Keto And Intermittent Fasting Were The Top Fad Diets In 2019: Survey Vegan diet and carb cycling diet were other popular diets followed by Indians in 2019
By Tahira Noor Khan •
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Keto and intermittent fasting diets were the most popular weight loss diets among Indian in 2019, according to a survey conducted by the mobile health and fitness app, HealthifyMe. Keto, or a ketogenic diet, is a low-carb diet where a person mostly intake fats and proteins to achieve ketosis—a state where the liver burns body fat. Intermittent fasting on the other hand does not tell what to eat but when to eat and when not to eat. It involves alternating cycles of fasting and eating.
The least popular diets among Indians were Dukan Diet by French nutritionist Pierre Dukan and Atkins diet by cardiologist Robert Atkins from the US.
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Morning glory of the workouts
According to the survey, most Indians prefer working out in the morning. "Indians' favorite workout time in 2019 was mornings with almost 70 per cent completing their workout between 4 am to 12 pm. Out of these, 40 per cent preferred to work out early morning between 4 am and 8 am while 30 per cent worked out between 8 am to 12 pm," read the survey. Only a mere 30 per cent Indians preferred working out in the evening between 4 am to 8 pm.
The top three workout activities adopted by Indians in 2019 were marathons, yoga and crossfit.
Also Read: How Eating Slow Can Transform Your Health and Make You More Productive
Most loved superfoods
Green Tea, Chia seeds and turmeric were the top three most consumed superfood by Indians, followed by ghee, ragi and quinoa. The survey states, "One positive diet trend that Indians followed in 2019 was replacing white rice and wheat with healthier grains. While white rice was replaced majorly by brown rice followed by quinoa, wheat was replaced by millets followed by jowar and ragi."
The least popular superfood of 2019 were kale, wheat grass and amla.
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Social trends impinging the fitness of Indians
Long working hours and sleep deprivation affected the fitness of Indians the most in 2019. According to the survey, "Long working hours and sleep deprivation owing to binge watching shows on streaming services are the top two social trends that adversely affected the fitness levels of Indians in 2019."
The other two major health deterrents were easy access to packaged food and food delivery services.
Tushar Vashisht, co-founder and CEO, HealthifyMe, commenting on the survey said, "Frankly, we do not think one needs to make radical changes to their lifestyle to achieve fitness. Setting realistic goals, exercising regularly and being calorie conscious is a sure shot path to sustainable fitness as per our experience. A little bit of discipline is all that it takes."
The survey is based on the analysis of the responses shared by over 500 nutritionists and trainers serving millions of users spread across 300-plus cities in India.
