Sunday Reading

New Delhi, 3 June 2011

Tackling Disease

EAT HEALTHY, STAY FIT

By Dhurjati Mukherjee

Poverty and hunger have been favourite subjects of discussions but very little has been done in this regard. Hunger in modern day isn’t about protruding bellies and sunken faces but about getting enough to eat. It’s about not getting the sufficient quantity of food needed essential and nutritious for a healthy life. This is especially true of children and lactating mothers.

Most shocking is that India has one of the poorest records in the world when it comes to nutrition among children. Around 70 per 100 children are anaemic, over 1.83 million under-5 years die every year and 43% are mal-nourished. Indeed, malnutrition among under-5 children is worse than even the sub-Saharan Africa. This is not all. Over 38% infants are under-weight as opposed to only 4% in China.

One cannot deny that despite India’s high GDP for the last few years, under-nutrition has assumed alarming proportions. In fact, every fourth new born Indian baby is under-weight and over 40% of all babies fall in this category. Even renowned economist Prof. Amartya Sen has been harping on the problem of malnutrition that has plagued the country for years and led to increase in various forms of diseases in children.

Worse, nearly 50% of women and children suffer from nutritional deficiencies. Though scientists of the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) in a recent survey claimed that malnutrition among women has come down, the real picture is quite different, specially the conditions of the female sex in the country’s backward districts. 

The rise in food prices has compounded the problem of the country’s poor. Between 2004 and 2010, cereals, pulses, vegetables, sugar and milk almost doubled in most parts of the country. Compounding this, corruption and inefficiency stand in the way of subsidized food-grains reaching the real beneficiaries, especially in rural areas.

The Food Security Act, under consideration also falls far short of the needs of the poor. Offering 25 kg grain to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families instead of 35 kg mandated by the Supreme Court during the Right to Food hearings.  

For a nutritious diet, there is need not just for rice and wheat but also pulses. Pulses considered high in protein content, are traditionally considered a residual crop, only suited for growth under rain-fed conditions when one cannot grow rice or wheat. A shortage of pulses can have devastating long-term effects on our national nutritional standards and the consequences are already being felt. With pulses prices sky-rocketing they have gone beyond the reach of the BPL sections.

To cry a halt to this malady, the Indian Council of Medical Research with some new recommendations of the NIN is all set to release ‘Dietary Guidelines for Indians’ for better health. These guidelines evolved after consultations with over 100 experts across the country are designed to match the revised cut-off waistline and specific weight indicators that could keep the body fit and free from diseases.

Alas, there has been a rapid growth in diseases and most of people, even the educated, are not aware about what constitutes a balanced diet. The guidelines suggest among other things reducing carbohydrates, adjusting fat quality, taking less sugar and salt, higher protein and drinking more water and also a little alcohol for those who are already in the habit.

The reduction in carbohydrate intake is important for Indians who tend to develop triglycerides which are a risk factor for heart diseases. This could be brought down by reducing rice and wheat intake, according to experts. However, considering that a major segment of the population is poor, this might not be easily accomplished.

Under the revised guidelines, people who consume small quantities of alcohol should limit it to 30 ml twice a week. Today, doctors are prescribing small quantities of alcohol intake for those who suffer from heart diseases.

Pertinently, the adaptation of these guidelines by the public is expected to reduce the prevalence of obesity, diabetes and heart diseases. Especially in urban and semi-urban areas where the incidence of these diseases have been increasing at a fast pace making their control imperative. In addition, a poor or unbalanced diet increases the risk of gout, fatty liver diseases, polycystic diseases and some types of cancer.

Further, with obesity emerging as a widely prevalent problem, especially among the urban population, reducing weight and trimming the waistline could be achieved through a balanced diet along-with walking and other physical exercise. This would help tone the body, control blood pressure, and boost the immune system so that the risk of heart diseases, diabetes, cancer and mental diseases are decreased.

A large number of walkers and those involved in physical exercise (yoga included) have known to live a healthy, mentally active life even in old age compared to lazy people. Diabetes, hypertension and ischemic heart diseases develop in susceptible genetically pre-disposed individuals when the environment is conducive.

Importantly, even if the disease appears inevitable, the same can be delayed by 10 years or more by maintaining a standard body mass index (BMI) of 23-24. This can be calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by the height in metre squared.

Thus, it is vital that the diet be regulated to eating 20 calories per kilogram of expected weight. This combined with walking and other physical activity would help maintain the BMI. It may be mentioned here that consuming too much sweets or extra salt during meal time is harmful. Sweets such as ladoo contain around 250-280 calories, a plate of bhel puri around 350-400 calories and a teaspoon of oil 50 calories.

Nutritionists have been advocating that one should eat lots of vegetables and fruits to ensure a healthy diet. Oranges, papayas and carrots are rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C and various other nutrients that keep the body healthy. They lower cholesterol and blood pressure, promote collagen formation and help maintain healthy joints.

Green vegetables are perhaps the best to consume as nutrients found in them reduce cancer risks, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, normalize the digestive time, support retinal health, fight harmful radicals and boost the immune system. Specially, spinach (high in iron and folic acid), broccoli (high in anti-cancer properties containing antioxidants, minerals and vitamins A and C) and kiwi (rich in vitamin C and potassium).

White vegetables also help maintain cholesterol and blood pressure levels. Onions and garlic are rich in sulphides, reduce tumours, decrease inflammation and lower blood fats, blood pressure and blood sugar. They are also great infection fighters having anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-tumour properties. Radish is another vegetable which has high moisture content and good for the skin and eyes.

Undoubtedly, a healthy and balanced diet has become all the more important because of rising pollution and environmental degradation, resulting in reducing the human immunity levels.  We need to spread awareness about what constitutes a low cost nutritious diet with a balance of protein, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. Towards that end, voluntary organizations should spread awareness through training camps, especially in the rural and semi urban areas, so that one learns how to keep the body healthy. ----- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)