On Tuesday, 15^th July, 2025, Dr. Ayesha Shomila Khan, Clinical Nutritionist, practicing at Doctors Hospital and Alrazi Healthcare, delivered a talk on “Nutrition and Life Style Modification for a Healthy Life” to the participants of the 38^th SMC.

The distinguished guest speaker started the discussion with the definition of wellness by World Health Organization by saying that mere absence of disease is not wellness rather it is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing. She stressed upon the importance of evidence-based knowledge for choosing a healthy lifestyle. What a person eats clearly reflects through his health condition. A healthy lifestyle has a holistic approach. It is not about eating less rather it’s about eating more of the right things. Weight management is also about eating the right portion of food at the right time.

Speaker emphasized that every individual is different and requires a personalized diet plan. Therefore, people should avoid following generic information about nutrition available on digital media. A proper nutrition is always based upon variety and balance. She emphasized about the importance of unprocessed, easily available, food such as walnuts, flaxseeds due to their numerous health benefits. She further deliberated upon the importance of healthy diet/ nutrition in combating stress. Food can help a person reduce the effects of stress and assist the immune system to fight against infections.

The worthy speaker stated that people with metabolic syndrome are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease as well as diabetes. The risk factors of metabolic syndrome include abdominal fat, insulin resistance, elevated fasting triglycerides level, low HDL and high blood pressure. She further advised to eat colorful food i.e., to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables with several vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. She further added that its important to maintain a good gut health for a stronger immune system. The Vitamins and essential minerals are important for building a strong immune system; however, the quantity of macro-nutrients, micro-nutrients and superfoods should be balanced and should be taken in adequate small portions. The overweight people may avoid diabetes by consuming low fat diet and doing exercise.

She concluded by saying that a healthy lifestyle is important to live a healthy life for which nutrition is one of the most important factors.