FOOD FOR THOUGHT, LITERALLY!

Manpriya Singh

Ironically, in the chase for novel diets what eventually suffers the most is the nutrition! A new fad emerges every alternate day and not until a celebrity adopts it, does it get dissected the way it should be. Like Beyonce’s famous 22 vegan diet ahead of Coachella 2018 that was extended to 44 days. 

Not everyone came on board with the diet plan that the singer revealed on social media, but that was enough to get talking about how strict diets are pointless; metabolism is personalised. As the National Nutrition Week, begins we take a look at what’s evolving and at the same time, what’s ailing the diet and nutrition industry.  

Oldest is the latest 

The sole credit for underlining that point goes to celebrity nutritionist and author Rujuta Diwekar, who has on occasions more than one, told Chandigarh folks why pickles, ghee and pinnis should in fact be back on the plate. Eating what your grandmother ate is what’ll put you in sync with nature.  

“One must believe in the power of foods that are locally grown and are also seasonal. Take food in any group; if it naturally grow where you grew up and live, then that is best for you. Also think to yourself, did your grandmother have that food?” she had said to a packed audience at Chandigarh Literature Festival a couple of years ago. 

Keep up with diets 

Unfortunate as it may sound; diets are the victims of buzzwords. Thanks to Kardashians, Ketogenic diet is a household name; then there is Miranda Kerr who swears by ‘Intermittent Fasting’. In between many a fads, tested waters and faded. Atkins diet, Paleo diet being the forgotten cases in point. Just as a few grew faint, many more emerged by the day. There’s TLC diet (not tender love and care please) Weight Watchers Diet (isn’t everyone diet that), The Flexitarian diet, The DASH diet and what have you?  

Chandigarh-based clinical nutritionist and dietitian Dr Raman Dhami breaks down one such diet, the Volumetrics Diet for us. “It’s all about the feeling of satiety. This type of diet is mainly water-rich and comprises fruits, vegetables and fibre-rich foods.  Although it is best suited for those people who do not want to cut back on the quantity of their food, but that does not mean it comes without the flipside.” She warns against people with bloating, IBS patients or those with renal stones going in for his diet. “No one diet can work for any two people. That’s’ the golden rule to be followed whenever going in for any diet programme,” which is why she personally never advises clients on following fads.   

Intuitive eating

Those in still in search of a balanced, sustainable, dream diet that ticks off all the boxes might be delaying the process of a concept that finds its way in, “Listen to your body”. 

It’s a no-brainer that intuitive eating is finally finding strong advocates in nutritionists across the world, which is just what actor Vidyut Jammwal does and even shared during his visit to Chandigarh earlier this year.  “One must listen to the body. Even if that means starting your day with sugar. The body knows and the only thing is we need to be trained to do it,” coming from one of the fittest actors in Bollywood and top six martial artists in the world… that speaks volumes.   

Health is holistic

Concepts like gut health, plant-based proteins, personalised nutrition and even genetic testing for diet plans are finally getting due attention.  “Microbiome and gut health, and digestive wellness are key concerns. Not only eating right and healthy is important, diet diversity plays an important role too,”  asserts Chandigarh-based duo Geet and Namrata Sethi from the House of Diets, where they not just chalk out a  four-week meal plan, but ensure the meals are home–cooked and delivered at the doorstep. All this to counter the horrors of diet fads and skipped dinners in pursuit of a magical, but unhealthy weight loss! 

“The current world is divided into two halves when it comes to fads; one half is on Keto diet and the other half on Intermittent Fasting. We are dangerously swaying between over-nutrition and malnutrition,” adds Geet Sethi.  “But, thankfully, people have realised weight loss doesn’t have to be at the cost of hair loss, poor skin and lack of energy.” 

manpriya@tribunemail.com