The New Battle Of The Bulge: Liver Diseases On A Rise In India

It was a day like any other in March this year. But to the bewildered 46-year-old it didn't bode well: Try as he might he just couldn't get out of bed. Two days later, when it happened again, Ratan Dharkar knew he was up against a major crisis. As a chartered accountant running his own firm in Mumbai, he had faced his share of challenges. But this was something no balance sheet could capture. 

Ultrasound imaging found his liver white and bright with fat. Unknown to him, fatty tissues had spread their tentacles, hardening the soft organ. As he entered the painful world of liver biopsies, injections and drugs, he asked his doctors: "Why didn't I ever get a hint?" "It's like that with the liver," they said.

If your stomach sticks out more than your chest, if you find it tough to bend and tie your shoelaces, if you can't keep your shirts tucked in, you know you are piling on the pounds. It's hardly news anymore that Indians are bloating up. But now a raft of new studies are showing that predicting a person's long-term health may not be as simple as measuring the waistline. Doctors are adding a new warning about invisible fat lurking in an organ no one thinks twice about: The liver. Fatty liver disease, in the absence of alcohol intake, is rapidly emerging as a health crisis in urban India. And every plumped-up liver can lead to heart attack, stroke and even cancer. India's obesity problem just turned deadly.

To capture the girth of the nation through its liver, consider the facts:

• 32% Indians are believed to have some degree of fatty liver disease.
•  70-90% people with obesity and diabetes suffer from fatty liver disease.
• 54% people who are neither overweight nor have abdominal obesity have fatty livers.
• 24% Indian men are afflicted by fatty liver compared to 13% women.
• 20% fatty liver patients go on to develop serious liver conditions.
• Urban Indians suffer from twofold increased risk of dying of heart attack or stroke due to liver fat.
• Liver fat is the third most common cause of chronic liver disease in India.

There is twice as much fat in Indian livers compared to people in the west with similar weight.

The liver is the new front in the battle of the bulge. "Fatty liver damage is no longer limited to people who drink excessively," says Dr Shiv Sarin, director of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in Delhi, who co-authored the global guidelines on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) brought out by the World Gastroenterology Organisation in June this year. "Negative lifestyle choices are creating biochemical reactions that cause NAFLD. If we are not careful, it will soon become an epidemic in India because there is no treatment for NAFLD as yet," he says. Studies show that Indian men might be particularly prone to NAFLD.

The liver is the missing link in the obesity crisis. And the pace of new research in this area is accelerating. In the absence of all-India studies, piecemeal research from across the country is creating the contours of this crisis. "While a medical data search of 'non-alcoholic fatty liver' on the Internet via PubMed yielded only 14 research papers in 1995 and 36 in 2000, publications on this topic have accelerated to over 200 a year in the last five years," says Dr Anoop Misra, chief of obesity, diabetes and metabolic diseases at Fortis Hospital in Delhi. PubMed is an Internet search and comprises 22 million biomedical citations.

"Earlier, fat accumulation in the liver was considered innocuous. But today, it is being seen as a dangerous metabolic state," adds Mishra. According to Dr Ajay Duseja of Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (pgimer), Chandigarh, NAFLD has been recognised as a disorder recently in India. There is still very little published work on it, possibly because of the earlier presumption that it is benign and that the damage does not progress. Also, the attention has been focused on viral hepatitis.

It took Ratan Dharkar years of careless eating to wake up to his liver. "I have done this to myself by skipping meals and then binging on junk food," he says. The distress signals-slight ache in the upper right side of his abdomen, occasional fatigue and nausea-have always been there. "I simply did not take them seriously."

That's typical because the second largest organ of the body is a silent worker, says gastroenterologist Dr Samiran Nundy, chairman, Surgical Gastro and Liver Transplant, Sir Gangaram Hospital, Delhi. The liver does not beat, pulsate, growl or contract. Unlike the heart, it can be counted on to perform even under pressure. For all the complex work the liver executes that is vital to good health, it never signals its presence unless something goes seriously wrong. "The liver has an amazing ability to regenerate and repair itself," he says. It can keep functioning despite damage for years. But over time, damage can change the structure of the liver irreparably. Hence liver diseases are often called "silent killers" by doctors.

NAFLD starts when fat molecules accumulate inside liver cells. It is essentially a consequence of obesity and diabetes. As research shows, 70-90 per cent people with obesity and diabetes suffer from it. NAFLD can stay as a low-grade condition for years with just vague symptoms. But a prolonged build-up can start a cascade of serious liver damage. Once that happens to a person who does not consume alcohol, or drink far less than 20 gm/day, doctors call it non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (steato stands for fat and hepatitis for inflammation) or nash. If nash damages the liver irreversibly, it can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure or even cancer. It is impossible to predict who will develop cirrhosis or cancer, but the longer NAFLD remains hidden the stronger the chances are.

