Gujaratis may be one of Mumbai's richest communities, but they are also the unhealthiest.
Poor dietary habits and limited physical activity have combined to make the community the worst in terms of health and fitness, a new study done by Dr Shashank Joshi, consultant diabetologist at Lilavati Hospital, and Dr Vandana Bambavale, professor of nutrition at Nirmala Niketan and her students, has revealed.
The study was carried out over a period of seven months and included examination of patients who came to Lilavati and Dr. Joshi's clinic at Bandra.
According to Dr Bambavale, the idea was initially not community-specific. They were looking mainly to study metabolic risk factors in patients, "but when we realised it was mostly Gujaratis who were not up to the mark, we decided to centre our study around them".
The doctors found that over 80 per cent of the Gujarati patients had excess abdominal fat, over 80 per cent had replaced their evening meal with a heavy snack comprising either farsan, gathiya, pav bhaji, samosas or another oily and fatty substitute, at least two-thirds of the patients suffered from stress and 60 per cent had "hereditary diabetes" to blame.
According to Dr Joshi, "The community snacks during the day, has replaced khakra for breakfast with khari biscuits and in place of a wholesome dinner has fast food, pav bhaji, gathiya or farsan between 7 and 8.30 pm."
If that isn't enough accumulation of fat and oils, there is always a sweet consumed along with a meal, he said.
More than 80 per cent of the patients did not have an abnormal Body Mass Index (BMI) but had too much abdominal fat. BMI is the measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both men and women.
The study which surveyed men and women in the ration 3:2 pointed out that the waist-hip ratio in both sexes was above the required level (.8 and .9 are considered ideal waist-hip ratios for women and men respectively).
The study noted that Gujarat men have little physical activity because many are engaged in businesses and are seated for many hours.
"The same is true about Gujarati women, many of whom are housewives and do little active work besides the routine chores," said Dr Bambavale.
What should not be on the plate Dhokla Samosa Pav Bhaji Gathiya FarsanWhat should be on the plateSalad Buttermilk Vegetables FruitsRate your plate
Answer with a Yes or a No. For every Yes give yourself 1 point, and 0 for every NoDo you consume less than 1 fruit per day? Do you regularly eat oily or fatty foods? Do you prefer fried foods to steamed, baked, grilled, boiled or roasted foods? Is salad a rare sight on your plate? Is your diet relatively low in fibre? Do you indulge sweets more than thrice a week? Do you regularly consume red meat i.e. beef, mutton, pork, etc? Do you drink less than 8 to 10 glasses of water per day?
If your score is:0-2: You follow a reasonably good diet; avoid fasting and feasting. 3-5: Your diet needs improvement; switch from unhealthy choices to nutritionally adequate options. 6-8: Your nutritionally imbalanced diet may tip your health scale over and may lead to health hazards in future. Consult a dietitian and change your diet pattern.
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