Sharjah24: A lot of health problems can be addressed by simply understanding how one’s physiology works, said Jessie Inchauspè, a French Chemist and content creator, on day two of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival 2024. Inchauspè, who has over three million followers on Instagram, is on a mission to turn people into food detectives. “I want everybody to become a food detective. I want everybody to be able to look at a plate of food or a food product and know what molecules are in there.
They should be able to understand how the food impacts their health. When you know how food impacts you, you have control; you're not swayed by powerful marketing campaigns that are making a lot of money by making you sick,” Inchauspè said during a discussion on ‘Using cutting-edge technology to hack your health’. The session was moderated by Shaima Ghafoor, Commercial Tech Generalist, and demystified a lot of concepts on health and wellness.
Inchauspè’s books and research on how food and various activities impact glucose levels in the blood have won her legions of followers across the globe. She has been able to reach out to the masses by condensing in-depth research into bite-sized videos on how what we eat impacts our health.
“The first food hack is to eat your food in the right order. Veggies, protein, and then sweets,” she explained while sharing some of the reader-friendly graphs on how glucose levels in the blood spike when protein is eaten first and veggies later. The French Chemist shared great detail on nutrition and ten food hacks, patiently answering a number of questions from the audience.
Burgeoning world of health tech
The health and wellness industry has been booming globally. The total revenue in the Health & Fitness market worldwide is projected to reach $4.28 billion in 2022. The total revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2022-2027) of 9.61 per cent, resulting in a projected market volume of $6.73 billion by 2027.
Payal Kadakia, Founder of Classpass, which is a lifestyle application allowing users to book health and fitness classes from different vendors, has been a part of this growing industry since the launch of her venture in 2011. In a little over a decade, she has turned her company into a unicorn. During one of the last sessions on day 2, the founder of Classpass, in conversation with Sonia Weymuller, Co-Founder of VentureSouq, shared pearls of wisdom for entrepreneurs looking to become a part of this burgeoning industry. “Dancing for me has been my refuge in times of indecisiveness or burnout. Likewise, Classpass is a refuge for people who are looking to reconnect with their mind, body, and soul,” she said, adding, “If you are passionate about what you do, you will find a way. Entrepreneurship is very demanding but is very rewarding too.”
Rising cases of burnout
Health and wellness sessions were well attended on day 2 of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival 2024. In a session, "Holistic Wellness to counter global burnout," three panelists: Asma Al Hamiz, Founder of Art of Being, Lana Nahawi, Women’s Embodiment Coach, and Silfath Pinto, Feminine Leadership Coach, shared some great advice on how to maintain balance. The session was well-moderated by Amna Raisi, a Certified Coach, Nutritional Therapist & Yoga Teacher.
Talking about the rising number of cases of burnout, Al Hamiz implored people to take more care of their mind and body. “We treat our cars and phones with much more care and respect than our bodies. Also, our self-worth is tied to productivity. We would perhaps do a lot of good to ourselves if we value ourselves as much as we value our phones and cars. We do not allow our phone batteries to die. We service our cars on time. But most of us do not pay much heed to the needs of our bodies and mind.”
Holistic healing can bring the body, mind, and soul together, said Raisi. “We are disconnecting with our bodies,” said Pinto. “We need to become more aware of our nervous systems. We know we have exhausted our nervous system when we get too fidgety, anxious, or feel heavy. It is important to become aware and pause for a few minutes to understand how we can destress. You should also be aware of your emotions. Emotional intelligence is very important. If you feel sad, cry. If you feel angry, scream. But don’t suppress your emotions. Lastly, become aware of what energises you. It can be dancing, reading, going to the beach, listening to music, talking to a friend.”
Nahawi concurred and said, “It is incumbent on you to figure out what brings you joy. Value your personal care and build micro-practices into your routine. How to prevent burnout is all about understanding yourself.”
One of the biggest ecosystem events in the region, SEF 2024’s diverse content programme under the theme ‘Our Shared Canvas’ concluded on February 4 and offered unmatched opportunities for entrepreneurial learning and engagement. SEF 2024 boasted nine curated zones or ‘mini ecosystems’ designed around the platform’s key pillars of ‘impact’, ‘founders’, ‘community’, and ‘creativity’.
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