Stuck in the viscous cycle of skipping meals? Stem the tide right away. With an increasingly large number of youngsters skipping meals, we take a look at some of the gnawing consequences – ranging from bouts of depression to experiencing frequent blackouts. Nutrients and health experts give us a broader view on the same...
When Revathy Kamath, a 25-year-old Human resource professional, began skipping meals, little did she know about the health issues that would follow. “When I started working a year ago, I wasn’t able to manage time. Hence, I’d miss breakfast and substitute it with a heavy lunch. But it turned out to be a bad idea as I started suffering from exhaustion and mood swings. The turning point was when I experienced blackouts for a week, only to be diagnosed with a plummeting BP,” she reveals. Though having turned a new leaf, she reiterates that eating a full meal is still a far cry. “As I don’t have the luxury of time to indulge in a complete balanced meal, I grab a fruit or roll.”
Abhishek Nair, 27-year-old city-based theatre artiste and filmmaker, opines, “Carrying a dabba or eating proper meals is not always feasible when you don’t have a desk job. I’ve experienced chronic migraines and low BP problems. I know it isn’t a healthy trend but I pop vitamin tablets and supplements whenever I can, and I believe that helps.”
Speaking about how an erratic eating pattern disturbs the system, Neera Sood, a virtual nutrition and lifestyle consultant states, “On a general basis, men need at least 2,000 calories and women about 1,500-2,000 cal. But what’s important is that there should be a uniform balance and a gap of two-three hours per meal. Huge time disparities between meals send out dangerous signals. When you skip full meals, your body stores even the very little bit as a defense mechanism, slows down your metabolism, affects your brain, your blood pressure plummets and even causes concentration-related problems.”