NAFLD is an obvious outcome of obesity but it does not always manifest in obvious ways.
Liver fat can hide in people who are neither overweight nor have abdominal obesity. A 2010 study conducted by researchers at the Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research in Kolkata on a sample size of nearly 2,000 people shows intriguing results: 75 per cent of those with NAFLD had a Body Mass Index (weight by height square) less than normal, while 54 per cent were not even overweight.

About 90 per cent of heart diseases are caused by nine risk factors, say doctors: Smoking, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, diabetes, abdominal obesity, psychosocial factors, poor diet, alcohol consumption, and lack of regular physical activity. Now fatty livers are being seen as the tenth risk factor. An article published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2009 argues that liver inflammation damages the insides of arteries and makes blood clot. "It's a combination that can lead to heart attack or stroke," says Sarin.

Obesity has invaded India since the 1990s. That's when the first foreign fast food chain opened shop in Delhi. In the last two decades, as income has grown over fourfolds, so has the girth of the nation. At its root is a 'nutrition transition', as a consequence of globalisation of economies. Food balance data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations shows that coarse grains have been largely substituted by polished cereals while consumption of meat, fat and sugar has more than doubled in affluent Indian cities since the 1990s. The rise of animal products in diet has pushed up the supply of dietary energy at a time when physical activity has declined as a result of increasing mechanisation.

Liver damage is the body's slow response to this changing nutritional challenge. According to World Health Organisation, liver diseases snuff out 200,000 lives in India every year. It is one of the top 10 causes of death. Hospital records show that fatty livers account for a third of such cases. 

Unfortunately, there is still no cure for NAFLD or nash. With changes in diet, increase in physical activity and weight loss, prevention is the only hope. "Weight loss has a remarkable effect," says Misra. "It makes livers less fatty." Rapid weight loss, however, hurts the liver.

But it's not all gloom and doom where fatty livers are concerned. Activists as well as doctors are engaging in awareness drives in schools, walking the corridors of power to sensitise the nation's high and mighty and alerting the international health bodies. The Centre for Science and Environment in Delhi has announced its plans to limit junk food in schools. The Delhi High Court has asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to frame guidelines on a pil seeking a ban on junk food and carbonated drinks within a 1,500 ft radius of schools. The Union Ministry of Health has requested the Ministry of Human Resource Development to ensure withdrawal of junk food from school and college canteens. "Junk the junk food" is the slogan that is being heard from the campus.

Urban India needs to go on a diet. But isolated changes will fail to make a difference without a broader shift in our new food culture. For now, doctors are happy that most fatty livers tend to stay stable and silent. But an inflamed liver can also mean the end of life. 

What Plumps Up the liver?
Doctors are not too sure but a wide range of conditions can increase your risk

Diet
Junk food, binging and skipping meals can pile up excess fat in liver.

Diseases
Fatty liver is linked to type II diabetes, high cholesterol and high triglyceride levels in blood.
Chemicals Pesticides in food, steroids and antivirals can cause liver fat.

Conditions Obesity is the main reason behind NAFLD. Surprisingly, crash diets and malnutrition can also lead to NAFLD.

Obesity is Dangerous to Children

By Ayesha Jabeen

These children often suffer from low self-esteem. As a result these children are isolated and develop severe depression.

Childhood obesity is growing to become one of the most chronic diseases of childhood. It is not the only disease in itself but gives rise to various other serious diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, cardiovascular diseases and orthopedic complications. It leads to morbid consequences in adulthood increasing the risk of premature death. Obese children are likely to suffer considerable psychological effects as well as social stigma and discrimination.

A child suffering from obesity has problems in mobility. Their lives are very painful because of the excess weight that they carry around constantly and hence unable to lead a normal life. People always ridicule them because of their weight problems. Some of them have great difficulty making friends and relating to the other children in their schools thus hampering their social growth. These children often suffer from low self-esteem. As a result these children are isolated and develop severe depression.

Certain factors are targeted as major contributors of childhood obesity. These include:

• Dietary patterns
• Lack of physical activity
• Heredity and family

Dietary patterns
Dietary patterns play a large role here, wrong eating habits, consuming more calories than required and burning less, eating lots of junk food and ignoring healthy food, untimely eating of meals, are all the factors contributing to obesity. In today’s world it becomes extremely essential that children are trained and equipped with healthy eating habits. Today’s society considers eating unhealthy food as a style of sophisticated life. With the advent of fast food and rush of the hour most parents have forgotten their responsibility of instilling good food habits in their children. It is never advisable for children to skip their three times healthy meals particularly breakfast which is the most important meal of the day. They should be provided with nutritious cereals and porridge at their breakfast time.

