Diets, Diets And Diets Galore!

Dr. B M Hegde explains why the new-age diets and junk food are so harmful to the body.

- Dr. B M Hegde

Our so-called civilised society and our literate masses have an obsession about their body weight. Their role models in the film world show them the need for size zero to be acceptable! Combined with a sudden spurt in youth income thanks to the IT czars in India, we have an epidemic on hand. This seems to be one of the few diseases that do not bother the illiterate poor village masses! I call it the ‘new age malady’. Obesity also results from ‘mall’ nutrition – that derived only from junk food and sugary drinks marketed by clever agencies. This again is a ‘disease of affluence’! Philosophically, it is money – too much or too little – that causes malnutrition in the poor and ‘mall’ nutrition in the rich.

Be that as it may, let us look at our response to obesity. Obsessed with the thin body mania we try to do everything to lose weight. A new disease was born thanks to this mania-bulimia. The weight loss industry is another growing money-spinner. Fitness centres, gyms of all hue and colour, and diet gurus of all shades rule the roost in this arena. My good neighbour called me the other day to tell me about her new-found diet that looks too good to be true: two eggs in the morning and oats; salads, lean fish with buttermilk for lunch; green tea for evening; and finally close the day with salads again with an occasional serving of white meat – no cereals, no sweets, no milk.