Why a health-food movement is spreading across India | Eye News,The Indian Express
The market for health food is predicted to reach $30 million in five years on the back of rising demand for nutritious snacks, sweets and groceries
A professional food photographer from Mumbai, Pawan Manglani knew how to eat healthy but, during the stressful months of the first lockdown, he stopped taking care of himself. Processed food, desserts, alcohol and aerated drinks entered his diet and continued well beyond the pandemic. Manglani, 36, could see the changes in his body and stamina. Walking, climbing stairs and playing cricket became difficult. “I didn’t want to go out and buy a new set of clothes. On February 1, 2022, I decided that I was going to discipline myself,” he says.
He joined a gym and began to eat fresh, whole and home-cooked food. He began searching for an alternative to colas, which he was fond of. A friend introduced him to a fermented tea called kombucha. Little known in India, kombucha has a 2,000-year history and is rich in probiotic bacteria and antioxidants; it is also an acquired taste. Manglani tried a number of brands until he found the flavour he liked, made by Umami Brew, a brewery in Pune that is customising kombucha for the Indian palate by using local fruits, herbs and spices.
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Manglani now has a separate shelf in his fridge to hold three months’ supply of kombucha bottles that he or his friends bring all the way from Pune to his Andheri home. When he wants a drink, Manglani pops open a bottle, serves kombucha in a whisky glass with lots of ice, sips it slowly and enjoys the flavour, relieved that it is good for the body. “I have recommended it to a lot of people and helped them get off sugar,” says Manglani. He does not overdo the kombucha either, keeping it to twice a week.
In Mysuru, 18-year-old Arshiya Ruman MZ tells other children not to eat food from outside unless they are sure about the hygiene. When it comes to her comfort food, ice cream, Arshhiya opts for a dairy-free brand called Just Gelato that uses seasonal fruit and other natural ingredients. She does not have any other ice cream even when she goes out with friends. “The more naturally you eat, the better your health is. We never knew there was a virus coming at us that would kill people or make them ill. We must choose what we eat wisely so that people see us and choose responsibly as well,” she says.
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