As much as possible they should not be given snacks between meals. It is a bad idea when parents reward their kids with food. Never let your child build up a habit of binging on food like fried snacks in his leisure or as a means of entertainment. While preparing meals for children ensure you cook it in a healthy way considering their likes and dislikes. Fried foods, sweets and desserts should be allowed in moderation. Teach your kids to develop a habit of eating fruits and vegetables regularly. Avoid processed foods as far as possible limiting them to once a while only when absolutely required. Do not bribe children with chocolates and sweets and do not make it a daily habit for them.

Today, it is estimated that a larger chunk of money is spent on food outside home, at restaurants, cafeterias, sporting events, parties, etc. people are prone to consume more calories when they eat out when compared to eating at home.

Beverages such as carbonated soft drinks and juice boxes also greatly contribute to the childhood obesity. A bottle of cola contains approximately 400 calories. The consumption of cola by children has increased by 300 percent in last 20 years. Scientific studies have documented a 60 percent increased risk of obesity for every regular soft drink consumed per day. Box drinks, juice, fruit drinks and sports drinks all add on to a significant problem. These beverages contain a higher amount of calories and research shows that 20 percent of children who are currently overweight are due to excessive caloric intake from beverages.

Lack of physical activity
Sedentary life style is making children lazy. They sit glued to computers and television for long hours in their free time. Parents and teachers at school should encourage children in taking up physical activities. They should play outdoors instead of sitting in one place being a couch potato. Report says only 50 percent of children participate in regular physical activities, 25% of them do not take part in any of the exercises. On an average a child spends two hours watching television and 26% of children spend at least four hours on television.

Heredity and family
It is known that genes play an important role in causing obesity. Children of overweight parents are more likely to be obese, if it is hereditary then it is not curable but the excess weight can be controlled to a certain extent through weight management program and taking the help of a dietitian.

The world statistics show that there are more than 5 million obese children in the world. The world statistics on obesity in children have become noteworthy enough that the World Health Organization (WHO) has become actively involved in researching and finding ways to treat and prevent the condition. A task force called the International Obesity Task Force has been formed to study the propositions of these world statistics on obesity in children around the world, to determine the best methods for controlling this issue. 300 million people worldwide are considered obese, and 750 million are overweight as per findings from this organization.

It is disappointing to learn that parents, teachers and health professionals are not taking enough efforts when it comes to the health and well being of our kids. The statistics in child obesity show that this condition has reached alarming rates, and doesn’t show any signs of receding . As much as 20% of the children and teens are considered obese. Each day is seeing increased number of kids who are at risk for diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. The child obesity statistics show that if parents, schools, government and health care professionals do not act quickly, the coming generations may see even more obese and unhealthy children. It is utterly vital that we take preventive measures today to see healthier generations tomorrow.

Today’s parents are very busy working out, partying and socializing as a result of which children are being neglected. It is not their fault if they are obese we are leading them towards it. As parents it is our bound responsibility to take time out for our children to cook healthy meals for them at home and adopt a healthy life style.

Child obesity is not a problem without solution there are numerous healthy recommendations that can be sought by health professionals. Parents should lead their children by example rather than forcing guidance onto them as kids learn by imitation and follow the actions of their elders. It is our duty to teach children healthy ways of eating and educating them about nutritional values, diet and exercise so that they can lead a healthier and happier life.

Stevia, the leafy green sweetener for diabetics

EXCLUSIVE: Stevia, may be touted as a healthy herbal alternative sweetener to sugar for treatment of many ailments but as per law it cannot be used or sold as additive in food products. 

In fact, those selling it in any form that is meant for consumption are violating the law, said VN Gaur, chairperson of the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). There have been many complaints that some unapproved food items, ingredients, food additives etc. are being used in preparation of food products or being sold as such. 

Why You Can’t Stop Eating Those Chips Anytime Soon?

The article, if nothing else, is a big warning sign for Indians whose consumption of packaged foods and soft drinks is on a steady rise despite the obvious health problems it can cause in the long run. While it may be easier to obtain and easy to serve, remember that each packaged food item comes with dollops of salt and sugar, that are never good unless balanced.

Remember that advertisement for a popular chips brand that said you couldn’t eat just one? Well they weren’t kidding and the claim might just be backed up a scientific study that knew how much salt and sugar each of those chips needed so that you’d eat one and five minutes later find yourself holding an empty pack.

A long, exhaustive and brilliant account of the packaged food and soft drink industry in the New York Times, titled ‘The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food’ indicates how fast food companies have worked long and hard to know just how to put in a pack, how much salt to put in it to make it addictive and how much sugar was needed to get you back for more.

