Very Sad

[kunjuppu]

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a cousin of mine is a professional photographer, and occassionally posts selected pix from his assignments into our family group Face Book.

he posted a few today, of poonal of a young tambram kid, 10 -12 years of age. what was shocking, was this kid was so fat, that he had 3 tires in his tummy, and breasts bigger than many teenage girls. he had a baby face, and in many of the pix, he was surrounded by adoring parents sister and female relatives.

the mother sister looked trim pretty sophisticated and had all the carriage of an upper middle class family in chennai. the father it does not matter.

there were 20 comments, all of them of the pattern, 'soooo cuuuuuute', 'cho chweet' and infinite variations of the same.

i was pretty upset with the parents for two reasons - one not taking care of the son, to the same extent they took care of themselves. obviously this kid was fed on ghee and sugar and ice cream (one pix of him gorging a tub of ice cream). the other, presenting such a sight to the world.

i was skinny, till i got jaundice, at 9 and then went to badagara, for 'health improvement', and was fattened up to 160 lbs (from 79) and from then on my fight with weight started. also being fat is no fun, and you get teased and ostracized, and in these days, girls would rather laugh at you than with you.

i commented in Facebook, 'i think this young man should be put on a diet, and a good exercise regimen, to tone up his body and along with it improve his self confidence. a good taut body would go well with his handsome face and being fat is no fun'.

very soon, i had my another cousin call me up, explaining that even though her own husband was just as upset as i was at the sight of those pix, could i please delete my comment, as the boy's parents were good friends, and would tend to misunderstand and would cause rupture in their relationships.

i deleted the comments. still sore and angry. no matter what our religious or caste feelings are, can we all atleast take care of our children, ensure that they have nourishing food, the right quantity, ensure that they get sufficient exercise, so that the net result is a healthy toned fit and handsome body?

or would this focus on physical body, result in excessive self confidence, and eventual IC or IR marriage? is this fear that is making sure, while the girls are slim and pretty, we keep our boys chubby and 'chweet'?

 

[sangom]

a cousin of mine is a professional photographer, and occassionally posts selected pix from his assignments into our family group Face Book.

he posted a few today, of poonal of a young tambram kid, 10 -12 years of age. what was shocking, was this kid was so fat, that he had 3 tires in his tummy, and breasts bigger than many teenage girls. he had a baby face, and in many of the pix, he was surrounded by adoring parents sister and female relatives.

the mother sister looked trim pretty sophisticated and had all the carriage of an upper middle class family in chennai. the father it does not matter.

there were 20 comments, all of them of the pattern, 'soooo cuuuuuute', 'cho chweet' and infinite variations of the same.

i was pretty upset with the parents for two reasons - one not taking care of the son, to the same extent they took care of themselves. obviously this kid was fed on ghee and sugar and ice cream (one pix of him gorging a tub of ice cream). the other, presenting such a sight to the world.

i was skinny, till i got jaundice, at 9 and then went to badagara, for 'health improvement', and was fattened up to 160 lbs (from 79) and from then on my fight with weight started. also being fat is no fun, and you get teased and ostracized, and in these days, girls would rather laugh at you than with you.

i commented in Facebook, 'i think this young man should be put on a diet, and a good exercise regimen, to tone up his body and along with it improve his self confidence. a good taut body would go well with his handsome face and being fat is no fun'.

very soon, i had my another cousin call me up, explaining that even though her own husband was just as upset as i was at the sight of those pix, could i please delete my comment, as the boy's parents were good friends, and would tend to misunderstand and would cause rupture in their relationships.

i deleted the comments. still sore and angry. no matter what our religious or caste feelings are, can we all atleast take care of our children, ensure that they have nourishing food, the right quantity, ensure that they get sufficient exercise, so that the net result is a healthy toned fit and handsome body?

or would this focus on physical body, result in excessive self confidence, and eventual IC or IR marriage? is this fear that is making sure, while the girls are slim and pretty, we keep our boys chubby and 'chweet'?

