HIGH PROTEIN, BETTER CALORIES: THE SMART SNACKING REVOLUTION IS CHANGING THE WAY WE EAT
You are what you eat.
If you have a penchant for processed food, that will unmistakably be evident from the noticeable bulge in your stomach, a direct reflection of your dietary choices. Conversely, if an individual is committed to a healthy lifestyle, a radiant glow will speak volumes about their nutritious diet.
Let's say, even 4–5 years ago, it was a real struggle to zero in on what to eat when dining out. Today, we have plenty of options (rather spoilt for choice) when it comes to savouring a healthy meal that suits all pockets.
The problem
While the main meals are sorted, the problem still exists when it comes to snacking.
All thoughts go into making the main meals healthy, but what we overlook is what we consume in between.
Even a few years ago, we reached out to the shelves of Kurkure and Lays at our kirana stores and munched on them at ease, thinking - how many calories could a small bag of chips pack in?
The answer is 240 kcal, not to mention the high sodium level.
Deepti Khatuja, head clinical nutritionist, Fortis Memorial Research Institute Gurugram, said, "Snacking is the most common social activity worldwide. People often snack on various types of foods, including fried foods, dried foods, junk foods and beverages of various kinds."
"Snacking has a dual impact on human health. It helps in controlling hunger and may help reduce excess calories. On the other hand, it can lead to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension if consumed uncontrollably and prepared with unhealthy ingredients," she added.
How social media came to the rescue
We can blame social media for a lot of things, but the blessing in disguise has been how people have started taking their health seriously. With more and more influencers, nutritionists, and health enthusiasts stressing the importance of health, well-being and eating healthy, people have started to opt for healthy alternatives.
"Social media and health blogs have played a crucial role in educating the public about the importance of healthy eating habits. With rapid urbanisation, the lifestyle of the Indian middle class has evolved, leading to an increased demand for convenience foods that are not just easy to consume but are also beneficial for health," Sakshi Majumder, business development Manager at Eat Better Co (healthy snacking store), said.
Rise of healthy snacking
Different startups and brands saw this as an opportune moment, since not many people had tapped into the market for healthy snacking. Both established brands and startups recognised this shift in consumer preferences and seized the opportunity to cater to the growing demand for healthier snack options.
"As we started modifying our major meals to include more nutrition, the evening snacks and munching options still remained a problem, as people now can't cook as frequently due to their hectic schedule. Hence, some companies have taken that responsibility on themselves and are producing something which is contributing to human health," Shrayasi Bhowal, senior dietitian and assistant manager at Fitelo, said.
Numerous brands like The Whole Truth, Nourish Organics, Eat Better Co, Omay Foods, Evolve, The Healthy Cravings Co etc, have taken the snacking game to the next level.
They have swapped the "problem-causing ingredients" like sugar, palm oil, and salt with healthier alternatives. Date pulp or jaggery is used to sweeten the products and dry roasting is preferred over frying. Even the spice mix used in the products is produced in their home kitchen.
"At Eat Better Co, we make healthy delicious snacks that are naturally made with no added sugar or preservatives. Our recipes combine age-old food wisdom with modern-day nutritional needs. Only the best ingredients, carefully selected, make their way into our snacks. These are the few points we maintain to make sure our products are for the health-conscious - no added sugar, preservative-free, 100% natural, vegan and gluten-free, nutrient-dense ingredients," Sakshi Majumdar said.
Meanwhile, Omay Foods' Vijay said, "We are based in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The reason for us being here is purely for the process of cooking food that we have adopted. At Omay Foods, we do roasted snacks. Roasting is a very local form of cooking food that mostly hails from Rajasthan and the northern part of the country where food is cooked in salt, without any use of oil in the whole process. You imagine a fry pan without oil, but salt is put in there and taken to 300 °C and the food, including seeds to legumes to grains like oats and barley etc, are dropped there for a few minutes and then pulled out. So, we do dry roasted snacks cooked in salt without any use of oil in the cooking process."
He added that all the spices used in making the snacks are made at home and not store-bought.
The Covid-19 impact
The Covid-19 pandemic also heightened global awareness of health in several ways. Individuals now have a greater understanding of the significance of a robust immune system, prompting increased attention to healthy lifestyle choices like regular exercise, a balanced diet, and sufficient sleep.
"Since Covid-19, the awareness of having a better immune system has increased amongst the Indian population. There's been a significant shift in consumer mindset towards health and wellness in the past few years. People are more aware of the nutritional content of their food and are seeking options that support a healthy lifestyle without compromising on taste or convenience," Samradhi Agarwal, customer relations manager at Eat Better Co, said.
Vijay Katta, founder of Omay Foods (Jaipur-based healthy snacks brand) also thinks that people have started taking their health seriously post-Covid-19.
"People have become very much aware of healthier lifestyles, even more than earlier. There used to be a time when people would just go on crazy weight-loss diets, etc. But today, it's more about creating a holistic lifestyle for someone, and that's a start to seeing where and how they are consuming their portions. And also, a lot is being spoken about health in the post-Covid era. A lot is being spoken about a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a fitness regime and people want to start early today," he said.
"Studies have shown that the dietary patterns of people after the Covid-19 pandemic have changed a lot when compared to before the pandemic. The diet of people is now more focused on healthy and fresh eating. People avoid eating stale and unhealthy food," Deepti Khatuja added.
