Staying healthy in a pandemic struck world

The pandemic has changed the way we think or lead our lives. And given the learnings of the past year, many of us might be hopeful of adopting a sensible yet easy-going, new attitude towards fitness. So, as the year made us more conscious towards taking care of our body, will we re-embrace our old habits? Or will we remain the same person who wakes up with the sun and three mornings a week, heads out for a lengthy run? Well, experts tell us how the New Year health trends will be shadowed by what we learnt in 2020. Read on:

While we all kept obsessing over calories, fat and weight gain throughout these years, 2021 will change that. “Now the focus would be more on holistic, emotional and spiritual well-being. Health is not just food but many other things which will be in focus. Nutrition would not just be about the calories we intake and our weight,” explains celebrity nutritionist Rashi Chowdhary.

There has been a steady rise in the consumption of plant based diets as many health conscious individuals came to realise the benefits of proteins from plants that have lesser inflammation and also adaptogens which help in healing the body. “Plant based proteins are extracted from various plants such as hemp, green peas, brown rice, peanuts, wheat and various other plant sources. Even the fiber that comes from plants, helps, in various cholesterol and indigestion problems. My advice is that the human body needs only 0.6-0.8 grams per kgs body weight and a normal diet will suffice for a normal person. Sports and fitness warriors can add 15 grams of plant protein post their workouts,” recommends celebrity nutritionist Ryan Fernando.

More and more people will follow food minimalism and conscious eating for greater good of the planet. “This pandemic brought forth the fact that we are in the middle of a climate emergency too, so hopefully people will start to take their responsibility towards nature more seriously and waste less food. Secondly for a good part of last year we all managed with less — less food, less variety, less options. So, a lot many of us will hopefully not go back to the ‘eat max’ way of living we followed earlier,” opines nutritionist Kavita Devgan.

The novel virus made us know our body better and shifted the focus on boosting immunity. And chase for better immunity will be a part of our diet, this year too. “Immunity is directly related to gut health. Edibles that are good for the gut — that enhances good bacteria in intestines — is pro biotic food like garlic, onions, kimchi, yogurt, banana, whole grains among others. In 2021 gut health will be very important,” says nutritionist Pavleen Gujral.

The traditional remedies are here to stay and we’ll continue our faith in them. “Turmeric milk for busting inflammation, amla juice for Vitamin C, ashwagandha for its mood-boosting power, among others, are a few traditional remedies one will opt for,” adds Devgan.

“Going for walks is the best exercise and helps cease many problems, be it hormonal or diabetes or asthma. Even going for cycling regularly can be a workout trend in 2021,” says nutritionist Tripti Tandon, adding, “We learnt last year how we can manage to stay fit with no gyms, I see a bend towards this.”