Two points have not come out, Dear K; one, is the boy in India or abroad? and two, does your cousin, who asked you to delete your comments, staying in the same place/country?

That said, I think such obesity and gynaecomastia could also be caused by hormone deficiencies/imbalances. So, if the boy's parents are responsible and worldly wise, they should consult some good general physician first, I would say.

 

[kunjuppu]

Two points have not come out, Dear K; one, is the boy in India or abroad? and two, does your cousin, who asked you to delete your comments, staying in the same place/country?

That said, I think such obesity and gynaecomastia could also be caused by hormone deficiencies/imbalances. So, if the boy's parents are responsible and worldly wise, they should consult some good general physician first, I would say.

chennai (pls see line 4);

cousin in usa; fotografer chennai.

re consulting docs, lets hope the parents do. i have no more to do with this.

 

[biswa]

Here is the problem Mr. K. Would you get upset if somebody does not follow your well meaning advice? Even our spouse or children do not like to take advice, so what is the chance of a third party appreciating it?

 

[renuka]

chennai (pls see line 4);

cousin in usa; fotografer chennai.

re consulting docs, lets hope the parents do. i have no more to do with this.

Believe me...it is very hard convincing an Indian parent about healthy weight for a child.

I have enough patients whose children are on the thinner side of the normal BMI(still within normal limits though) and parents bring them to me cos they want kids to look chubby!

They keep complaining that their kids dont look chubby and cute but look thin.

Then there are some parents who do not mind their teenage daughters sit by the TV watching mega serials and keep munching on french fries and when their schools have marathons parents comes to me to get medical letters to say that their daughters are not medically fit to run!

I do not entertain such patients ..in fact I tell them the marathon will be a good start for the girls to lose weight.

Our Indian community all over the world need to wake up and realize what is healthy for them.

No one is asking anyone to be stick thin or be a have a perfect 10 or a size zero body..but as long they child is within normal weight it is fine.

Indian parents tend to over do the sugar part of children's food and a sweet tooth is considered something to be proud of.

Many dishes can be prepared sans sugar using some fruits like banana and dates in replacement of sugar.

Indians too do not take physical activity seriously..even in the gym I go to hardly an Indian woman will be working out..even if they do it will be some very low intensity work out.

We Indians should change our mindset and try to improve ourselves..out here when a person thinks of an Indian woman...all they think is of is Obesity.

Indian husbands too are not too encouraging for their wives to get fit....so I always advise my patients to make exercise a family affair so that the whole family gets fit and healthy.

Many dishes too are oil and ghee laden..one has to decide in life either to eat to live or live to eat.

 

[sangom]

Just this morning I saw one TV ad most probably in Podhigai TV. It deals with obesity of girls of marriable (?) age. But among tabras even boys now have obesity and not a few have this gynecomastia.

 

[ShivKC]

blame it on kuriens decades long proselytisation!!

utterly butterly chubby kid is the benchmark set by indias top selling milk product company..

 

[sarang]

There was study from west two days ago, that hindus and sikhs in the west are more obese and unfit and diabetic, compared to other religious denominations. Hindus and sikhs because they eat a lot of sweets, do not exercise and lead a sedate life. Muslims are better because they do a month long fast. Will post the link if I can locate it.

