One may have heard about ‘scarcity’ being the source of a problem but not about ‘plenty’ being the cause. The middleclass is now suffering due to consumerism and plentiful availability and affordability of food. There is no pattern in the food intake too. It’s not linked to festivals or occasions. A peek into any fridge of a middleclass household is bound to come up with sweets, chocolates, cheese, butter, curd, semi-cooked food, meat and fish products; less of fibre and high in protein. Indignantly one may say, “How dare you question this; my family needs all this. We need all this for our health.” The question is, with the kind of burning-up capacity, do we actually need all thisIJ
What’s happening now to the Newgen of middleclassIJ
Adults are acquiring lifestyle diseases in their early thirties. By lifestyle diseases, I am referring to the ones like blood pressure or hypertension, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart problems, strokes, thyroid, obesity, etc., which are directly linked to food intake, and once they become chronic they can also become a handicap and ultimately fatal. Medicine dependence increases with age and, in rare cases, is reversible. These are called lifestyle diseases because they are caused by the sedentary pace of life and also created by high calorie and fast food.
For the previous generation or for those people who are in their sixties now, these diseases appeared in their fifties or so, but now they can be diagnosed anytime between early thirties and early forties which is more dangerous.
Children being obese and teenagers with chronic lifestyle diseases
Another alarming thing is that children are also suspects for such symptoms which are affecting their future too. Obesity is also common among small children and teenagers. Those who are into dieting and food control go into the other extreme of a disease called ‘aneroxia nervosa’ where the patient stops eating and starts losing weight day by day and may die also. They require psychiatric treatment along with medical treatment. It’s a question of imbalanced way of living.
let’s look into the causes of such pattern of behaviour among the middle class
Consumerism
With the growth of a consumerist society, the buying behaviour is following the ‘me too’ trend. We have to consume whatever is being advertised on media especially television, as also what our friends, peer groups are eating. Due to lack of time, fast food becomes the best options for parents where both the partners are working. Even when the mother is a housewife, the children prefer the pizzas and fast food from outside rather than it being made at home. It suits the mother too as she would rather be on the net or watching favourite serials in the meantime. India, I guess, is the country with the largest number of diabetic cases, but you will still see a great rush at sweet shops and also the mushrooming of such shops in any locality. Gone are the days when Rasgollas were prepared at home on an occasion only. The same case is with Pithas which can be bought across the counter or ordered.
Affordability:
Due to mass production and low labour costs, fast food has become more affordable now than in the past. The consumption pattern has also shifted from traditional items to modern or rather Western-type protein-rich items. Idea about modern day living is to live for the moment and enjoy life. Everything has to be instant like noodles, pasta, coffee, etc. No one is willing to wait. In a mini metro like ours, a branded pizza can be bought for as low as `150.
Not related to occasions:
In the earlier days, particular sweets or even sweetmeats or Pithas were prepared at home and eaten on occasions. Same was with meat and fish preparations. Eggs were allowed only when the person fell ill. The overall meal was a mix of carbohydrates, fibre, i.e., vegetables and protein which consisted of pulses or meat and fish items. Spinach and bitter gourd were a must at lunch time. Rotis were preferred over Puris and Parathas as they did not have oil base. The former items and all fried items were meant for occasions. Regular Odia cooking used the minimum amount of oil and spices. Now, what is being eaten is influenced partly by the Mughlai and Indian-continental style where the condiments are used more. Though pure continental and Chinese items use very little oil and spices, the Indianised versions use more oil and fat. Going out to eat has become a weekly affair whereas earlier families went out on occasions. Added to weekly visits, ordering from home happens two to three times a week. This is done by the children who live on pastas, pizzas and soft drinks and fried non-veg stuff. There is no particular harm from such food, but it is not appropriate for our temperate climate of the eastern region. Next issue is about burning up protein-rich food. Protein, if not burnt up, turns into fat in the body and can damage the kidneys and liver.
Conversion of joint families into nuclear families
In the case of joint families, the portion of food served was small because the number of members was large. Say, in the case of meat or fish a couple of pieces sufficed per person. Now with the emergence of nuclear families, the portions are larger and we have higher protein intake per person, much more than what is required. With hardly a couple of children per family, portions served are much larger and in concentrated form. ‘Concentrated’ means that we are eating sweets and chocolates with concentrated sugar instead of fruits which have natural glucose and sucrose which is better for health. Parents are foisting the ‘best’ of food on them so that they don’t have any deficiency and study better to survive the competition. Cheese and eggs do constitute standard breakfasts for very young child. little do parents realise that too much protein may not be good for our climate and style of living.
Many parents say they go to gyms and their children are into activities like swimming, tennis, football, but they hardly benefit as the burning up and input don’t match. We consume around 3,000 calories per day and with an hour on the treadmill one loses hardly 100 to 200 calories. Those who use the treadmill will be able to testify to this fact. Therefore, food intake has to be controlled. Each meal has to have a combination of carbohydrate, protein and fibre; that too protein in small amounts.
Space and time constraint
This is being advised keeping in mind that children are suffering from time and space constraint of urban living. Work pressure at school makes them sedentary, and living in apartments causes a space constraint for their games. Most children are stuck to Ipods, video gaming, etc., and due to lethargy don’t prefer outdoor activities.
(The writer, a freelancer, is a futurologist and imparting spiritual guidance to young professionals. E-mail: sikta_pati@rediffmail.com)