Fit in Hyderabad, plain lazy in Patna
Hold on to your joggers and dumbbells. Hyderabad is the fittest city in India, reveals the India Youth Survey, with 49% of respondents saying they exercise regularly. Ahmedabad, 44.6%, and Mumbai, 37.5%, are second and third.
Kochi citizens are well informed about the benefits of food varieties.
Patna seems to be the least active city, with only 3.3% doing some sort of physical activity. The benefits of healthy food habits seem lost on youngsters from Bhubaneswar, with just 6.7% and 15.7% saying they eat salads and fruits.
When asked if they are aware of the benefits of a fibre-rich and gluten-free diet, a large percentage of respondents from Kochi says yes. Awareness of foods with fibre, gluten and unsaturated fat content is the lowest in the Odisha capital compared to other cities.
A fibre-rich diet can help normalise bowel movements and unsaturated fat can keep bad cholesterol at bay.
Probiotic preparations are important too, say 80% of youth from the Kerala city. Bengaluru has 56.3% respondents giving the thumbs up to organic food.
“I have heard of a probiotic drink brand, that’s all. I don’t really know what it is. I just know it helps in digestion,” says Meenakshi Ruhela, a student in New Delhi.
Probiotics (yoghurt is one of the best examples) have live microorganisms thought to be good for the gut.
Food consumption patterns vary too across cities, with 79.6% respondents from Chennai saying they consume fruits regularly and 77.9% from Indore making sure they include salads in their diet.
“When I am in college, I usually cannot keep a track of what I am eating. And no matter how much I try to avoid junk food, I end up eating some with friends. However, one good habit that my paying guest facility has inculcated is having salads every day,” says Amisha Verma, a student of history based in New Delhi.
When it comes to monitoring their diet, Mumbai takes the lead, with 50% keeping an eye on what they eat, followed by Kolkata at 43.4% and Hyderabad at 43.3%.
Patna lags behind again, with only 6.7% of the people watching what they eat. Hyderabad has the sweetest tooth with 60% respondents in the city saying they love to eat chocolates. Youngsters from Ahmedabad, 48.9%, and Lucknow, 38.3%, find chocolate irresistible too.
Despite India’s recent push for yoga, it does not have many takers with 80% saying they do not follow the ancient exercise and meditation discipline.
Bengaluru had the maximum number of yoga practitioners at 33%, followed by Kolkata and Lucknow at 30.9% and 26.7%.