The paper’s correspondent Michael Moss, who during the course of four years met over 300 persons associated with the food processing industry and studied how they’re battling allegations of contributing to obesity among children and adults in the US, reveals nuggets about the industry that while priceless are also disturbing if you’re holding a fried snack in your hand as you eat it.

A hush-hush meeting in 1999 between top executives of food companies when the allegations had begun to grow that processed foods were contributing to obesity and their denial of any culpability is particularly chilling once you realise that the food is kept addictive through scientific studies that understand your taste perhaps better than you do.

Interviews with “food-industry legend” Howard Moskowitz, who mathematically maps tastes, how ‘Lunchables’ became a legend that it is in America, why chips come in small packets, why a Cheetos is the way it is and how Frito-Lay realised that people who started eating their snacks earlier in life didn’t slow down are particularly interesting.

As one of the persons interviewed in the piece says, while speaking about the Baby Boomer generation of American adults introduced to packed snacks earlier stuck to them later in life said: They were skipping breakfast when they had early-morning meetings. They skipped lunch when they then needed to catch up on work because of those meetings. They skipped dinner when their kids stayed out late or grew up and moved out of the house. And when they skipped these meals, they replaced them with snacks.

The piece may not help you stop eating chips or staying away from the colas (you’ve already been hooked) but at least you can’t say that you weren’t warned.

KFC Is Ditching Indian Vegetarians To Do What It Does Best: Sell Fried Chicken

By NEWSCOP | INNLIVE

Two years after Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) announced that it will sell more vegetarian burgers in India, it is looking back at chicken in a big way.

As competition in India’s burger market heats up, fast-food chains are returning to what they know best—in KFC’s case, tubs of fried chicken—leaving the vegetarian menu as it is, for now.

“The food scenario in India has evolved really quickly since then. Consumers are well-travelled, exposed to global trends, willing to try new food, and seek food that is authentic,” Lluis Ruiz Ribot, chief marketing officer, KFC India, said in an interview.

Obesity is Dangerous to Children

By Ayesha Jabeen

These children often suffer from low self-esteem. As a result these children are isolated and develop severe depression.

Childhood obesity is growing to become one of the most chronic diseases of childhood. It is not the only disease in itself but gives rise to various other serious diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, cardiovascular diseases and orthopedic complications. It leads to morbid consequences in adulthood increasing the risk of premature death. Obese children are likely to suffer considerable psychological effects as well as social stigma and discrimination.

A child suffering from obesity has problems in mobility. Their lives are very painful because of the excess weight that they carry around constantly and hence unable to lead a normal life. People always ridicule them because of their weight problems. Some of them have great difficulty making friends and relating to the other children in their schools thus hampering their social growth. These children often suffer from low self-esteem. As a result these children are isolated and develop severe depression.

Certain factors are targeted as major contributors of childhood obesity. These include:

• Dietary patterns
• Lack of physical activity
• Heredity and family

Dietary patterns
Dietary patterns play a large role here, wrong eating habits, consuming more calories than required and burning less, eating lots of junk food and ignoring healthy food, untimely eating of meals, are all the factors contributing to obesity. In today’s world it becomes extremely essential that children are trained and equipped with healthy eating habits. Today’s society considers eating unhealthy food as a style of sophisticated life. With the advent of fast food and rush of the hour most parents have forgotten their responsibility of instilling good food habits in their children. It is never advisable for children to skip their three times healthy meals particularly breakfast which is the most important meal of the day. They should be provided with nutritious cereals and porridge at their breakfast time.

As much as possible they should not be given snacks between meals. It is a bad idea when parents reward their kids with food. Never let your child build up a habit of binging on food like fried snacks in his leisure or as a means of entertainment. While preparing meals for children ensure you cook it in a healthy way considering their likes and dislikes. Fried foods, sweets and desserts should be allowed in moderation. Teach your kids to develop a habit of eating fruits and vegetables regularly. Avoid processed foods as far as possible limiting them to once a while only when absolutely required. Do not bribe children with chocolates and sweets and do not make it a daily habit for them.

Today, it is estimated that a larger chunk of money is spent on food outside home, at restaurants, cafeterias, sporting events, parties, etc. people are prone to consume more calories when they eat out when compared to eating at home.

Beverages such as carbonated soft drinks and juice boxes also greatly contribute to the childhood obesity. A bottle of cola contains approximately 400 calories. The consumption of cola by children has increased by 300 percent in last 20 years. Scientific studies have documented a 60 percent increased risk of obesity for every regular soft drink consumed per day. Box drinks, juice, fruit drinks and sports drinks all add on to a significant problem. These beverages contain a higher amount of calories and research shows that 20 percent of children who are currently overweight are due to excessive caloric intake from beverages.

