Obesity hits India?

Greetings :)

I recently read in an article that the number of obese young children and adolescents are increasing in the country. Increasing wealth(in some parts) and socioeconomic forms, the country is bound to have more franchises open, such McDonalds and KFC, with the a combination of Indian tastes.

I also recently visited the mother country last December after 8 years, and I was a little surprised to see the amount of fast-food chains in every city.

Do you think it's true? Are indian adolescents really becoming obese?
If so, why? And if not, why not?

I haven't been back home in a few years but fingers crossed I'll be going again soon. :) Anyway, last time I went I did notice there are a lot more fast food chains! McDonald's in Bandra is just amazing! :P I love how they personalised the menu and now India has its very own 'McAloo Tikki Burger'! 😛 I remember that every time I went there, it was ALWAYS packed!
Yet coming back to your point about obesity, I don't really think it's a big problem in India yet. I don't think it's very common to see obese people in India but this is just from my personal experience. There are people who are unfit or slightly overweight maybe but obesity is not as big of a deal as it is here in the UK or in the US. (I still can't get over how the US have supersize meals 😲 lol)

No kidding.....there is no sports culture in India, there is always pressure of studies. Over in other countries, kids are subject to sports from a very, very small age. Colleges consider extracurricular activities and atheltics very important to a person's requisition.

Originally posted by: debayon

No kidding.....there is no sports culture in India, there is always pressure of studies. Over in other countries, kids are subject to sports from a very, very small age. Colleges consider extracurricular activities and atheltics very important to a person's requisition.

On the other hand, people abroad have more money to spend, and therefore, eat out like 9/10 times in a weekto say the least. McDonalds and other such franchise companies take advantage of the situation and introduce value meals and what not. But what people don't realize or rather, are too callous about is that, the harmful substances in these two-cent(for production) burgers and french-fries are extrenely hazardous to you health and should be avoided.

All in all, India hasn't still a long way to go in order to catch up with the likes of US and UK, so aal izz well.

Debayon times are changing! I know it was part of my curriculum where we had to have 1hour of PE every week from year 7-11 but that was it. In India, sports seems to be a huge thing now. Football has become this big thing where a lot of people are not only watching the sport, but very much getting involved in the sport too. Plus I'm sure you know about gully cricket..that has been there since the time mum was a kid and all the kids from the building used to gather outside and play.
No doubt a lot of importance is given to studies in India..i'm sure we've all seen 3 idiots 😛 but like I said, from my own observation, things definitely seem to be changing a lot. If you take a lot around, almost all well-known colleges in India (esp. Mumbai) offer extra curricular activies. 😉

Also, I think you got a little carried away and exaggerated a bit don't ya think? 😳 People abroad eat out 9/10 times in a week? God I'd be HUGEEE if I did that! Near my college there's about 6 chicken and chip shops and KFC, McD's and Subway are all within walking distance. A lot of the kids go the chicken and chip shops about 2/3 times a week but I doubt very much that they go out for dinner almost every day of the week too. Forget about it being unhealthy, it is also quite expensive. Also, maybe the students at my college are unfit but most of them aren't obese at all despite junk food being readily available to us.

I think a lot of us have seen the show 'supersize me' where it shows the reality of what's in our food and yes, I was grossed out when I saw it in my food technology lesson but I admit I still love McDonald's! 😳 (Nothing beats Burger King's fries though! 😉 😛 )

Originally posted by: Phoenix_3

Greetings :)

I recently read in an article that the number of obese young children and adolescents are increasing in the country. Increasing wealth(in some parts) and socioeconomic forms, the country is bound to have more franchises open, such McDonalds and KFC, with the a combination of Indian tastes.

I also recently visited the mother country last December after 8 years, and I was a little surprised to see the amount of fast-food chains in every city.

Do you think it's true? Are indian adolescents really becoming obese?
If so, why? And if not, why not?

u visited India after 8 yrs. 😲. I had been to India a couple of yrs. ago. I noticed ppl don't eat at home at all. Atleast the young gen. Old ppl not included in that counting. e.g. in Pune, almost every restaurant is packed with guests every day 😲. We used to go out to eat only on weekends, and that too once in a month or 2-3 months. Now things have changed, spending power has increased, so ppl are eating out every day. maybe to save time of cooking at home 😕
Kids don't want their birthdays to be celebrated at homes anymore 😕. They want McDonalds, Pizza hut, KFC etc.
This is going to have an effect. If u eat out everyday and don't excercise enough to burn those calories, then u'll end up gaining weight.
I'm talking about not only in India but abroad also.