 

[kunjuppu]

There was study from west two days ago, that hindus and sikhs in the west are more obese and unfit and diabetic, compared to other religious denominations. Hindus and sikhs because they eat a lot of sweets, do not exercise and lead a sedate life. Muslims are better because they do a month long fast. Will post the link if I can locate it.

this kid is in chennai. if we examine our foods, the fattening element is ghee, though i dont know how much sweets an average tambram family eats today. my own parents had no taste for sweets, and neither do my kids. we may be an exception.

overseas, the sampling of hindus or muslims, is basically of north indian origin, and their foodstyle is quite different from that of ours, both in india and abroad. add to it, i have found, that since meat is cheap and in plenty, it is a must component in atleast 2 of the 3 meals per day.

i know a few muslims who have diabetes. all are addicted to sweets, and go to the punjabi sweet stores of toronto, which are aplenty.

i dont know how much western foods, such as chocolates, pizza, burgers (veggie or otherwise), noodles, pasta etc has infiltrated the upper middle class tambram household today. add to it, sugar based pop like coca or pepsi cola.

pure thayir sadham never harms anyone or inducive to chubbiness. it is the add ons that are the killers.

 

[kunjuppu]

Here is the problem Mr. K. Would you get upset if somebody does not follow your well meaning advice? Even our spouse or children do not like to take advice, so what is the chance of a third party appreciating it?

biswa,

frankly i dont know the family concerned. not that it mattered. all i wanted was to caution, both the parents and the public about the dangers of obese kids, and moreover, the insensitivity and stupidity of parading a kid, with so obscene physical outgrowths publicly. these parents are so dumb and idiotic.

the reason i removed it, because of a begging letter from another girl cousin who was a close family friend of the boy's family, and who felt, it would reflect badly on the photographer cousin. i plainly did not want to cause hard feeling emanating out of my comments.

even though this was a private family group, this family had access to this group, and would have felt that the photographer had no business parlaying their son's upanayanam in a public forum, even though the pix were outstanding in their class.

 

[biswa]

Mr. K regarding thayir saadam, is it made with white rice and curd from whole milk? Or is it brown rice and nonfat yogurt? The exact constituents may decide whether it is healthy or hurtful.

And yes, I can confirm pizza, pasta, maggi noodles, garlic bread, chocolates, cakes, icecream have infiltrated most American Indian (or even Indian Indian) upper middle class households.

 

[kunjuppu]

Mr. K regarding thayir saadam, is it made with white rice and curd from whole milk? Or is it brown rice and nonfat yogurt? The exact constituents may decide whether it is healthy or hurtful.

And yes, I can confirm pizza, pasta, maggi noodles, garlic bread, chocolates, cakes, icecream have infiltrated most American Indian (or even Indian Indian) upper middle class households.

biswa,

i am curious about chennai based tambrams. not NRI. thanks.

 

[Jaykay767]

Folks – Pl be very cautious with your food. Food has a direct impact to health & without “proper food”, the body cannot grow, re-generate& heal itself.

As I said earlier in one of my posts, our ancients had perfected our food. They had only 2 goals - one is to be health & live very long. Healthy because in the ancient times if one falls ill, that’s the end of story !!. So our south Indian food is tried & tested for 1000s of generations.

With all due respect to the Dr. Renukaji & all the doctors, dieticians, etc.., there is NO study of different food diets (only veggies, fruits etc..) involving millions of people over decades to see its health effects !!

“Infact the US doctor who suggested that fruits & veggie diet is the most healthiest of all - died of heart disease !!” Also fruits were never eaten by any of the races as part of the daily diet in all of history – because it is NOT healthy, you can only eat once in a while!!

In the US/Europe, due to all these silly food experiments, the cancer, tumor rates have jumped over 30%, in Japan, they gave up rice for 30 yrs, the cancer rates jumped 300%. To avoid diabetes, they are killing themselves even faster !!

Lets assume for eg, rice leads to diabetes, what is the alternative. There is NO alternative, because none of the foods are tried & tested.

By the way, most of our earlier generations lived very long into 90s by only eating rice, particularly in the Tabra community, & also in many NBs. Infact they just ate rice after 60 yrs, because all their teeth had fallen off & they could not even eat the vegetable curry etc.