Lack of physical activity
Sedentary life style is making children lazy. They sit glued to computers and television for long hours in their free time. Parents and teachers at school should encourage children in taking up physical activities. They should play outdoors instead of sitting in one place being a couch potato. Report says only 50 percent of children participate in regular physical activities, 25% of them do not take part in any of the exercises. On an average a child spends two hours watching television and 26% of children spend at least four hours on television.

Heredity and family
It is known that genes play an important role in causing obesity. Children of overweight parents are more likely to be obese, if it is hereditary then it is not curable but the excess weight can be controlled to a certain extent through weight management program and taking the help of a dietitian.

The world statistics show that there are more than 5 million obese children in the world. The world statistics on obesity in children have become noteworthy enough that the World Health Organization (WHO) has become actively involved in researching and finding ways to treat and prevent the condition. A task force called the International Obesity Task Force has been formed to study the propositions of these world statistics on obesity in children around the world, to determine the best methods for controlling this issue. 300 million people worldwide are considered obese, and 750 million are overweight as per findings from this organization.

It is disappointing to learn that parents, teachers and health professionals are not taking enough efforts when it comes to the health and well being of our kids. The statistics in child obesity show that this condition has reached alarming rates, and doesn’t show any signs of receding . As much as 20% of the children and teens are considered obese. Each day is seeing increased number of kids who are at risk for diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. The child obesity statistics show that if parents, schools, government and health care professionals do not act quickly, the coming generations may see even more obese and unhealthy children. It is utterly vital that we take preventive measures today to see healthier generations tomorrow.

Today’s parents are very busy working out, partying and socializing as a result of which children are being neglected. It is not their fault if they are obese we are leading them towards it. As parents it is our bound responsibility to take time out for our children to cook healthy meals for them at home and adopt a healthy life style.

Child obesity is not a problem without solution there are numerous healthy recommendations that can be sought by health professionals. Parents should lead their children by example rather than forcing guidance onto them as kids learn by imitation and follow the actions of their elders. It is our duty to teach children healthy ways of eating and educating them about nutritional values, diet and exercise so that they can lead a healthier and happier life.

Eat Like A Fervish Royal At 'Copper Chandni' In Riyadh

By Fazal Shaikh / Riyadh

Copper Chandni is a celebration of Indian food. Until recently it was true that the best Indian food was cooked in the homes. But not anymore.

One of Copper Chandni’s specialties is Dum Pukht. This cooking technique appeared during the reign of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah. Dum Pukht, which literally means “choking off the steam,” has been described as “the maturing of a prepared dish.” 

Why The Cholesterol Is Bad For Your Health Is A Myth?

By SHEENA SHAFIA | INNLIVE

Time to get abreast with new thinking about this misunderstood food ingredient.

Cholesterol has to be the most demonised ingredient got via food. It has been whipped for long, branded the main villain in the heart attack and stroke sagas, and petrified us for almost five decades now.

Serious Health Concern: Get Free From 'Binge' Eating

Who has not at some time or other eaten too much? Yes, binge-eating is a problem which concerns many of us. The truth is: We feel bad and even guilty about this behavior and for that reason, we are often too ashamed to talk about it. Interestingly enough, the people who binge are not all overweight. On the contrary, they are obsessed with diets because they are extremely concerned with the shape of their body and their weight.

Cooking Expert: Sanjeev Kapoor, The Chef Extraordinaire

By Aeman Nishat / Hyderabad

With his million dollar smile and affable attitude, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor has stolen many-a-heart with his tantalising delicacies served with his customary style. One of the biggest powerhouse in the world of flavours became a household name with his hit Indian TV show ‘Khana Khazana’ - the longest running cookery show in Asia which aired in 120 countries for around two decades and had over 500 million dedicated viewers.

Warning: The Chinese Food Syndrome — Sensitivity To MSG

After Maggi Noodles, now, Chinese foods are prone to MSG and other vunerable diseases. According to doctors the MSG, a flavor enhancer in Chinese, Japanese and other Asian cuisines, is now extensively used in meat, poultry, seafood and vegetables in restaurant cooking.

Headache, tightness in the chest, stiffness or generalised weakness of limbs, light headedness, facial flushing, profuse sweating, heartburn, gastric discomfort and burning sensation (face, upper back, neck or arms), heart palpitations, anxiety, excessive urination, thirst, stomach ache, vomiting, attacks mimicking epileptic seizures in children, asthma, depression; if you have experienced any of these symptoms after eating Chinese food, then the chances are you are sensitive to Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG).

Obesity is Dangerous to Children

By Ayesha Jabeen

These children often suffer from low self-esteem. As a result these children are isolated and develop severe depression.

