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> The answer is likely that Indians eat an enormous amount of carbohydrates and very little protein. Every single meal is accompanied by as much bread or rice a

> The answer is likely that Indians eat an enormous amount of carbohydrates and very little protein. Every single meal is accompanied by as much bread or rice as all of the other foods combined. This is quite heavily exaggerated. In the eastern parts of the state, you'll eat a lot of fish, a small dabbling of rice, and almost no bread. (I'm painting with a broad brush since there are a lot of other factors, but this is much more representative). > Indians have a high level of lactose intolerance, and many dislike eggs as well. Vegetarians don't eat eggs because it's not considered vegetarian food in India (unlike the US). Dairy isn't a great source of protein for most people anyway; very few people around the world have enough tolerance for lactose to consume enough dairy regularly for it to be a primary source. > Nuts are considered a luxury item and aren't eaten regularly. This leaves few opportunities to compensate with other protein sources. Lentils, legumes, and beans are typical fare for an Indian vegetarian diet.

a8da6b0c91d 11y ago
Dairy is an excellent source of protein. Inability to digest milk is far more rare than people think. Daily consumption of small amounts of milk will result in perfect milk digestion in most people over the course of a couple weeks. Regardless, yogurt and kefir and cheeses are essentially lactose free.
moultano 11y ago
>In the eastern parts of the state, you'll eat a lot of fish, a small dabbling of rice, and almost no bread. I'd be really interested to see whether people with a more pescaterian diet suffer from these issues at the same rate. For my relatives, breakfast is 4 pieces of white bread with butter. Lunch and dinner include a minimum of 3 rotis apiece, often with a cup of rice as well. They all struggle with obesity and metabolic syndrome. > Vegetarians don't eat eggs because it's not considered vegetarian food in India (unlike the US). This seems to vary a lot. I don't see people in India having a categorical moral opposition to it the way they do meat, but rather dislike it because it's an unfamiliar flavor and texture. >Lentils, legumes, and beans are typical fare for an Indian vegetarian diet. Yes, but they aren't the primary calorie source. A meal isn't considered complete without the carbohydrates; not so the protein.
- chimeracoder 11y ago
  > This seems to vary a lot. I don't see people having a categorical moral opposition to it the way they do meat, In the US, vegetarianism tends to be for moral or environmental reasons, but in India, the motivation usually religious and/or cultural, not moral. > but rather dislike it because it's an unfamiliar flavor and texture. I have literally never heard this complaint. For us, eggs are a part of the traditional cuisine. As I said elsewhere, Indian cuisines vary heavily by region. > Yes, but they aren't the primary calorie source. A meal isn't considered complete without the carbohydrates; not so the protein. Maybe for you, but that experience is certainly not universal. For us, a meal isn't considered complete without lentils and fish.
  - moultano 11y ago
    Does your community suffer from metabolic syndrome at the same rate?
    - chimeracoder 11y ago
      > Does your community suffer from metabolic syndrome at the same rate? While it's the second largest linguistic community in India, I don't know if there's ever been a study done on the metabolic syndrome in that level of detail, no. But I wouldn't be surprised if nobody has bothered to study it. Dietary habits are also tricky to classify because the boundaries are fluid. Certainly the original article posted does not go into any level of detail on ethnic groups within India, given that it contrasts (without any sense of irony) rates between South Asians and "Caucasians".
      - moultano 11y ago
        What's interesting is that genetic groups and cultural groups are so correlated in India that I doubt a population study would be able to disentangle them. http://www.unz.com/gnxp/the-aryan-invasion-was-not-fantasy/ http://www.unz.com/gnxp/the-aryan-invasion-was-not-fantasy/

a8da6b0c91d 11y ago

Dairy is an excellent source of protein. Inability to digest milk is far more rare than people think. Daily consumption of small amounts of milk will result in perfect milk digestion in most people over the course of a couple weeks. Regardless, yogurt and kefir and cheeses are essentially lactose free.

moultano 11y ago

>In the eastern parts of the state, you'll eat a lot of fish, a small dabbling of rice, and almost no bread. I'd be really interested to see whether people with a more pescaterian diet suffer from these issues at the same rate. For my relatives, breakfast is 4 pieces of white bread with butter. Lunch and dinner include a minimum of 3 rotis apiece, often with a cup of rice as well. They all struggle with obesity and metabolic syndrome. > Vegetarians don't eat eggs because it's not considered vegetarian food in India (unlike the US). This seems to vary a lot. I don't see people in India having a categorical moral opposition to it the way they do meat, but rather dislike it because it's an unfamiliar flavor and texture. >Lentils, legumes, and beans are typical fare for an Indian vegetarian diet. Yes, but they aren't the primary calorie source. A meal isn't considered complete without the carbohydrates; not so the protein.

chimeracoder 11y ago
> This seems to vary a lot. I don't see people having a categorical moral opposition to it the way they do meat, In the US, vegetarianism tends to be for moral or environmental reasons, but in India, the motivation usually religious and/or cultural, not moral. > but rather dislike it because it's an unfamiliar flavor and texture. I have literally never heard this complaint. For us, eggs are a part of the traditional cuisine. As I said elsewhere, Indian cuisines vary heavily by region. > Yes, but they aren't the primary calorie source. A meal isn't considered complete without the carbohydrates; not so the protein. Maybe for you, but that experience is certainly not universal. For us, a meal isn't considered complete without lentils and fish.
- moultano 11y ago
  Does your community suffer from metabolic syndrome at the same rate?
  - chimeracoder 11y ago
    > Does your community suffer from metabolic syndrome at the same rate? While it's the second largest linguistic community in India, I don't know if there's ever been a study done on the metabolic syndrome in that level of detail, no. But I wouldn't be surprised if nobody has bothered to study it. Dietary habits are also tricky to classify because the boundaries are fluid. Certainly the original article posted does not go into any level of detail on ethnic groups within India, given that it contrasts (without any sense of irony) rates between South Asians and "Caucasians".
    - moultano 11y ago
      What's interesting is that genetic groups and cultural groups are so correlated in India that I doubt a population study would be able to disentangle them. http://www.unz.com/gnxp/the-aryan-invasion-was-not-fantasy/ http://www.unz.com/gnxp/the-aryan-invasion-was-not-fantasy/