BENGALURU: More than 72 million people in India suffer from diabetes and another 42 million have undiagnosed diabetes, say health experts, adding that by 2045, this number is expected to reach 134 million.
They say that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in India, with 62.5 million lives lost prematurely in 2016. In order to bring down these figures, people need to switch to a plant-based diet that helps in preventing and reversing type-2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other non-communicable diseases.
A plant-based diet consists mainly or entirely of foods derived from plants, including vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits.
Dr K Bhujang Shetty, founder and chairman of Narayana Nethralaya, said, “Our diet has dramatically changed in the past 40-50 years. The amount of meat consumed has gone up 5-10 times. While the quantity of consumption has gone up, quality has come down, in turn affecting health.”
Dr Zeeshan Ali, a programme specialist at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, told TNSE, “In 1980, only about 2-3% of people in India had diabetes, but now it is 20%. This is because we are eating high-edible oil and meat stock products, and fewer cereals. A plant-based diet does not even include milk, but in India, milk production is 165.4 million tonnes in one year, which is equal to the production of milk in 28 European countries. Milk is high in fat. Instead, beans and greens, which are good sources of calcium, can be consumed. This will reduce many health problems. Instead of eating meat for protein, we can switch to lentils, soya chunks, red lentils, black bean soup and tofu. Only 0.8 gms of protein is required per kg of body weight.”
Reiterating the need for a plant-based diet, Dr Vanita Rahman, a board-certified internal medicine physician, certified nutritionist and personal trainer at Barmer Medical Center, said, “A well-planned diet ensures a healthy life. We need to go back to traditional foods such as ragi roti, lengumes, lentils, pulses and fruits.”
Substitutes
Instead of milk: coconut milk, almond milk,soy milk, wheat milk, rice milk.
Instead of yoghurt: soy yogurt, peanut yogurt.
Instead of eggs: cooked oats.
Instead of meat: Textured vegetable protein made of defatted soybeans, provides a substitute for ground meat. Seitan (a vegan meat substitute made entirely out of hydrated gluten - the main protein found in wheat), vegetarian burgers made of defatted soybeans provide a meat-like taste and texture and can substitute ground meat.