A deep dive into how our Gen Z, and especially our 16 to 25 year olds, are dealing with food.
On August 12, International Youth Day, 2021, we at POSHAN Outlook are focusing on young people and the food choices they are making today. In fact, the theme for IYD this year is “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health” – making it appropriate to take a deep dive into how our Gen Z, and especially our 16 to 25 year olds, are dealing with food. How are they building their relationship with it, grappling with diet and nutrition, and more importantly, carving out new ways of being in a society where food cultures are deeply entrenched and a part of strong, daily behaviour and patterns? Here’s a quick look:
What do you think about the food you eat? And how often do you think about the food you eat as related to the nutrition your body receives?
MANY YOUNG PEOPLE ARE CAREFUL TODAY:
SOME ARE INDIFFERENT THOUGH
OTHERS ADMIT THERE’S THE NOT-SO-HEALTHY STUFF TOO
How do you define the sort of food choices you normally make?
YOUTH ARE CHOOSING HEALTH, EVEN THOUGH IT CAN BE A BALANCING ACT
MANY ARE MORE INDULGENT
CIRCUMSTANCES CAN DEFINE CHOICE TOO
Do you feel that the food you eat can determine whether you will remain largely protected from chronic, lifestyle diseases? Or that the food you eat can actually make you prone to conditions like hypertension and heart trouble, diabetes etc?
YOUNG AND WISE
THE NOT SO CONSCIOUS
Can you share any experience you have had with trying to stick to a healthy food behaviour or having transformed the way you consume food?
THE ONES WHO CHANGED
AND THE ONES WHO HAVEN’T
In this small cross-section of young, urban youth voices from Shimla, Delhi, Guwahati, Bengaluru and Jammu nestle intriguing relationships with food and nutrition, healthy lifestyles related to what we consume as our diet, and making the choice to eat better. It is critical for India to recognise the needs and aspirations of our young people (35% of our population) when it comes to nutritional requirements, food choices and dietary behaviour. This in turn is closely aligned with India’s own aspirations to become a healthier nation and meet the Sustainable Development Goals of 2030.