and greasy food.
What about exercise, you ask? It usually starts and ends at having the latest wearable tech and that 'perfect-for-Instagram' selfie with a friend's green shake.
Young Indians are far more interested in the 'look good' value of healthy living than actually balancing work, play and sleep or caring about the nutritional content of their food. Granted, in many cases, it’s more so due to lack of time and work-life balance than a lack of intent. Yet, we must accept food is the thing that connects us. We're all foodies at heart, and there’s a reason nutritious, homemade food is the first thing that comes to mind when we're ill and need comfort.
So what happens when the body can't keep up with the rat race? Incidence of severe infections, hair, skin and nail problems and poor health of bones and muscles increase. And the nutritionists are worried about the increasing trend of lethargy and obesity, which is what led to the Nutritionist’s Meet 2019.
Nutritional experts from across various cities recently came together for a meet to talk about issues like ‘What's making people pick sitting on the couch over getting their blood pumping with some exercise? Is exhaustion just because we're working too hard or are there other underlying factors?’. Significant takeaways included the breakthrough showing that one of the root causes of always being exhausted is the lack of proper meal planning, too much salt and an overload of sugar. Consistently poor food choices can lead to a breakdown and loss of muscle mass. Increasing this muscle mass is crucial to controlling weight and burning calories.
Dietician, Nutritionist, Certified Yoga Teacher and Health coach Heena Bhimani spoke her own experience in this area. She figured that "Lethargy gets the best of us at times, but there's always a solution to overcome it. The real problem is low strength and stamina to get up and work out due to low protein in our bodies. A person needs 1 gm per ideal body weight of protein every day to keep up. Protein is what makes us active and gives us the strength to work out to stay fit. It also helps in increasing metabolism rate to burn more calories"
But as a health expert, even she recognises the struggle is real. "With my increasing workout levels, it was challenging for me to keep up my protein intake. Thanks to Protinex Lite that has zero added sugar, I now meet my protein requirement and can keep my strength up for longer. I couldn't have asked for more," she adds.
If eating healthy is tough even for experts, it looks like the best incentive to getting more people to eat healthier is to show them how it's done. But what if healthy cooking is entirely doable? Experts at the meet dug in and created fun delicious recipes with the Vanilla flavoured Protinex Lite.
"Anyone with basic kitchen skills can whip up a healthy recipe with a product like Protinex Lite without compromising on taste or health," says Nutritionist, Recipe Curator and Diabetic Educator, Shikha Tibarewala. Even if you have no cooking skills, a powerful health supplement like this is delicious with just a glass of milk or even water.
If you love cooking, instead of just binge-watching cooking shows, how about getting off the sofa and experimenting with a little healthy cooking on the weekend? It's easy to make almost anything healthier when you have a protein powder that's easily digested and absorbed and comes in a range of flavours to try.
Overall the importance of protein and fibre are evident we must keep up with the demands of life in the fast lane. The problems we see above are not new or unique. They are everywhere. Some can be discussed openly; others can be embarrassing but easily fixable.
"The right amount of fibre is critical for gut health and to relieve constipation," says Creator of #blapdiet, Diet & Fitness Coach and Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist Simran Khosla. Talking about this one of the most common problems young adults have today, she adds, "Soluble fibre makes waste softer, and easier to pass, while insoluble fibre adds bulk to your faecal material, which prevents that constipated feeling."
While new diets and nutritional breakthrough will continue to happen, there is always room for improvement on what we have currently. Fixing the way we eat and what we eat is the most natural first step India needs to take towards a healthier and more active future.
This is a partnered post.