Call it the craze to ape the West or the eagerness to trim the waistline, the fact is more people in India today are obsessed with staying slim and healthy. While some resort to a range of physical activities -from pumping iron to aerobics and treadmills-a large number today turn to the 'pill-powder-technique' to achieve healthier levels of BMI and to stay clear from chronic diseases.

If more people are picking up nutritional supplements, experts say they do so for a good reason. The foods we consume today contain very little nutrients necessary to keep our body healthy. While the junk varieties among them do cause more harm than good, even the most traditional staple such as rice are grown using toxic chemicals bound to affect our system.

"Food habits are different from each family and that makes it difficult for us to understand if we adequately consume different kinds of nutrients needed to stay healthy. It also depends a great deal on our family's affinity or aversion for a particular food," explains Dr Archana, nutritionist with the Apollo Clinic in Bangalore.

"Even for the non vegetarian or meat eaters among us, it isn't possible to consume fish every day. Fish contains Omega 3 fatty acids which are good for health. These are also found in some vegetable oil, but we take a liking for certain varieties of oil that may not contain adequate quantities of Omega 3. Considering the importance of such nutrients, it is good if sufficient quantity of them is being taken through supplements," she suggests.

Though dietary supplements normally remind us of just vitamins and minerals, a host of other ingredients — either separately or in appropriate combinations — are now available in the form of pills and powders. These include fibre, amino acids, herbs and hormones. They also include extracts from fruits, vegetables and other food ingredients like garlic.

"Certain supplements like Folic acid (vital for cell division and replication of the DNA) help women during pregnancy, lactation and pre-menopause periods. This being summer, you get to lose a lot of fluids and supplements help maintain the level of certain minerals in the body," Dr Archana says.

Though most of the diet supplements are available without prescription across the counter, Dr Archana says it is important to take professional help and advice before consuming them. She agrees most companies selling dietary supplements have an inclination to exaggerate the benefits of taking them and often fail to inform their customers the need to take a nutritionist's advice.

There are guidance required while taking certain dietary supplements, as the effect may vary between individuals, depending on factors like age, sex and physical condition. While some of them are found in the form of booklets along with the pack, Dr Archana says taking professional help is certainly vital to see if the ingredients in question are actually beneficial to the individual. She gives the example of people who consume multi-vitamin tablets on their own (for a long time) and end up with kidney troubles.

"Similarly, most people don't know the right combination of supplements that would enable the body to fully absorb them. For instance, it is often good to consume vitamin B and C together and calcium supplement be taken with vitamin D. Most importantly, the supplements can't be taken for a full meal and shouldn't be taken as a replacement for it," Dr Archana reasons.

Despite the fact that the products of most supplement makers are reliable, Dr Archana is uncertain about the amount of time spent on processing the supplements which, if ignored, could distort the micro nutrients and will not produce the desired effect in those consuming them. "It would be good if the companies pay more attention on maintaining the quality of micro nutrients," she says.