Childhood obesity is growing to become one of the most chronic diseases of childhood. It is not the only disease in itself but gives rise to various other serious diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, cardiovascular diseases and orthopedic complications. It leads to morbid consequences in adulthood increasing the risk of premature death. Obese children are likely to suffer considerable psychological effects as well as social stigma and discrimination.

A child suffering from obesity has problems in mobility. Their lives are very painful because of the excess weight that they carry around constantly and hence unable to lead a normal life. People always ridicule them because of their weight problems. Some of them have great difficulty making friends and relating to the other children in their schools thus hampering their social growth. These children often suffer from low self-esteem. As a result these children are isolated and develop severe depression.

Certain factors are targeted as major contributors of childhood obesity. These include:

• Dietary patterns
• Lack of physical activity
• Heredity and family

Dietary patterns
Dietary patterns play a large role here, wrong eating habits, consuming more calories than required and burning less, eating lots of junk food and ignoring healthy food, untimely eating of meals, are all the factors contributing to obesity. In today’s world it becomes extremely essential that children are trained and equipped with healthy eating habits. Today’s society considers eating unhealthy food as a style of sophisticated life. With the advent of fast food and rush of the hour most parents have forgotten their responsibility of instilling good food habits in their children. It is never advisable for children to skip their three times healthy meals particularly breakfast which is the most important meal of the day. They should be provided with nutritious cereals and porridge at their breakfast time.

As much as possible they should not be given snacks between meals. It is a bad idea when parents reward their kids with food. Never let your child build up a habit of binging on food like fried snacks in his leisure or as a means of entertainment. While preparing meals for children ensure you cook it in a healthy way considering their likes and dislikes. Fried foods, sweets and desserts should be allowed in moderation. Teach your kids to develop a habit of eating fruits and vegetables regularly. Avoid processed foods as far as possible limiting them to once a while only when absolutely required. Do not bribe children with chocolates and sweets and do not make it a daily habit for them.

Today, it is estimated that a larger chunk of money is spent on food outside home, at restaurants, cafeterias, sporting events, parties, etc. people are prone to consume more calories when they eat out when compared to eating at home.

Beverages such as carbonated soft drinks and juice boxes also greatly contribute to the childhood obesity. A bottle of cola contains approximately 400 calories. The consumption of cola by children has increased by 300 percent in last 20 years. Scientific studies have documented a 60 percent increased risk of obesity for every regular soft drink consumed per day. Box drinks, juice, fruit drinks and sports drinks all add on to a significant problem. These beverages contain a higher amount of calories and research shows that 20 percent of children who are currently overweight are due to excessive caloric intake from beverages.

Lack of physical activity
Sedentary life style is making children lazy. They sit glued to computers and television for long hours in their free time. Parents and teachers at school should encourage children in taking up physical activities. They should play outdoors instead of sitting in one place being a couch potato. Report says only 50 percent of children participate in regular physical activities, 25% of them do not take part in any of the exercises. On an average a child spends two hours watching television and 26% of children spend at least four hours on television.

Heredity and family
It is known that genes play an important role in causing obesity. Children of overweight parents are more likely to be obese, if it is hereditary then it is not curable but the excess weight can be controlled to a certain extent through weight management program and taking the help of a dietitian.

The world statistics show that there are more than 5 million obese children in the world. The world statistics on obesity in children have become noteworthy enough that the World Health Organization (WHO) has become actively involved in researching and finding ways to treat and prevent the condition. A task force called the International Obesity Task Force has been formed to study the propositions of these world statistics on obesity in children around the world, to determine the best methods for controlling this issue. 300 million people worldwide are considered obese, and 750 million are overweight as per findings from this organization.

It is disappointing to learn that parents, teachers and health professionals are not taking enough efforts when it comes to the health and well being of our kids. The statistics in child obesity show that this condition has reached alarming rates, and doesn’t show any signs of receding . As much as 20% of the children and teens are considered obese. Each day is seeing increased number of kids who are at risk for diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. The child obesity statistics show that if parents, schools, government and health care professionals do not act quickly, the coming generations may see even more obese and unhealthy children. It is utterly vital that we take preventive measures today to see healthier generations tomorrow.

Today’s parents are very busy working out, partying and socializing as a result of which children are being neglected. It is not their fault if they are obese we are leading them towards it. As parents it is our bound responsibility to take time out for our children to cook healthy meals for them at home and adopt a healthy life style.

Child obesity is not a problem without solution there are numerous healthy recommendations that can be sought by health professionals. Parents should lead their children by example rather than forcing guidance onto them as kids learn by imitation and follow the actions of their elders. It is our duty to teach children healthy ways of eating and educating them about nutritional values, diet and exercise so that they can lead a healthier and happier life.

