Pop a pill or pop some food?

Years back when I was a child I remember coming across various futuristic comic books, which had its characters going through a daily routine with the only difference being when it came to eating food.

Instead of the food being prepared from scratch, that is washing, cutting, adding spices and cooking the food, these futuristic people were popping different pills in their mouths.

They were not bothered about what they ate because the pills gave them their nutrients. Back then, people were contemplating and writing about the inevitable arrival of a food pill that would, one day, replace conventional meals.

Even the famous author Roald Dahl, who albeit didn’t use the concept of a pill as a meal of sustenance but bubblegum, entertained the idea of getting all the nutrition from a meal from a single item.

Fast forward to the year 2018 and this seems to be coming true…well sort of! So many of my clients are coming up to me and asking whether they can include certain pills in their diet as a replacement for some foods thinking they will add years to their lives. To these people I would like to tell there is no pill that can replace your food and work as a magic bullet to improve your health.

Let me tell you what I tell people to do if they want to boost their vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, immunity, prevent constipation, acidity and improve gut health.

Instead of popping a Vitamin A why don’t we just add in pumpkins, carrots or leafy greens in our diets?

Enhance your calcium with sesame seeds, dry figs, moringa leaves and ragi atta. Sprinkle sesame seeds in your salad and satisfy your sweet tooth with a dry fig and at times opt for ragi atta.

Now your calcium cannot be absorbed without Vitamin D3 so why don’t you bask in sunlight for a few hours daily?

Your vitamin D3 cannot be absorbed without fat so instead of popping a coconut oil capsule just sprinkle some coconut on your food or add ghee on your roti.

An omega 3 capsule or have flax seeds and walnuts daily.

A tablet to calm yourself or munch on a few tulsi leaves?

An antioxidant pill or simply boost your foods by adding turmeric, ginger, garlic and other spices.

Just remember that the bioavailability of the spices is better absorbed with fat. So simply just put ghee in a vessel add the spices toss in your vegetables, daals and cook on a slow flame.

Clogged up arteries? Add coriander, tomatoes, barley atta and see that half your plate is full of vegetables.

Anti-acid pill or lemon juice? A lemon is acidic on the tongue and alkaline in the body.

Probiotic tablet or your fermented foods like curd, idli, dosa to boost your gut health?

Vitamin C tablets or just add on Vitamin C rich fruits like Guava, Lemon, Orange, and Papaya to name a few.

Boost your electrolytes with coconut water as it contains all your natural minerals and vitamins required by the body thus preventing any imbalance and dehydration in your body.

Up your iron intake with beetroot and fenugreek leaves. Remember to squeeze lemon on it as Vitamin C is needed to absorb iron.

A laxative or dried prunes and figs to help relieve constipation?

Feeling bloated? Instead of popping a panta-acid sip on my favourite mint and ginger infusion.

Lack of sleep? Veer away from the sleeping pill and sip on chamomile herbal infusion.

Pop a pill or pop the food? Eat natural instead of synthesised to live a healthy life.