EASY TO BE HEALTHY??

 Over the last few months, the country was devastated by the sudden demise of young people like Siddharth Shukla and KK, and even Raju Srivastav recently. There were similar tragedies closer to home too but they were not in the limelight. For instance, a resident of Zoo-road, Guwahati lost his businessman brother (aged 46) suddenly, a non-smoker, non-alcoholic fitness freak, while working out in the gym. Such news has managed to instill fear in the minds of young people because now, it is death of young people which seems to be in “trend.” If people who work out regularly in the gym are suffering from sudden cardiac arrests, what about the average “young” individual who is not very conscious of his health?

As such, there is now a shift towards “healthy lifestyle choices” especially among young people. Gym registrations are increasing, along with the work pressure! YouTube is also helping to fuel this choice – fashion influencers like Komal Pandey, FitTuber and others releasing videos with tempting titles like “What I eat in a day”, “How I lost 10 kgs in 2 weeks” etc.  So now, everyone is trying to lead a healthy life. But how easy is it to do so?

First and foremost, a healthy lifestyle calls for change in the eating habits and choices. This means that there should be balanced proportion of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, fiber and vitamins in the diet – this suggest the intake of a good amount of green and leafy vegetables every day. Now, most of us are aware that that majority of vegetables that we buy now from our local vendors and retailers are grown with the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and many different kinds of available hormones. As a remedy, many people suggest that the vegetables should be blanched/washed with warm water before use. But can fruits be boiled before consumption and is the blanching sufficient to get rid of these chemicals?

Another option that many healthy people are now coming up with is to consume “organic” vegetables that are available in the supermarkets and malls – “fresh” vegetables arranged neatly in packs with a “organic” sticker on top – the sticker suggesting that no chemicals were used for their production. Some fitness vloggers/bloggers also suggest that “dairy” should be a complete “no” in the diet when one chooses to be healthy. This means that milk and milk products (including ghee, paneer, cheese) should not consumed at all. And then there are suitable alternatives to animal milk – plant-based milk products like almond milk, soy milk can be used as substitutes and they claim to taste just the same! But is this choice “same” to the pocket also?

    A tetra pack of Amul Tazza (1L) costs around Rs. 63-65, whereas its “healthier” substitute, almond milk, costs Rs. 120-180 for the same amount. The same difference in the cost margin is observed between the locally grown vegetables and the organically grown ones. Even tofu, the substitute of paneer (or soybean for thyroid patients), is expensive. Therefore, making a healthier choice in terms of food is not that easy. In addition, there are a lot of superfoods currently available in the form of chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, sunflower seeds etc. that can fulfill the nutritional requirements of the body and cut down on calories. There are even different supplements available from different brands like Ozyva, Healhthify, Evion – “plant-based” powders and supplements that can be consumed in place of our daily meal and serve as an excellent pre-or post-workout meal. Now, even these are not as economical as they sound or may claim in their advertisements – a small jar of pumpkin seeds costs around Rs. 160-180. Even gym memberships have variations in terms of the attention one seeks from the trainer/instructor. The ancient Indian art of ‘Yoga’ has also got its varied (and high) price tag under the classification of “power yoga”, “hot yoga”, “chakra yoga” and others.

This is not meant to offend anyone who has managed to or are is able to incorporate these healthy options to their lifestyle – kudos to you all! But not everyone can afford to make such choices even if they want to because today life itself is very costly than it was 10 years ago, yet the basic requirement - Roti, Kapda, aur Makaan - still stands the same and remain unfulfilled (or partly fulfilled) for many. Health is wealth and we should take care of it immensely but making a healthier choice is not as “pocket-friendly” as it may seem. So what option are we left with now – any suggestions??