Verbal Diarrhoea #2

All over the world, except India, people love bland, less spicy food. But Indian people are less concerned about nutrition. They first focus on the spice of the food, the taste.

Claims Himank Doshi, a medical student who believes all non-Indians like the same things

Indian spices (pic from here)

The popularity of Indian cuisine outside of India, and targeted not just for Indian people, rather puts this medical student to shame (he or she has spouted VD).

The spread of VD is an unfortunate consequence of poor education and poor critical thinking and downright stupidity. Therefore from time to time, this site will post examples of VD in the hope that others may laugh, lament and learn from other people’s mistakes.

For example, Verbal Diarrhoea #1



Reference

Excerpts from Childhood obesity, diabetes plague India

Agence France-Presse in Mumbai
Apr 19, 2011

Indian housewife Sujata Budarapu was shocked when she was told that her two sons were on the verge of developing Type 2 diabetes.

"It had never even occurred to me that this could happen. I had heard that outside India this happens to other people's kids but I never thought it would happen to my own," said the 38-year-old from Mumbai.

Her children are not exceptional cases, even in a country more traditionally associated with malnourishment and chronic food shortages than overeating and weight-related illness.

India still struggles to feed all of its 1.2 billion population but childhood obesity and diabetes have become an increasing problem among the middle classes, who have largely benefited from a decade of rapid economic growth. "Childhood obesity has definitely increased in the last couple of years," said Dr Paula Goel, from the Fayth Clinic in Mumbai, which runs a weight-loss programme for adolescents. "This is mainly because ... they're not playing in the fields and they're spending so much time on sedentary activities that come with the affluent lifestyle. Visiting the malls over the weekends, eating junk food, it's bound to cause obesity."

At 12 years old, Budarapu's youngest son, Saiprasad, watches three hours of television every day and weighs 66 kilograms when he should be between 52kg and 58kg.

Her eldest boy, Sairaj, 15, tips the scales at 89kg - more than 30kg overweight.

Both boys love eating oil-rich and fast food and are on medication to control their sugar levels. They have been attending Goel's clinic for the past three months.

Anoop Misra, president of the Centre for Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Disorders in New Delhi, says India has the highest number of diabetics in the world at just under 51 million.

But that number could increase by nearly 150 per cent in the next 20 years, he warned.

The high number of cases among South Asian people has been attributed to genetic factors, including a predisposition to storing more fat.

Socio-environmental factors, though, are now seen as playing an increasing role in the rising number of cases of Type 2 diabetes.

The condition, which occurs when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it makes, largely as a result of excess body weight and physical inactivity, was previously seen mainly in older people.

"All over the world, except India, people love bland, less spicy food," said Himank Doshi, a medical student. "But Indian people are less concerned about nutrition. They first focus on the spice of the food, the taste."

That mindset, plus a decline in physical activity because of increased car use and a lack of open spaces in which to exercise, is a dangerous combination. A study of 4,000 Indian children in 15 cities published in August last year indicated that 23 per cent of five to 14-year-olds in urban schools were overweight, while nearly 11 per cent were obese.