Again there is a myth that our ancients walked & worked a lot. Not true. Many of our ancients lived in the village, our brahmin priests rarely ever worked, they were sitting all the time & chanting the mantras, they all lived long till 90s. so don’t start working out every day for 2 hrs, you will get injured & mess up your life. So do moderate walking, exercise all your life, no need to run marathon or gym every day - LOL !!
Also life is NOT about just avoiding heart disease, but also to weather any storm !!. Look at Jesse Ryder – built like an OX, even when he was beaten to coma, he came back of coma in 1 day, in 2 days, he was up & talking. They discharged him in 1 week. That’s what solid eating, working out will do for you. If he was thin, within BMI Index, he would have been cooling his heel elsewhere in some other world – LOL !!

Be smart, just stick to our ancient diet unless you are specifically advised by a doctor for any medical condition!!

 

[Jaykay767]

In all my travel to USA & Europe, all the old people - 80s, 90s, all had huge tummies, and they ordered full black coffee , eating all the regular meat, food, no fruits (LOL) & living their lives well. Infact when I was telling this to one of the people in USA, she is a white & immediately acknowledged that her father is 84 yrs, mother is 79 yrs & both have huge tummies !!

 

[sangom]

<snip>
Again there is a myth that our ancients walked & worked a lot. Not true. Many of our ancients lived in the village, our brahmin priests rarely ever worked, they were sitting all the time & chanting the mantras, they all lived long till 90s. so don’t start working out every day for 2 hrs, you will get injured & mess up your life. So do moderate walking, exercise all your life, no need to run marathon or gym every day - LOL !!
< snip >

In all my travel to USA & Europe, all the old people - 80s, 90s, all had huge tummies, and they ordered full black coffee , eating all the regular meat, food, no fruits (LOL) & living their lives well. Infact when I was telling this to one of the people in USA, she is a white & immediately acknowledged that her father is 84 yrs, mother is 79 yrs & both have huge tummies !!

I do not know much about the whole of Tamil Nadu but, in my paternal native place, Tirunelveli, there were many tabras living a below-subsistence life style. Many of them used to walk miles per day to go to some particular temple or some marriage in a zamindar's house, so that they will get one time free meal. As for the women and children at home, I was told that these poor tabras used to save the appalams, vadai, other fired items served, plantains etc., walk back the miles and bring those saved items so that those at home will have "something" at least to eat. Some of these tabras used to carry brass or copper pots and fetch drinking water from the Tambraparni river to different households and, based on the number of pots brought in this way, they used to earn two or three pice per day after slogging from 5 AM till around 11 or 11.30 AM, till the hot sun became unbearable. Thereafter, those who had enough stamina, used to bathe in the river and do pooja in a few temples on either side of this river bank and this also involved a lot of walking and earned them a pakkaa or two of raw rice towards naivedyam in those temples (which, of course had to be cooked, offered to the deities and the cooked rice could be brought home.).

In Kerala (or at least Travancore) the tabra's lot was not much different but, thanks to the fact that in those days the society here turned around with the Namboodiris as its fulcrum, we used to have one feast somewhere for most days of the year. The Namboodiris as also tabras would walk miles, at times even 10 or more, to eat at some famous "sadya" which would have three or four different pAyasams with unlimited serving! I too have walked a few miles for one or two such "sadyas" at my age of 6 or 7.

Apart from the food part, not everything was at hand's reach in those days. Even a matriculation school used to be about 3 or 4 miles away and students had to walk to and fro. Same condition applied to the market, the native postal office, native vaidyan/english hospital, or even a visit to some close relatives in some nearby village.

But it looks to me that nature had created humans to hunt and eat or fetch and eat, and our genetic make up is suited to near starvation existence. But we have brought plenty and more through our technology and innovative farming, dairying, etc., and it is this prosperity which is killing us from inside.

Therefore, stick to our traditional food, don't "eat out" unless you can get your homely menu there also and eat only half-stomach or, at the most three-quarters stomach. This quantity limit does not apply to young people.

