There is an increasing trend in developing countries to follow the patterns and lifestyles of populations in the western world and the latest is the case of increasing popularity in the use of what are termed as Nutraceuticals. They are also known as nutritional or food supplements that are available as over-the-counter products for healthcare.
A few years back, the term “Dietary Supplement” would make you think of only vitamins and minerals. But today this big business makes and sells many different types of dietary supplements that have vitamins, minerals, fiber, amino acids and herbs or hormones in them.
These supplements come in the form of pills, capsules, powders, gel tabs, extracts or liquids. Sometimes you find them added to drinks or energy bars. They might be used to add nutrients to your diet or to prevent health problems.
Fruits and vegetables are natural sources of vitamins and minerals but today, we hear about artificially ripened fruits and vegetables, which not only raise eye brows, but also concerns and questions about nutrition and good health, especially for growing children.
Why supplements?
The increased consumption of junk foods like pizza, pastries, fried chips and burgers (basically food that does not have any nutrient value) makes it essential to supplement one's diet with nutritional pills.
Declining health leads to greater interest in vitamins and dietary supplements. Several career-minded professionals have begun to acknowledge that the sedentary lifestyles they lead and their “junk” diets have caused their health to decline. Growing per capita income, especially among professionals and middle-income consumers also suggests that more consumers are able to afford vitamins and dietary supplements.
With a faster pace of life and work, professionals and executives are often under tremendous pressure and health often takes a back seat. Missed breakfasts, hurried lunches eaten at the desk and take-away or hastily prepared dinners do not provide the requisite nutrients a person needs.
Longer hours at work, frequent travelling and congested living conditions in cities mean that physical activity is also minimal for many people. But many Indians consider dietary supplements more natural and wholesome than vitamins, which could have been manufactured from artificial sources.
Caffeinated products like tea, coffee, all types of aerated drinks and chocolates should be minimized, if not abstained from, as they prohibit the absorption of vitamins. Alcohol and tobacco products are even worse.
Besides, our method of cooking – heating and re-heating – reduces the nutrient levels in food. Just the process of washing rice removes 40 percent of Thiamine B1 and Nicotinic acid B3. The nutrient level in food is determined by the quality of the soil in which the food grows. The chemicals and fertilizers used in farming today are harmful and may ruin both the nutrient quality and quantity of the crop.
These probably answer questions about the growing profusion, popularity and acceptance of nutritional supplements to help balance our nutritional requirements.
Even among the array of nutritional supplements, there is a leaning towards those supplements manufactured the “natural” way – plants, fruits, vegetables, etc,
Many companies like Amway, Herbalife, Modicare, etc. manufacture and sell nutritional supplements. Even hardcore pharmaceutical companies have forayed into the sector.
HEALTH IS WEALTH.
Article written by:
WILLIAM S.PINCKNEY
(The writer is the MD and CEO of Amway India Enterprises Pvt. Ltd)
Mr. William S. Pinckney,
MD & CEO of Amway India EnterprisesPvt. Ltd.
