No Shortcuts To Good Health

A Professor of Internal Medicine at PGIMER Chandigarh and a propagator of healthy living, he has been heading COVID-19 division at his institute all through the trying times. Meet Prof Ashish Bhalla, whose subtle personality and intellectual, intelligent words, can be a source of tremendous knowledge on well-being! Here is a conversation between him and The Lifestyle Journalist Editor-in-Chief Dr Neha Miglani.

- Dr Neha Miglani

What is your general idea of well-being?

One needs to have a considerable knowledge about his or her fitness.

There are no shortcuts to good health. People go on different kind of diets or drugs, which have now become a fad. But it's imperative to maintain a balance of input and output of the body. People blindly follow dieticians for instant results.

But they do not realize that they are causing more damage. So watch what you eat! Take out refined sugar, refined flour, excessive fat, and trans fat from your diet. It will be a good change for your system.

We conducted a study on PGIMER Chandigarh doctors and we found that their consumption of fruits and vegetables was very less. 1-2 serving of fruits and vegetables is a must. We need to change the carb-rich diet that we are so used to. The conventional diet has to change. Earlier people used to work in farms and fields and their physical activity was much more due to which even a carbohydrate-rich diet would work for them. But now diet has remained the same but work routine has changed. Wheat and rice are cheap and sustainable. But fruits and vegetables are perishable items.

Hence, it was convenience and not nutrition which took over. Also, fruits and vegetables that are not in season must not be consumed. These are not nutritious and not fresh. Therefore, stick to seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Stick to a millet-based diet. These are all fiber-rich foods! As much as possible avoid canned foods and also aerated drinks. There is tremendous amount of sugar in it.