Ready-to-eat food: time-savers for millennials living a fast-paced life

Lifestyles today are increasingly characterised by erratic eating patterns – one where more meals are skipped, consumed outside, on-the-go, at an inappropriate time of the day, and even irregularly.This is further compounded by stressful jobs and a generally hectic life, all of which can wreak havoc on our health and overall wellbeing. Research by a leading firm has shown that millennials indulge in impulsive eating and eat away from home more often.They also prefer convenience in eating such as foods that come in single-serve packaging or ready-to-eat meals/snacks. With more women joining the workforce, the gap between eating out and cooking at home has only widened. All these majorly influence their purchase decisions. 

However, such eating habits can have ill effects on health. Haphazard eating can affect digestion and create an imbalance in our system. The long-term effects can be worse. Research indicates that skipping meals during the day and eating a large meal later in the day can result in extreme metabolic changes including high fasting glucose levels and a delayed insulin response. All of these can eventually lead to a person acquiring diabetes.  Other than this, those who work in shifts and eat irregularly stand the risk of health complications such as heart diseases, various metabolic disorders, and even cancer—not to mention unhealthy weight gain.

The adage 'eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper', holds very true in such a situation. Offering healthier options on the fast food menu can add more value and variety to what we put into our system in haste. Considering these factors, many service providers have come up with healthy meal options, the benefits of which go beyond just convenience. Such eats are a great source of protein, fiber, antioxidants, omega-3s, and a host of other essential micronutrients. Besides, they can help you cut down on highly processed packaged products loaded with salt, sugar and chemical additives. Other benefits include better digestive health, minimizing the signs of ageing, protecting the organs from harmful toxins, lowering blood cholesterol, weight management and regulating the body’s metabolism.

Soumya Prem, Brand Manager -  Good Diet Range, BigBasket suggests a few superfood choices available today for the nutrition-conscious working class. 

Ready-to-eat 

With both partners working in a stretch-all-you-can work culture, cooking can be a time- consuming affair. Healthy ready-to-eat options such as fruit and vegetable salads not only save time on tasks like chopping vegetables, washing them, and preparing an elaborate meal but are also one up on the freshness and nutrient factor. Some other ready-to-eat options include cereals such as corn flakes, wheatflakes, and muesli. 

Ready-to-cook 
There are numerous ready-to-cook breakfast and meal options available today that can help you in curating a restaurant-styled menu in a matter of minutes and are healthy as well. These include anything from power-packed oats,ragi, and millet-based instant meal plans to items made of white quinoa flour, black rice, forest wild rice, ancient red rice, buckwheat flour, and organic amaranth. Not only do these products add great taste and variety to your cooking but are also high on the health aspect. 

Growing up amidst obesity and lifestyle diseases, millennials have become extra conscious about how and what they eat. They are influencing the way we eat and also the way the food industry works. This generation of consumers is more than willing to take the initiative for their well-being. And some smart companies have read these cues well in time to exactly offer what the new-era consumer wants. After all, healthy makes us happy.