Increase in capital availability
Akash Sharma, co-founder, Farmley, attributed the increase in capital availability as one of the reason behind the rise in healthy snacking.
"The factor that has contributed to this shift is the increased capital availability. Growing investor interest in the sector has enabled companies to secure funding, facilitating expansion and strategic investments in marketing, research, and development. This financial boost distinguishes them from the unorganised sector, allowing the delivery of higher-quality products," he said.
Data and research about peak in healthy snacking
You realise consumers' interest in healthy snacking when online grocery delivery platforms like Instamart, Blinkit and Big Basket have a section devoted to the healthy snacking option.
"Amidst the growing emphasis on health and well-being, Swiggy Instamart is making it easier for consumers to choose healthier options by enhancing the accessibility and convenience of such snacks. According to the 'How India Swiggy'd 2023: Instamart Edition,' there has been a significant increase in orders for healthier snacks and munchies in recent months. Makhana emerged as the most popular choice, with approximately 1.3 million orders, reflecting a clear preference for healthier snacking options. This shift highlights a trend towards healthy snacking amongst consumers," a Swiggy Instamart spokesperson said.
"Swiggy Instamart offers a wide variety of snacking options, including traditional Indian snacks, nuts, makhana, sugar-free alternatives, protein chips, and more, to cater to the rising demand for healthier alternatives," the spokesperson added.
Eat Better co's Samriddhi added, "We have done extensive primary and secondary research which collectively indicate a significant and growing interest in healthy snacking among Indian consumers, driven by a desire for better health and wellness, influenced by global trends, and supported by increased economic ability to make healthier food choices."
The wolf in sheep's clothing
While options for healthy snacking today are too many, you cannot just trust the brand based on the packaging. Often, brands try to manipulate customers by flashing lucrative taglines like, "no oil", "no sugar", "no carbs", whereas the reality is quite different.
Deepti shares a few things that people should keep in mind before buying snacks that claim to be healthy.
- There are a lot of snacks available in the market. One should be cautious of what they are buying and eating. Hence, proper understanding and reading of nutrition labels by an individual is important so that one can buy the right snacks.
- One should check the logo (FSSAI or ISI approved), along with the date of manufacture and expiry.
- The list of ingredients should be checked thoroughly, and you need to look for common allergic ingredients, along with food additives and flavouring agents or colours used.
- Most importantly, check or watch out for the nutrient amounts. They are either given per 100 gms of the product or the recommended energy and nutrient intake (% RDA, which is used on ICMR nutrient recommendation). This allows you to compare the nutrient amounts amongst different brands of particular food.
- Also, checking the Daily Allowance or Daily Value (DV%) is important. This helps to check if the food is high or low in nutrient value.
- Lastly, but most importantly, understanding nutrient content claims is very important. Hence, reading the nutritional label is an important tool which helps in the right selection of the food or snack.
Price point concern
Often, people who want to eat healthy are hindered by just one thing - the price point of healthy products. While they want to start a fresh life by adopting healthy eating habits, their concern has always been the price of the products (as suggested by research), both fresh and packaged.
However, concerned brands are prioritising this issue of customers and working on the same so that healthy eating can be affordable for all.
"Addressing the concern of affordability is crucial when promoting healthy eating and has always been our priority. For instance, our product "Munchies" is priced at just 30 rupees a packet. This deliberate pricing strategy ensures that individuals from various economic backgrounds can access and afford a healthy snack option, making it an inclusive choice for a broader audience," Farmley's Akash Sharma said.
When it comes to afforadability and availability, dairy brand Amul stands undisputable. Keeping the price point in mind, Amul has launched a high-protein range that includes shake, buttermilk and lassi. Amul's high-protein buttermilk has 15 gm protein per pack and comes at an affordable price of Rs 25. Besides, it also has a variety of energy bars too. This way, Amul is trying to reach the masses with their affordability in the protein range.
Eat Better Co's Sakshi said, "Whenever someone wants to eat healthy, they associate it with being expensive. We, at Eat Better Co are trying to change that narrative by making our prices as affordable as possible. We ran a market research by reaching out to our consumers and concluded that our products are priced well and are at par with the quality of the ingredients."
Homemade snacks that are still the best
In India, homemade snacks are always nutritious and tasty, says dietician Shrayasi Bhowal. But then, slowly people have started leaning towards outside food, as it involves less cooking. In addition, a variety of dishes can be explored at the same time.
If you aren't too busy and want to lean on healthy snacks that can be made in a jiffy, here are a few ideas as shared by the dietician. Also, a bonus recipe:
For snacks, we should focus more on micronutrients, as macronutrients are already taken care of. Vegetable and fruit salad, makhana, chana, and seed mixtures are some of the options you can explore.
Carrot fries (a perfect healthy snack)
Cut the carrots in the shape of french fries and add garlic powder, salt and oregano. Now, fry them in an air fryer or bake in a microwave and relish.
Easy!
Eating healthy isn't that difficult after all. You just have to be mindful of what you are putting in your system and the repercussions. Because you know, today or tomorrow, you will definitely reap the benefits (or disadvantages) of your eating habits.
2024-02-05T07:27:26Z dg43tfdfdgfd