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Health and Indians living in United States

Life expectancy in India has finally reached over 60 years of age. This is a result of eliminating  nature induced diseases such as smallpox. Now, we face another challenge, lifestyle induced diseases. Study after study is available showing South Asians (India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) living in United States, Canada, and UK, at higher rate of heart diseases and diabetes. These are the diseases of affluence, direct result of diet, and the physical activity.

1. Reduced physical activity

While in India, in the villages, masses walk, or ride bicycles. The affluent would rather drive than walk two blocks, and find a parking place closest to the door.

2. Dairy Products

a) We have forgotten Chach. We confuse it with butter milk. Chach is equivalent to skimmed milk with live culture; buttermilk is neither skimmed nor has the live culture. In United States, you can buy low fat butter milk but not with live culture.
b) We have forgotten Makhan. We confuse it with Butter. Butter in United States is made from cream, Makhan has live culture.
c) Paneer is perhaps the highest in saturated fats than any other cheese. It is even fried in Ghee. Dishes like Paalak Paneer and Matter Paneer are part of popular Indian Cuisine, the availability of readymade Paneer has made them a common dish.
d) The desserts are laden with whole milk cheeses (Paneer, Chenna), reduced milk (Khoya) and simple sugars. These once in a while items of luxury have become frequent with affluence.
e) We exclusively use Ghee for cooking. We have given up using age-old unrefined vegetable oils (mustard seed oil, peanut oil) as we either stigmatize them with poor and lower class or just lack the availability. The grain based desserts (Laddu) are laden with Ghee and simple sugar.
f) One last word about Ghee and Makhan. Ghee was used to baste the top of every Roti made, but we forget the Roti was made from either whole-grain or whole-meal flour. The Makhan was as a common garnish for dishes like Mah ki Dal. The fiber in the whole-grain flours and the skin on the Dal helped expel Cholesterol.

3. Refined flours

We used Maida to make Samosa, Mathari, and very limited varieties of flat breads. These were occasional items. Now a days, the biscuits, crackers, chips made from refined flours and laden with either saturated fats or trans-fats such as Vanaspati can be found in any affluent house.

4. Sugar

Indians love sugar. They must have sugar in the warm milk they drink, and of course any and all desserts they make. The sugar is a prized commodity and so are the jaggery and honey.

In my opinion, the challenge for next two decades is for the affluent to learn about the nutrition supported by scientific data.