Encapsulating the urgent need for healthy lifestyle among  professionals whose jobs demand 24x7 hours of working , Ms. Rupali Dutta, Chief Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics with Fortis Healthcare, Vasant Kunj – New Delhi gave an insightful talk on the ‘Nutrition for Healthy Corporate Lifestyles’ at the Discover Lecture Series.

She emphasized on the ‘facts’ which lead to chronic non-communicable conditions, i.e. CDD, diabetes, obesity, cancer and respiratory diseases  and are now becoming a major cause of death and disability worldwide.

She also said that it is essential to check whether your intake of food is high in sugar, salt or saturated fats. Nutrition transition and increasingly sedentary behaviour is occurring at a much faster pace in developing countries than in the developed world. Routine physical activity can also help reduce osteoporosis, which mostly affects older people.

The next important question which you need to ask yourself is, “are you healthy?” If you love eating fast food, spend most of the time in front of TV and are overweight, then you might be at health risk. So, start learning how to utilize certain foods.

The consequences obesity is related to malnutrition, which ultimately affects the bones as you tend to gain weight and there is no exercise at all. The other diseases which you can get with obesity are: diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension, kidney failure, back-pain, sleep apnea, anorexia/bulimia, limited mobility etc.

What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

It is a measure to differentiate underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity. The normal BMI should be between 18.5-22.9, pre-obese is 23.0-24.9 and obese people have more than 25.0 BMI.

Ideally, a waist ratio of 0.9 for men and 0.8 for women is recommended by nutritionists.

Thus, if you are obese then you can prevent it on your own.

The various ‘causes’ leading to obesity are unhealthy eating habits, sedentary lifestyles and heredity/hormonal changes.

The four basic components of a healthy lifestyle include balanced diet, physical exercise, self control and healthy social life. Following them requires a very little effort and the benefits are tremendous.

Apart from regular exercise, one should follow a food pyramid which comprises grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and meat all in a required proportion.

The components of a balanced diet consist of 60% carbohydrates, 20% proteins, 20% fats and 30 gms of fiber. The good carb choices which contain lots of fibers are whole-grain foods, fresh fruits and a variety of other foods. The carbohydrates which should be consumed less are white bread, white rice, sweetened fruit drinks, sweets and desserts.

Protein foods help in building strong muscles and bones. Protein foods do not make the blood glucose go up like some carbohydrates do. Having protein in your meal can help you feel less hungry.

The foods that are a good source of protein are: meat and poultry without extra fats, fish, low-fat cheese and eggs, nuts and dried peas/beans.

Some guidelines should be followed while having food like you should always eat in a relaxed way with your five-senses, chew well, don’t gulp and sit properly. Also, don’t have tea with food as nothing is absorbed.

The benefits of fiber in diet are that as it is a plant-based food which is rich in soluble-fiber and lowers LDL cholesterol. It is abundantly found in legumes, oats, fruits and psyllium (isabgol).

The benefits of physical activity include:

-          Exercise helps diabetics improve insulin sensitivity

-          Reduce cardiovascular risk factors by lowering LDL and increasing HDL

-          Helps control weight, develop lean body mass and reduce body fat.

-          Work-outs should be from 30 mts-60 mts

-          Join dancing/ yoga classes and head towards treadmill in gym

So, incorporate physical activities in daily life by substituting indoor games with outdoor/ sports activities and use staircase instead of elevators.

Finally, there should be stress management by having a positive attitude; plan your activities, share problems with friends and family by spending more time with them, meditate for 15-20 mts everyday and sleep for at least 6-8 hours daily.

She concluded this interesting session by saying that healthy body always resides in a healthy mind. The key to be successful is to be always healthy.

The next session will be held on Friday, July 30, 2010 which will be delivered by Amitabh Kumar, President – Technology, Dish TV on the topic “Mobile TV” .

Report by: Preeti Panwar

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