These kids must NOT have lazy elder cousins or brothers 😆
my cuzin made me WORK...whenever we played catch as kids, he'd throw it far on purpose and stuff...
i did the same with my cuzin in India...when we played cricket, I'd slam the ball😆
it only helps temporaroly though 😆
other than that, the parent's should just pull the plug on the TV>..
was woondering though...if it's hot as HELL in India, how do kids get fat? (unless them mothers shove food down the esophagus 😆)

Originally posted by: hindu4lyf

I haven't been back home in a few years but fingers crossed I'll be going again soon. :) Anyway, last time I went I did notice there are a lot more fast food chains! McDonald's in Bandra is just amazing! :P I love how they personalised the menu and now India has its very own 'McAloo Tikki Burger'! 😛 I remember that every time I went there, it was ALWAYS packed!
Yet coming back to your point about obesity, I don't really think it's a big problem in India yet. I don't think it's very common to see obese people in India but this is just from my personal experience. There are people who are unfit or slightly overweight maybe but obesity is not as big of a deal as it is here in the UK or in the US. (I still can't get over how the US have supersize meals 😲 lol)

Yeah, those Mc Aloo Tikkis are pretty delicious(I had Mickey D's about 3 times in a period of 2 months). I was in Gujarat, and went to Mumbai, but McDonlads was still pretty crowded in both places. I know that some people here in the States eat Mickey D's everday, but I dont think the time is very far when this would be the same in India.

And yes, not only McDonalds, but most restaurants were jam packed on weekends. My cuz told me that nowadays, most families eat out on weekends (that includes Fridays 😲). I guess people are becoming too lazy to cook on weekends 😆

And here they removed the supersize when a flood of lawsuits came in for widespead of obesity (they deserve it though 😊)

Originally posted by: debayon

No kidding.....there is no sports culture in India, there is always pressure of studies. Over in other countries, kids are subject to sports from a very, very small age. Colleges consider extracurricular activities and atheltics very important to a person's requisition.

On the other hand, people abroad have more money to spend, and therefore, eat out like 9/10 times in a weekto say the least. McDonalds and other such franchise companies take advantage of the situation and introduce value meals and what not. But what people don't realize or rather, are too callous about is that, the harmful substances in these two-cent(for production) burgers and french-fries are extrenely hazardous to you health and should be avoided.

All in all, India hasn't still a long way to go in order to catch up with the likes of US and UK, so aal izz well.

It is true that there is a minimum amount of sports culture, but times are indeed changing. I think most schools do have a gym class everyday 😕

And about people abroad eating out most of the time: they only eat at cheap places like McDonalds or Burger King or KFC which all have dollar menus. So if one person eats out everyday, it's gonna cost him not more than $10-$15 per week. But most families do cook on weekdays, only the lazy ones are lingering at restaurants.

And yes, McDonalds food here in the States is pretty much toxic waste in packaging 😊...with the exception of McFlurrys 😉

Originally posted by: hindu4lyf

Debayon times are changing! I know it was part of my curriculum where we had to have 1hour of PE every week from year 7-11 but that was it. In India, sports seems to be a huge thing now. Football has become this big thing where a lot of people are not only watching the sport, but very much getting involved in the sport too. Plus I'm sure you know about gully cricket..that has been there since the time mum was a kid and all the kids from the building used to gather outside and play.
No doubt a lot of importance is given to studies in India..i'm sure we've all seen 3 idiots 😛 but like I said, from my own observation, things definitely seem to be changing a lot. If you take a lot around, almost all well-known colleges in India (esp. Mumbai) offer extra curricular activies. 😉

Also, I think you got a little carried away and exaggerated a bit don't ya think? 😳 People abroad eat out 9/10 times in a week? God I'd be HUGEEE if I did that! Near my college there's about 6 chicken and chip shops and KFC, McD's and Subway are all within walking distance. A lot of the kids go the chicken and chip shops about 2/3 times a week but I doubt very much that they go out for dinner almost every day of the week too. Forget about it being unhealthy, it is also quite expensive. Also, maybe the students at my college are unfit but most of them aren't obese at all despite junk food being readily available to us.

I think a lot of us have seen the show 'supersize me' where it shows the reality of what's in our food and yes, I was grossed out when I saw it in my food technology lesson but I admit I still love McDonald's! 😳 (Nothing beats Burger King's fries though! 😉 😛 )

I agree. Times are changing because my cuz told me that they have a gym class everday in their school, which is better because before, they only had gym once a week 😲

And by football, you mean soccer right? I hate how here we call it soccer. Why can't we have a proper name for actual football? (which btw is played with hands) 😆

And yes, after the movie Supersize Me came out, the franchise got soo many lawsuits against them. But hey, that's what most people do when they eat McDonalds right? They eat a lot, get fat, and sue them for money 😊

And finally, Burger King fries are THE best fries out there 👍🏼

Originally posted by: anjali10

u visited India after 8 yrs. 😲. I had been to India a couple of yrs. ago. I noticed ppl don't eat at home at all. Atleast the young gen. Old ppl not included in that counting. e.g. in Pune, almost every restaurant is packed with guests every day 😲. We used to go out to eat only on weekends, and that too once in a month or 2-3 months. Now things have changed, spending power has increased, so ppl are eating out every day. maybe to save time of cooking at home 😕
Kids don't want their birthdays to be celebrated at homes anymore 😕. They want McDonalds, Pizza hut, KFC etc.
This is going to have an effect. If u eat out everyday and don't excercise enough to burn those calories, then u'll end up gaining weight.
I'm talking about not only in India but abroad also.

Totally agree about the young gen part. I guess most kids in big cities eat out about 3-4 times per week. I personally don't like McDonalds, but over there, most teens are always in those fast-food chains.

And I didn't know about kids having their birthday parties at those restaurants 😲. I guess it is a lil surprising cause I have visited after such a long time. Which also explains my point about increasing wealth in the country 😊


BTW, interesting signature...😆