Last but not least, don't fall into the vicious trap of "living according to medical lab reports". This is a trend which is found increasingly among senior citizens. Even though they have no bodily disconfort, no problems such people will be obsessive about all their medical test reports being "within normal" and the moment some reading goes outside the normal range, they will immediately consult the concerned "specialist" get some medicine or diet or additional exercise prescribed. This change possibly will affect some other reading in the next medical check-up and the process repeats. The doctors and the laboratories are the beneficiaries and these poor souls live in constant worry and anxiety about their health, and may be impending crisis for their health!!

 

[auh]

I do not know much about the whole of Tamil Nadu but, in my paternal native place, Tirunelveli, there were many tabras living a below-subsistence life style. Many of them used to walk miles per day to go to some particular temple or some marriage in a zamindar's house, so that they will get one time free meal. As for the women and children at home, I was told that these poor tabras used to save the appalams, vadai, other fired items served, plantains etc., walk back the miles and bring those saved items so that those at home will have "something" at least to eat. Some of these tabras used to carry brass or copper pots and fetch drinking water from the Tambraparni river to different households and, based on the number of pots brought in this way, they used to earn two or three pice per day after slogging from 5 AM till around 11 or 11.30 AM, till the hot sun became unbearable. Thereafter, those who had enough stamina, used to bathe in the river and do pooja in a few temples on either side of this river bank and this also involved a lot of walking and earned them a pakkaa or two of raw rice towards naivedyam in those temples (which, of course had to be cooked, offered to the deities and the cooked rice could be brought home.).

In Kerala (or at least Travancore) the tabra's lot was not much different but, thanks to the fact that in those days the society here turned around with the Namboodiris as its fulcrum, we used to have one feast somewhere for most days of the year. The Namboodiris as also tabras would walk miles, at times even 10 or more, to eat at some famous "sadya" which would have three or four different pAyasams with unlimited serving! I too have walked a few miles for one or two such "sadyas" at my age of 6 or 7.

Apart from the food part, not everything was at hand's reach in those days. Even a matriculation school used to be about 3 or 4 miles away and students had to walk to and fro. Same condition applied to the market, the native postal office, native vaidyan/english hospital, or even a visit to some close relatives in some nearby village.

But it looks to me that nature had created humans to hunt and eat or fetch and eat, and our genetic make up is suited to near starvation existence. But we have brought plenty and more through our technology and innovative farming, dairying, etc., and it is this prosperity which is killing us from inside.

Therefore, stick to our traditional food, don't "eat out" unless you can get your homely menu there also and eat only half-stomach or, at the most three-quarters stomach. This quantity limit does not apply to young people.

Last but not least, don't fall into the vicious trap of "living according to medical lab reports". This is a trend which is found increasingly among senior citizens. Even though they have no bodily disconfort, no problems such people will be obsessive about all their medical test reports being "within normal" and the moment some reading goes outside the normal range, they will immediately consult the concerned "specialist" get some medicine or diet or additional exercise prescribed. This change possibly will affect some other reading in the next medical check-up and the process repeats. The doctors and the laboratories are the beneficiaries and these poor souls live in constant worry and anxiety about their health, and may be impending crisis for their health!!

Very true. My father recounts a similar version in his younger days. The lifestyle itself was an exercise and moderation was not practised, rather thrust upon them.

Probably, due to abundance (both money and tummy), youngsters might find it difficult to do the pranayamam nowadays.

 

[auh]

Just this morning I saw one TV ad most probably in Podhigai TV. It deals with obesity of girls of marriable (?) age. But among tabras even boys now have obesity and not a few have this gynecomastia.

Most of them seem to have thyroid problems, and this, probably, is one of the factors that causes delay in conception.

 

[kannanpadmanabhan]

I have been reading with interest articles appearing every week or fortnight by one Raj Ganpath in MetroPlus HINDU newspaper regarding nutrition, lifestyle etc
I find the articles insightful and members may like to read them at the link below:

Kannan

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