I think it's time to admit we have a BIG problem (From Asian Image)

I think it's time to admit we have a BIG problem

1:19pm Friday 22nd January 2010

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Is it me or is the Asian community becoming fatter? You only have to look around to see a marked increase in the number of larger Asians.

While the Western world is obsessed with size zero models I kind of think we Asians are obsessed with getting bigger and bigger!

When’s the last time you visited your aunt only to be met with a screaming response of ‘haye haye bacharee kee hoya’. (Oh no, poor thing what happened to you) this exclamation of shock is due to the fact her niece has lost some weight thanks to the diet she has followed religiously.

Why is it we sometimes see slim as an illness that has befallen you whereas fat is an indication of wealth.

Strangely enough this understanding on health leads them to believe big is ‘healthy’!

You can understand this thought process being held by those in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh but here?

It’s not only the young they want to see fattened up but they follow suit themselves, gorging uncontrollably.

The most disturbing practice is the diabetic patient having ‘mithai’ (Asian Sweets) smuggled in by her friends and relatives.

She will then proceed to pull the curtains around for privacy while devouring the contents.

She feels impressed with her cunningness as the nurses have no idea what is going on!

I want to scream at these people who are not only killing themselves but are wasting valuable NHS funds.

Our parents generation can be forgiven as they witnessed poverty first hand when red meat, butter and sugar were luxuries.

What is the thinking behind those who desperately want all the females in the family to be the size of a sumo wrestler?

Do they think any man who comes to the house looking for a suitable partner will think ‘corrrr look at the size of her!’ And am I the only one who has seen a marked rise in the number of obese Asian men. After being fed fattening foods by their mums all their lives - their wives take over and proceed to kill them off with endless amounts of rotee, curry and kebabs!

When we cook dinner we feel almost embarrassed if there is not enough red meat on the table to feed a large tiger.

It has a come to a point where the Shalwar Kameez looks is tight on some bodies! But his ‘jaan’ is good..and that’s all that matters.

The statistics for Asian health in the North West make for poor reading with Asian death rates due to heart attack and diabetes standing at an all time high.

The familiar story continues for babies where the mums are obsessed with their child looking like a cabbage patch doll!

Even before the child is ready for weaning they have devised a method of pumping calories into the milk feed by wait for it ...melting a Farley’s rusk into the milk then snipping the teat off while ramming it into the baby’s mouth.

The dentists also have these mums to thank for their business booming.

Tooth decay in toddlers is another health concern in the North West purely thanks to, yes you’ve guessed it the mums. I once witnessed a Pakistani mum pick up a dummy, dip it in a glass of coke and push it into the child’s mouth.

I don’t expect the mums who came over in the sixties to know the detrimental effect of the diet they exposed their children to but I am thoroughly disappointed with the first, second even third generation who are blindly following in their footsteps.

When there is an unlimited amount of advice and support available there should be no excuse for the worrying findings of health among the Asian community in the North West.

So is bigger better? I’ll let you decide.

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