INDIA'S INFLATION DIP ROUSES FALSE HOPES

By Kunal Kumar (Guest Writer)

India's latest inflation figures, released last week, show the first sub-6% rise in the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) since November 2009. This was achieved mainly due to relatively low food inflation and retracing of global commodity prices. 

The preliminary estimate for the WPI for March came in at 5.96%, down from 6.84% in February 2013. With core inflation (headline inflation stripped off the volatile food and energy component) falling to 3.48%, its turns out to be the first piece of good news on the economic front for many moons. 

It prompted analysts and even some noted economists to believe that the genie of inflation has finally been bottled and from here onwards the economy will slowly start to trend up, aided by monetary policy support (an interest rate cut, if you may). The domestic stock markets also reacted positively in anticipation of a rate cut at the next Reserve Bank of India monetary policy meeting scheduled for May 3. 

Focus: The Congress Principle, Deny Livelihood, Give Dole

By Dhiraj Nayyar / Delhi

There is a terrible paradox at the heart of the Congress party. On the one hand, it professes the protection of the interests of India’s poor as its main political rationale. On the other, it thinks nothing of destroying the livelihood of the very same people. For Congress, the I of self-interest, comes before them.

Just two weeks ago, the Government rushed through an ordinance which will guarantee the supply of cheap rice and wheat to poor households. Today comes the news that the Government is seriously considering — and not for the first time in its tenure — a ban on onion exports.

Forensic Report: Bihar Food Had 'Heavy Poison' Of Pesticide

By M H Ahssan / INN Bureau

Were the young victims in Chapra, Bihar, really poisoned as the state government claims? The state education minister PK Shahi was slammed for his comments in a media conference, when he insisted that the children had been deliberately poisoned and hinted at a political conspiracy. However the forensic examination of the food that was given to the children suggests that his theory may not be that far fetched after all.

Puran poli: Simple & secular appetite teaser

By M H Ahssan

The Sweet Stuffed Bread Depicts Gujarati Instinct For Luxury & Maharashtrian Food’s Elegant Frugality Well

Take toor dal, or channa or moong dal sometimes. Wheat flour. Jaggery if you want to be traditional, sugar if not, and sometimes a mix of the two. And ghee, though vegetable oil can also be used instead (in one case, for religious reasons). With just these few ingredients you can tell the food stories of most of Western India’s communities as they come together to make puran poli.

That this sweet stuffed flat bread is seen as belonging firmly to Western India is no accident. Food reflects geography, and that of Western India inclines its food to austerity. Not for this region the rich milk-based sweets of the river plains and deltas of Northern and Eastern India, or the coconut crammed concoctions of lush Kerala in the South. Western India’s geography gives it a thin fertile strip along the sea, but it is dominated by the Deccan, dusty and dry behind its rampart of the Ghats.

This does not automatically condemn Western India to ascetism – the happy abundance of Gujarati, Parsi and Goan food is proof against that. Yet there is an underlying austerity, especially in regular home food, and puran poli’s filling, based on that most homely of ingredients, dal, reflects this. The region’s difficult geography and relative lack of riches also meant that it was never much coveted by conquering powers. Even its native conquerors, the Marathas, wanted to get out and gain other lands.

The consequence is that Western India was never dominated by a community like the Mughals in North India, Bengali bhadralok in the East or Tamil Brahmins in the South. Different communities dominated at different times, but no single one shaped the region. Instead communities dominated in different areas – professionally, like the Gujaratis and Parsis in trade or Hindu Maharashtrians in scholarship or agriculture, or geographically like Catholics in Goa or Bene Israeli Jews on the north Konkan coast.

Each of these communities took up the same ingredients and fashioned them subtly to their own ends. The ingredients of the region are often common, like fish, coconuts and rice, yet a multiplicity of little known cuisines have come from them. The differences between them are subtle, and often based on social differences such as the souring agents used in Goa: vinegar by the Catholics who could drink the alcohol it was based on, kokum by the Hindus who could not.

Puran poli shows how these socially derived variations work even better, since as a sweet it more easily crosses the barriers of vegetarian/non-vegetarian, halal, kosher, home-made and other such restrictions. So the Gujarati instinct for luxury comes out in its small, fat puran polis, bursting with the filling of sweetened cooked dhal and doused to dripping in hot melted ghee. They are the most dangerous items on a traditional Gujju thali since once you have two – and they are too delicious to have just one – all your appetite for the rest vanishes. By contrast Maharashtrian food’s elegant frugality is seen its larger, thin, bone-dry puran polis that must be moistened before eating, with coconut milk on the coast, cow’s milk or ghee in the interiors.

