Working & Undernourished Youth Of Today

Understanding your body’s needs is not much difficult if you listen to it.

 

When daily needs are not fulfilled with wholesome diet, deficiencies occur.

 

Calories can always be derived from any type of food but where do they get their nutrition from? When body stays starved for long hours, it starts breaking lean tissues and not using fat for burning calories. Then when they eat, body uses the food to form stores for next starvation period. If not enough, these workaholics forget to drink enough water. In the later years when metabolism starts getting slow due to lack of physical activity, it becomes easy to gain weight (remember not gain health!!!)  

Such lifestyle mishaps increase the vulnerability of chronic constipation, lack of energy and overweight.

 

A REAL LIFE STORY:

 

25 year old Sarika worked as a front desk receptionist in a wellness center. She was staying away from home, as a pg. She had long working hours which yielded less time to cook. She used to rely on packed snacks, biscuits, Maggi noodles and vendor foods. 

 

Homemade fresh foods were a treat for her which she made for herself only on weekends. 

She came to me with the complaints of weight gain, constipation, vomiting and gas. My advice for her was like this:

 

1. She has to take one bhakhri/paratha/ roti (leftover from previous day meal) with glass of milk for morning breakfast. 

 

2. She must eat one fruit in office before starting work. Natural sugar of fruit will provide energy till lunch time.

 

3. She should drink minimum of 3 liters water daily.

 

4. She should eat homemade lunch and for that she must get up on time and prepare lunch. 

 

5. In the evening she should eat either get poha/upma/ sandwich from vendor – better option than burger, parle –G biscuits, Maggi noodles or dry Manchurian.

 

6. She must get buttermilk from home or purchase Amul probiotic buttermilk and drink after 2 to 2 ½ hours of lunch or with lunch.

 

7. Always keep stock of roasted peanuts and chana in office drawers so that on feeling hungry can grab a handful of it.

 

8. Stay hydrated with water, lemon water, green tea or coconut water.

 

9. Keep soy milk, probiotic buttermilk or fruit in office refrigerator as SOS.

 

After following these advises, Sarika started feeling a change in her and was motivated to continue and make it a lifetime habit. 

 

A BANKER BEING ROBBED OFF NUTRIENTS:

 

Aashita was a M.B.A working for multinational bank. Her story was identical like Sarika. 

 

Aashita gained 5 kg. within 6 months of her job. She was alert to start gym to stop the gaining weight. However she didn’t lose much weight and she came to me. After looking at her diet recall, I could see that she was doing lots of things but she was not eating nutritionally adequate food to sustain her. At this age she needed to ensure that her body has all the nutrients it needs- the right proportion of carbs, protein, fats along with all other vitamins and minerals.

I advised her that once her body has the right nutrients as per her exercise needs, her lean body weight (muscle and bone weight) will increase, which will ensure stronger body overall. If her lean body weight increases, her fat burning will also improve. To use fat as a fuel she needed to eat well and balanced food.

 

I made following modifications in her diet:

 

1. After waking up she should have her milk and after one hour one fruit 

 

2. By mid-morning she should eat complex carb food like homemade poha/upma/sprouts/chilla/dhokla etc. (her job was demanding so she had to store energy if lunch got late)

 

3. Lunch can be homemade roti-vegetable and curd

 

4. By 4.00 p.m. with her tea she can have a handful of assorted nuts (something which takes few minutes to eat on while working. It is nutrient dense and keeps you filled  for long time.)

 

5. Evening 5.30 p.m. snack should be a fruit that helps giving energy for her gym that she was doing from 6.30 to 7.30. 

 

6. Soon after gym she was advised to take whey protein shake (to replenish muscle wear & tear done while exercise)

 

7. Dinner by 8.30 should be anything that is made at home. At this age she should not go on a diet that restricts many things but if she takes filler from home, outside food consumption will be less automatically. 

 

8. Minimum 3 liters of water to keep her hydrated and to help her body function well.

 

However, I also gave her ideas what to eat when she wants to enjoy her Sundays. 

 

Few eat smart options helped her in losing weight as well as enjoying favorite foods.