I have been fascinated by Manuel Uribe’s story. For those of you who don’t know, Manuel Uribe is currently the heaviest man in the world, but is well on his way to losing weight having already lost half his body weight. I figured I’d see how obesity is in India, and found a table on Wikipedia that ranks the prevalence of obesity by state:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_India
So Kerala, the state where my parents come from, ranks at #2. Punjab is #1. Goa rounds out the top #3…no pun intended. So why is this the case?
I’m not a nutritionist, and I’m not an expert on all the dietary habits of the people in each of these states, but I will try to draw some reasonable conclusions.
I love Indian food, that’s the understatement of the year. India is itself a culinary amalgam of different spices and styles. From the richer, dairy-heavy dishes of the north to the comparatively simpler, but no less flavorful dishes from the south, India is full of great cooking. Indians, also, have a genetic tendency to deposit fat around the waist. Yet India, like the rest of the world, is caught up in this need to urbanize and forego traditional physical activity obtained through biking or walking. Some areas are growing faster than others, and maybe that’s why some waistlines are growing faster than others.
So what makes the top few states special? Let me try to break it down as best I can. Punjab (God bless them and their awesome food) is home to possibly the richest food in India. Everything’s steeped in cream and clarified butter (known as ghee), and while that makes that unspeakably delicious, it also sets people up nicely for extensive weight gain. Combine that with less physical activity and voila! Obesity!
Now, my home state, Kerala. Ok I wasn’t born there, but it’s from where my ancestors hail. Kerala, while being the most literate state in India, is the second most obese. Why? Here’s my guess, one word: coconut. Kerala, besides being “God’s own Country” is also the “Land of Coconuts,” and those coconuts are put to good use. Between the avial, mezhukkupuratti, uperi, puttu, and every other dish swimming in some combination of coconut oil and/or grated coconut, we have enough saturated fat to cause heart attacks every minute of everyday. Yet gone are the days of the farmers toiling in the paddyfields, the fishermen hauling in a fresh catch from coastal waters. Here are the days of driving to work, school, sitting around at home, and watching TV serials.
Can we reasonably eliminate all the foods causing this problem? No, it’s a part of our cultural heritage. Can we tweak things here and there to render them healthier? Yes. Our family uses olive oil in place of coconut oil for a lot of recipes, making for a much lower saturated fat content. In addition, we try to stay away from the fried things as much (although murukku and pakkavada are staples in Kerala). Likewise for dosa we use oil instead of ghee, just to spare us those extra fat calories. They’re still delicious. Same goes for any other Indian food, maybe substitute oil for ghee, and avoid (if not eradicate) fried foods from the diet. Exercise is key, cliche as it sounds. Indians may not be known for their athletic prowess (Russell Peter’s sketch comes to mind…) but hey, we do what we can. I love to dance, so that’s my physical activity of choice. Bhangra, bharatnatyam, whatever. Just get up and move.
It is ironic to consider that obesity is even present at all in India, given the image of a predominantly starving country. Yes, poverty is alive and well (unfortunately) and that is something that needs to be addressed. However, obesity is being overlooked, and with a growing middle class and a growing economy, obesity is bound to follow.
6 comments
Comments feed for this article
October 29, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Viji S
Interesting article Saroj. Looks like the entire south india has made it to the top 12 (which is actually very sad). I agree with all the points that you had listed. In addition to that, I also think there are too many (american) fast food restaurants now a days, atleast in Madras. Last time I was there, my SIL asked me whether I wanted to go out for Pizza??? I was in Spencer Towers and saw most of the college kids there eating burgers and cakes??? Though I am a vegetarian, I still think there are quite a few places out there which serves “cheese” rich fast foods that would bump up the waist line over the top. When I visit my relatives and friends, they mostly serve carbonated sugar drinks (pepsi, coke) instead of salt Lassi or home made Lemonade or the very traditional kappi. When I politely tell them that I don’t drink such stuff (even when I am in america), they get offended?? OK, I digress, but the point is there is a cultural difference back home, personally I think, when combined with lack of exercise and sleep is adding up on the waist line.
Viji
February 18, 2009 at 11:03 am
AJ
One key fact also is that Kerala is number one in alcohol consumption in India (per capita consumption of liquor is 8.3 litres )if you check the statistics which is should be a contributing factor to obesity.
Another interesting thing is alot of mallu familes in America today are buying the ready made shredded coconut packages from the indian grocery stores which is very convienent now for our busy life style to use for the various indian dishes. Gone are the days of sitting and using the manual wooden coconut shredder.
If you ever stored shredded coconut you know they change color pretty quick. Notice how the store bought packages look “fresh” and always seem to keep their color. If you look at the chemicals and presatives used to achieve this , listed on the package, it is horrific and probably cuases more problems than the fat content. Seems alot of indian people are oblivous to the fact and will be problem down the line.
September 2, 2011 at 11:46 am
Elsa
very well put together… I myself hail from kerala… I share the same feeling about the good good of my state..yummy indeed.. but times have changed, so our lifestyle.. hence we need to make helathier choices… if u have a non-stick pan at home.. no need of oil either. just a suggestion.
May 20, 2011 at 4:32 pm
Coconuts, Fat Mallus and Dinosaur Droppings. | jugalbandi
[...] wisdom (as outlined in this post): It’s all the coconuts they eat (and all the ghee the Punjabis guzzle). Saturated fat, after [...]
October 17, 2011 at 4:50 am
Arjun Chandrashekar
SHAME ON KERALA PEOPLE. YOUR NEIGHBOURING STATES I.E. KARNATAKA AND TAMILNADU PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN BODYBUILDING THEN WHY DON’T YOU
August 14, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Maria
I come from Kerala and have been living in Canada for the last 10 years. Health info is forever in flux (just like anything else!!). Although we used to shy away from coconut oil thinking it’s bad for you, what I have read and heard from some Canadian health practitioners is coconut oil is actually better than many of the oils out there! Unlike Canola oil or Olive oil it doesn’t denature in high heat making it excellent for Kerala style cooking. And shredded coconut is rich in fibre. When you only think about saturated fat, you are also forgetting that coconut is not just saturated fat… it’s a lot of other things too. So we have gone back to the good old coconut oil. And throw out that non stick pans… they are said to be carcinogenic. It’s better to use cast iron pans…I have heard.