Maharashtrians also often economically make a tangy-hot curry to eat with the puran poli from extra dhal or even just the liquid in which the dhal for the filling cooked. Of all the puran poli variations it is these austere versions I like best, though I find them impossibly hard to make. Luckily in Mumbai one can buy them from places like Tambhe Arogya Bhavan in Dadar, to eat dipped with milk and not the least pleasure is finally eating the sweet sludge of filling that always forms at the bottom of the bowl.

Parsis used the ingredients and techniques of their Persian homeland to make something startlingly different of puran poli. They made it into dar-ni-pori, a sturdy thick thing, filled with dried fruits and nuts and looking almost like a cake. Katy Dalal’s final instructions in the recipe in her book Jamva Chaloji 1, confirm this: “Cut into wedges and serve hot with tea”. Simple puran poli has gone genteel, as a pastry to serve on porcelain plates, with forks for five o’clock tea.

Another West Coast community with foreign roots stayed simple, but with a religious adaptation. The Bene Israelis make two versions, one with vegetable oil and one with ghee, depending on whether there is meat in the rest of the meal, so keeping kosher strictures against mixing dairy foods and meat. Esther David in her novel The Book of Rachel tells us that they are a festive food: “Puranpoli is made on Purim in memory of the liberation of the Persian Jews and the festival of Queen Esther...”

Konkani Muslims also make puran poli but not, my friend Rafique Baghdadi tells me, with religious connotations: “It’s fried crisp on the tava and is utterly delicious.” Further south, near Karnataka, puran poli blends into the huge family of holiges, the sweet breads of that region. Across the West Coast almost every community turns tricks with puran poli, with the odd exception of Christian communities. As far as I’ve been able to find the closest they get is the steamed rice cakes with coconut-jaggery filling called patoli or patalio in Mangalore and Goa, or sometimes with the sweet dal as an optional filling for the deep-fried crescent pastries called nevries.

Neither one is quite puran poli, and the reason for this omission could again be rooted in community history. Because the one big change, almost the identifying one, made by Christian communities was to give up unleavened flatbreads for oven baked pav and other such yeast raised breads. In the process they may have forgotten puran poli, the one loss from all the variations that they added to the foods of Western India.

Intellectual Gluttony: Why Is 'Gold' Subsidise Not 'Food'?

By M H Ahssan / INN Bureau

Before we hit the keyboard to criticise the UPA government’s Food Security Ordinance and the Amartya Sen-led ideas behind it, it would be worthwhile to introspect what exactly we are chewing. Behind arguments against the law, lie privileged and powerful voices. So loud are these voices that they drown every other sound, including cold logic that stares them in the face. Feasting on an intellectual gluttony, they chew heavy subsidies in the name of the poor, while ensuring the poor stay where they are.

How Vikas Khanna Went From Being A Small-Time Punjabi Caterer Who Couldn't Speak English To A Michelin-Star Chef

"Even today, whenever there's a tweet from my account in incorrect English, it is probably mine."

The first time I speak to Vikas Khanna, he is at the Cannes film festival. It is the day after the launch of the trailer of his biopic Buried Seeds, which is slated to release later this year. A day later, when we speak again, he is wandering on the streets of Varanasi, in search of rare utensils for a forthcoming kitchen museum at his alma mater Manipal University. These two extremes sum up Khanna's trajectory from a small caterer from Amritsar to one of the world's best-known Indian chefs.

#KhanaKhazana: 'How Corona Era Snatched My Joy Of Home-Delivered Food?'

By Asma Khatoon

Cooking is an essential life skill, never quite cut through to me before these few months. It was almost as if another life began for me during the Corona lockdown.

The virus came into my life on a March afternoon. Wrapped in an app alert, it reached the gates of my adjacent society. The RWA (Residents Welfare Association) of mine sprung into action. The first casualties of this pandemic were those delivery boys. The gates of my society were locked. We were told only essentials will be delivered. But for a person whose kitchen has never seen more cooking than bread being toasted, what does that word 'essential' even mean? I found out, with a heavy heart, that it did not involve takeaway food.

Takeaway food, that came riding pillion on a bike and was delivered with the occasional smile, had come to be my sustenance in this big city. Zomato, Uber Eats, Swiggy, Foodpanda. The delivery apps were many. They all had one thing in common: the gift of choice. Cuisines, dishes, so much to choose from.

India's ‘Ferrari’ Reforms Has An Autorickshaw Engine

By M H Ahssan / Hyderabad

The completely pointless Union cabinet reshuffle yesterday (17 June) tells us three things: one, the Congress party has given up on its government; two, from now on politics will dictate policy and not economics (assuming the reverse was ever true of UPA); and, three, the role of P Chidambaram is not so much to push reforms as to keep up the illusion of forward movement alive so that the economy does not capsize in the run-up to the elections.

So when The Economic Times promises a “Ferrari” of reforms on the “slow road” to growth, it does not see any contradiction.