New Delhi: As a nation, India is famous for its resonating love of sweets. The world’s largest sugar consumers, there is no surprise that India also has one of the highest number of world’s diabetics and an increasing incidence of heart disease.
Every Indian celebration, remotely significant, has a mandatory menu of sweets. There are precise sweets that match with specific festivals and occasions. And in parts of India, like the western state of Gujarat, desserts are eaten first. Indians are particularly partial to sugar-laden desserts dripping with ghee (Indian clarified butter). The sugar excessive sweets are an intoxicating heady combination.
Gulab jamun, a deep-fried dough ball dunked in sugar syrup, melts in your mouth. Mithai – creamy slabs made from condensed milk and clarified butter, and flavoured with cashews, pistachio and saffron – are packed with calories but can be too tempting to resist.
Indeed, the numbers of diabetes and heart disease-stricken Indians is rising at an alarming rate. A delicious square of Halwa averages a whopping 550 calories. The lentil-and-sugar block of Mysore Pak has 350 calories. While Laddoos, Jalebi and Rasmalai pack between 200 and 250 calories to a mouthful. Even a tiny mound of Gulab jamun has 100 calories.
In 2013, India’s confirmed diabetes patients were 67 million, with another 30 million in pre-diabetic group. WHO estimates, that by 2030, India will have the largest number of patients in the world.
Genetics combined with obesity, sedentary lifestyles, a diet rich in processed foods and saturated fats and the typical Indian’s love for sweets are all contributing factors. This is also exaggerated by the growing middle class with growing incomes, with a lifestyle which is less about moderation and more of excesses.