Why are we Indians so unfit?

Hi, welcome to newsletter #4.

Grab a warm cup of plain water, and lets begin.

What's inside :

• Why are we Indians so unfit?

• Jargon of the day

• Habit of the week

• Goal of the month

If “health” and “fitness” were two girls having fun, then the average Indian would be their awkward guy friend standing in a corner staring at the floor.

but why is it so? Why are we not the popular kids of the world when it comes to health and fitness? why are we collecting trophies for diabetes and obesity while others are boasting six pack abs and bikini bodies?

a lot of it has to do with what genes got passed on to us from our ancestors, what food we eat and how we live our lives on a day to day basis.

But all is not lost and we do have some jugaads up our sleeve too to offset the poor deal we got.

let’s dive in

The Asian Indian Phenotype

At the heart of the average Indian’s fitness struggle is a bunch of genes in our DNA that make us have a higher percentage of body fat for the same height and weight compared to our western counterparts.

Which means we get more insulin resistance, hence more diabetes, more cardiovascular ailments and a distinct pot belly.

but back in the day, when we were still hunter gatherer and later, farmers, these modifications gave us survival advantage. We could survive famines and travel long distances without food, thanks to our fat stores.

But now in the times of excess calorie dense, cheap and tasty food available in plenty, same genes have become our enemies.

We store more fat at all the wrong places (inside our organs, visceral fat I mean) as opposed to under our skin or subcutaneous fat.

Back in the day more insulin resistance meant more sugar in the blood and more supply to brain, and other organs. But now it leads to premature diabetes mellitus.

back in the day more fat meant better protection from cold and better chances of survival but now they are just cause diseases.

How to fix this ?

While we can’t change our genes like a software update, at least not until now. We can control what goes into our body.

If we eat only at fixed hours then not only will we avoid excess calories but also prevent extra fat from collecting and causing insulin resistance.

Our circadian rhythm becomes regular and that stabilizes our basal metabolic rate, or calories we burn each day.

also, if we wander gather like our ancestors, and count those steps up to 7000 - 10,000 then we can safely say we’ll pass on the healthier type of genes to our next generation.

Carbs – Our Blessing and Bane

We are known as an agricultural country. And guess what grows on, our fields more than anything else? carbohydrates.

It has been our blessing since it feeds 1.4 billion stomachs everyday and allows us to grow and prosper, but also our bane because we eat too much of it.

so our diet is mostly made of carbohydrates and this goes against the principles of balanced diet. An unbalanced diet, inspite of having all the healthy ingredients is still an unhealthy diet if it has one component in excess.

an average person should have not more than 40 percent calories from carbohydrates. Which means not more than 700 calories from carbohydrates.

The catch is ,we can consume our quota of 700 calories in one burger and drink or three servings of rajma chawal having 250 calories each.

How to fix this ?

Choose complex carbohydrates like green leafy veggies, fruits and salads. Technically they are also carbohydrates but not very calorie dense. you can eat a lot and still not go over your daily quota.

minimize simple sugars like softdrinks, fruit juices, maida, besan, corn flour and such.

eat more protein, up to one gram per kg body weight, unless you have some liver or kidney ailment.

The academic pressure cooker -

If there is one thing I would like to adopt from the west, it is the balance between education and extra curricular activities.

just like our carb heavy diet, our life is also academic and work heavy. Sports is a luxury if not a distraction. Working out is a free time activity, never a priority. Mix it with some poor genetics and diet, and we have a pressure cooker waiting to explode with type two diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

How to fix this?

There is no easy answer here, but like charity, improvement in diet and habits also begin at home.

if the family comes together to become healthier, just like we are known for doing in times of sickness then no genes or poor diet or laziness to exercise can shorten our lifespan.

we can start with tracking each others steps, taking turns in making meals, taking turns in waking each other up for a walk, or a run, accompanying the elderly if possible, replacing chai biscoot with some chai and nuts, and making sure the younger generation is watching and following us.

So that was it for today.

I discuss more aspects in the video on my YouTube channel. be sure to check it out too.

I would like to hear from you. Reply with a topic you’d like me to cover.

Cheers,

Dr. Vishal.