eggie delights
SHIRIN S. KHAN
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2002


Now there's all the more reason to turn a veggie. According to a
recent study conducted by researchers at the Industrial Toxicology
Research Centre here, smokers and meat eaters show a higher incidence
of DNA damage than non-smokers and vegetarians.

This translates into a higher cancer risk for a population keen on
having a good time and living it up to the hilt, caring a damn for
health hazards and consequences of their diet.

Seeking to assess damage to DNA to Indians as per different
lifestyles and eating habits, the researchers surmised that "there
was a significant increase in the extent of DNA damage" in smokers
and non-vegetarians as per Prahlad Kumar Seth, who has pioneered the
research. The initial findings, conducted on a sample study, will now
be repeated on a larger population in order to conclude the findings
and assess gender related differences in the rural and urban
population. This bit of news, however, comes as just another reason
for many city folk to abstain from the calorific overdose of tundey
kebabs, qormas, butter chicken and biryani. Health plays a major role
in stemming gastronomic gluttony and keeping the calorie count in
absolute check.

Noted city cardiologist, Dr Mansoor Hasan says cholesterol poses very
serious risk for the Lakhnavi gourmet keen on the kebabs and the
biryani, the qorma and the seekhs. "The affinity towards red meat
among non-vegetarians in the city is a dangerous trend. To meat
eaters I advise a restricted intake-- that too of chicken breasts or
fish-- baked, steamed or grilled. To those in the high risk group, I
advise a switch to vegetarianism to cut the risk of CHD (Coronary
Heart Disease) and find them complying easily. Only, care should be
taken that the vegetarian diet should not be overdosed with animal
fats like clarified ghee, butter and other dairy produce," he says.

Deepika Bhalla at Slimline, avers, "I'd cite my husband's volte face
as the biggest example. Earlier a confirmed non-veg, he's now turned
vegetarian on learning the health aspects of different foods. Once he
knew that abstaining from meat went a long way towards keeping the
cholesterol and the scales in check, he just gave up on non-veg food
in toto!" Deepika says health consciousness and a need to stay fit
and trim has effected the change in several people known to her.

Similar views are expressed by Shubhra Shah at Personal Point who
maintains that once they learn of the ill-effects of meat, especially
red meat, many choose to stay off it. To a large number fighting the
battle of the bulge, it is the shortest route to prompt results and
effective weight loss. "I have seen a 40:60 ratio of conversions as
far as food habits go. While 40 per cent decide to stay off meat
altogether, the remaining 60 per cent too reduce intake in order to
get quick results."

Namrata Shah, dietician and centre manager at VLCC, Indiranagar is
quick to add her own inputs to this scenario. "Media campaigns and
increased awareness has played a major role in making vegetarianism a
health fad and a fashion statement of sorts. There has been a 45 to
50 per cent swing in favour of vegetarianism, I'd say. In some cases
while the people may not have entirely converted to total
vegetarianism, the intake and incidence of non-veg food has been
reduced to maybe twice or just once a week."

Unlike earlier times when eating out at hotels specifically meant a
binge on non-veg delights that the city abounds in, a number of South
Indian and exclusively vegetarian restaurants are doing brisk
business in the city. Five star dinners with exclusive vegetarian
cuisine are no longer unheard of. Its a fad all right but green, not,
saffron is the colour to associate with it. Religious ideology is
often not the prompting factor to effect a lifestyle change.

Health risks tip the balance as many calorie converts switch
lifestyles to suit the scales. "It has nothing to do with a certain
ideology," says Shazma Khan, the only veggie in a houseful of
confirmed non-vegetarians. "I find this a healthier way to be and
it's easier to keep the weight off if you're a vegetarian. That is
the pull." Shalini Tiwari, who turned vegetarian a few years ago
affirms, "I found not just the idea of killing an animal to feed
yourself cruel but was also appaled by the unhealthy conditions in
which they were slaughtered."

M.Salim once a daily mutton eater says doctor's advise to keep the
cholesterol low has forced him to switch to becoming a reluctant
vegetarian. "Its either this or a heart attack,"he confesses.
Cholesterol is the second big enemy after urban stress and strain
already exposing individuals to a high risk of cancer and heart
disease.

For health reasons or just as a fitness fad in the race to shed
kilos, it makes better sense to remain on the lighter side of the
scales. The feel good factor thus has the last word. As a jingle
goes, Yeh achcha hai!

Beach Runner wrote:
> Now there's all the more reason to turn a veggie.

Your article doesn't give any valid reasons to "turn a veggie." It's
filled with anecdotes after making a big to-do about a very small study.