Pic by Rupinder Sharma

With each passing year, health and fitness devotees are rooting more strongly for holistic healing and a complete workout of the mind and body. Dieting is passé — and certainly no longer a ‘trend’ — as people are looking towards healthy dietary habits as opposed to dieting or starving themselves.

Consistency in fitness is a long-term issue now, so, people are not just consulting experts but also implementing technological advances in their day-to-day life. They are using a host of health and fitness gadgets and gizmos to keep a strict eye on their health and fitness levels.

Here’s looking at some important trends which are going to be practised and implemented in the coming year:

Nutrigenomics

Every body type is different from the other and so is each person’s metabolism. Which is why, some people have a tendency to put on weight while others stay slim and trim no matter what they eat. Special diet programmes like nutrigenomics — which is the study of how different foods can interact with particular genes to alter a person’s risk of developing diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancers, and how individual genetic differences can affect the way we respond to nutrients (and other naturally occurring compounds) in the foods we eat — will gain popularity. A blood test would determine what kind of food would work for a person’s body and what won’t. By tracking one’s family history and its susceptibility to diseases one can also be advised a specific diet so that the person can steer clear of foods that won’t go with his or her gene type.

Functional food

Functional foods provide special health benefits which go beyond their nutritional components like energy, vitamins, minerals etc. Today, an increasing number of people are opting for functional foods. For, they are natural or formulated foods that enhance normal body functioning and also prevent diseases.

Some functional foods include garlic, onions, wholegrains, legumes, flax seeds, soy, broccoli, grapes, berries and nuts. A number of functional foods can also be bought off a store shelf like pro-biotic yoghurts, oats, and also oils like virgin coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil. Also, antioxidant-rich foods such as wholegrains, fruits, vegetables, green tea, nuts and seeds are substances that may protect your cells against the effects of free radicals (molecules) which can damage cells, and may play a protective role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

Allergy testing because of allergens/ toxins on the increase

In today’s environment, allergies can be triggered by naturally occurring substances such as foods, pollens or other toxins in our surroundings. People are now aware of such allergies and are making it a point to get themselves tested and opt for a diet that helps to keep their allergies at bay.

Celiac disease/ gluten intolerance, a condition where an individual cannot tolerate gluten, is on the rise. Eating foods with gluten causes an immune reaction in the small intestines that can damage the lining of the intestines thus leading to lower absorption of essential nutrients, mal-absorption of foods and nutritional deficiencies.

Gluten intolerance is a permanent condition and requires life-long strict restrictions on gluten along with nutritional supplements to correct deficiencies. Such people are recommended a life-long gluten-free diet. A gluten-free diet usually helps restore normal health. Many individuals with gluten intolerance may also have lactose intolerance, that is, they may not be able to tolerate milk.

The food industry seems to be responding to the increased demand for gluten-free and allergen-free foods and allergen labelling.

Nutritional supplements

In today’s world, where working professionals are always on the move and do not have the time to pick the right kind of foods, nutritional supplements may be recommended. Today, people are more aware that vitamin deficiencies can have adverse effects on their health. Vitamins like B12, Vitamin D, Omega 3, magnesium, calcium and iron are some of the commonly recommended supplements. While Vitamin B12 is essential for the production and re-generation of red blood cells and nerve cells, Omega 3 helps the brain function well and reduces the chances of forming blood clots in the brain. It is also helpful in reducing abnormal heart rhythms and strokes.

Vitamin B12 is mostly found in foods like meat, liver, egg, shrimp and so for vegetarians, a dairy-rich diet should be paired with Vitamin B12 in a tablet form as a supplement. Since people who smoke have lower levels of Vitamin B12, they need to take Vitamin B12 tablets. Sometimes, a lack of B12 in older people and vegetarians can cause slowly progressing and irreversible nerve damage.

Technology in monitoring health and fitness — what you can measure, you can manage

In today’s day and age you needn’t necessarily visit a health and nutrition expert for every little issue like cal- culating your BMI or monitoring your weight. There are a number of websites where you can feed in your details and get all the answers that you seek. For instance, my website theweightmonitor.com provides scientific weight management packages completely online and is offering three-month and six-month weight loss programmes. Also, today there are a number of applications like the BMI calculator on the phone which help you do the same.

Similarly, if devices like the glucometer have been around to measure the level of blood sugar, iPhone accessories like iBGStar, Withings Blood Pressure Monitor and Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale will pick up in the year to come. While the Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale is a small device which can be connected to an iPhone App, the iBGStar is a diabetes manager. The app syncs with the readings taken by the accessory and also tracks manually entered data. Also, modern devices like the Withings Blood Pressure Monitor can be directly connected to the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch’s connector. Readings can be taken instantly and the results can be shared with doctors. For weight monitoring, the Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale uses Wi-Fi to automatically transmit your weight to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. It also graphs your weight, BMI, and lean and fat mass so you can access it from your iOS device at any time.