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Silky Mahajan, a dietician, explains that many of her customers assume that they can follow certain diet regimes as they are popular. “People believe that it’s easy to lose weight by sticking to such fad or crash diets.

It’s interesting that they are called crash diets as they come crashing down after a while. If a diet regime has worked for one person, it may not work for another because each one’s body type is different. For example, sticking to a gluten-free diet and eliminating wheat from your body altogether means one is missing out on a number of amino acids. Gluten is present in rice as well and if everyone is so gluten-sensitive, they should stop eating rice too.”

Another fad diet, which has hit the IT space, is the ‘techie’ diet, where professionals consume liquid meals such as ‘scmoylent’ and ‘soylent’ that are rich in protein and come in the form of powder. Silky adds that though such substitutes may control hunger, they are no substitute for nutritious meals. The secret that lies tucked away behind these diets regimes is the massive amount of money that big food corporations make from these ‘healthy scams’. Click here to read more.

With fast-food eateries springing up everyday and junk food becoming a quintessential part of urban lifestyle, homemakers are becoming extra careful with their children’s diet. Creating counter-magnets to woo children away from junk food, giving an exotic makeover to home meals and even consulting nutritionists to execute both are some ways homemakers are dealing with junk food.

For instance, French toast has given way to oats moong toast, in which oats and dhuli moong dal are added with green chilies and coriander leaves to provide flavor and nutrition at the same time.

Experts believe healthy eating habits should be inculcated in children right after the breast-feeding phase.

Silky Mahajan, an independent nutrition consultant, assures better quantities of fiber and protein in what she calls “homemade junk food” for children. “As kids like fancy food, you could swap frozen vegetable patty with grilled sprouts in a burger or sandwich. For milkshakes, honey can replace sugar, and fruits can replace ice-cream,” she said.

The truth is often bitter, shocking and in this case, sprinkled with irony. In a country where 270 million people live below the ‘poverty line’ and survive on less than Rs 20 a day, a gradation in obesity among the middle and upper-middle class on the other end of the spectrum is a cause of concern. Rising income, advancement of technology and urbanization has resulted in a change in the consumption pattern and lifestyle of people here. As a result, obesity is on the rise, raising questions on what we consume and how we live. Dietician Silky Mahajan cites burgers, pizzas, quick-fix snacks and other forms of junk food as items that are rich in fat and lack nutrition. “Today, people are looking at other options such as preparing pizzas at home. Our diet should be colorful like a rainbow – with at least three servings of fruits and vegetables everyday so that we have adequate quantities of fiber in our body. However, it is not only about the diet but also about the quantity of food we eat.” If such simple factors are not paid heed to, the consequences are drastic and many; ranging from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, joint disorders to knee pain, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis. But what’s scarier is the increase in adolescent and teenage obesity. Silky adds that she works with children who suffer from obesity and obesity-related disorders such as hypothyroidism from the age of six. Bengaluru-based agency, Edu Sports, conducted a recent survey on 4, 000 school students across 15 cities and found more than a quarter of the students to be overweight. Doctors cite the main reason for childhood and teenage obesity as lack of exercise, spending too much time on screen and indulging in a variety of junk food as they are exposed to swanky commercial advertisements and a range of options. Today, parents also lack the time to prepare home-cooked food. Click here to read more.