As part of the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland’s project undertaken for Queensland state government, Dietitian and Nutrition Expert Dr Reina Shukla (who divides her time between Australia and India) volunteered in writing a report on ‘A culturally tailored healthy eating program for the Indian speaking community’ in 2009.
“During our research, we found Indian migrants were putting on weight very fast and this is due to acculturation,” she says.
Acculturation is the process of adopting the cultural traits or social patterns of another group.
“People adopt eating habits of the country they live in. In India, we face issues related to food security. When migrants arrive in Australia and see variety of food in abundance, many buy and consume more than basic food our body requires,” she explains.
“When in supermarket, we look at our buying power and pay little attention to nutrition. We buy and consume readily available candies, lollies and chocolates. We give it to our children regularly.
“Busy routine means we tend to cook meals which are ready to cook like pastas and consume readymade cakes as dessert. All this is very high in calories and this is what leads to weight gain,” Shukla told SBS Hindi.
Shukla says those with a BMI above 30 and below 40 can make lifestyle changes and bring their weight down.
“I always tell parents to be active with children. You can’t be watching television and ask your child to play. You have to play with them. Go hiking, involve yourself in a physical activity, eat the right food and reduce your packaged food intake to milk and nuts,” Shukla advises.
“However, people with BMI above 40 may require medical assistance. Sometimes, surgical intervention too,” Shukla says.
HOW TO CALCULATE BMI?
The calculation of BMI is based on your Weight (kg) / Height (m)2
HOW TO INTERPRET BMI?
Obesidad y salud Source: Medical News Today (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/obesity/what-is-bmi.php)
Being obese is defined as having a body mass index (BMI), a measurement that relates weight to height, of 30 kilograms per meter squared.
Reina says, “Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of relative size based on the mass and height of an individual. If a person's BMI is out of the healthy BMI range, their health risks may increase.”
Source: Supplied
But is obesity a lifestyle choice?
Contrary to popular perception, obesity is related to your genes and is a genetic disease, experts say.
A new SBS documentary series The Obesity Myth follows the work at Melbourne hospital Austin Health, where obesity is treated as the genetically derived disease the evidence suggests it is.
“This is a disease, not a lifestyle choice and it requires treatment like any other,” Dr Ahmad Aly, the head of upper gastrointestinal surgery at Austin Health says.
If you're interested in diving deeper into the complex topic of obesity, watch The Obesity Myth on Mondays from 4 September at 7:30pm on SBS and stream online at SBS On Demand. Watch the first episode below:
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