I googled the data, it's true!
It shouldn't come as a surprise though.
1. We are genetically pre-disposed to it. Most of our population lives in the indus basin, we've historically relied on monsoon rains to feed the rivers and the farms in the lands around it. In years where there has not been rain, there would be famine, so our ancestors quickly adapted to be able to store fat quicker when they were doing well, and then they'd use those fat reserves to survive during time of famine. Today Alhamdulillah, we don't face famine (most of us don't), but the ability to quickly store body fat remains, and unless you live an active lifestyle, those higher levels of body fat will eventually lead to diseases, such as diabetes. How many people do you see who are skinny fat? Mostly skinny but have a bit of a belly, or girls without any muscle tone whatsoever. It's pretty common in our society.
2. Our lifestyles have adapted, our diets have not. Nearly 38% of our population is urban. That means sedentary lifestyles. We still eat like we are farming every day and walking for miles. Whilst you are young thats fine, you have spare time, you participate in sports and gym, but how many fat uncles do you know? Those of us with enough money to eat, generally over-eat and eat the wrong kind of food, which leads me onto my next point.
3. Modern processed foods are unhealthier for you. As soon as diabetes is mentioned in Pakistan, roti and rice is the target. If you're eating 5-6 rotis a day and sitting in an office, yes it's very much a problem.
The bigger problem is the processed foods and liquid sweetness. Fizzy drinks, fruit juices, even milkshakes made with fresh fruit. They all contain a lot of sugar, it's in liquid form, our body processes it much quicker (causing insulin spikes), and we consume it in large volumes. Sugar in tea is the same thing. Then also consider the calories you take in whilst eating this stuff. I was in Pakistan for a month last summer and i switched to water and sugar free drinks. The coke was causing my gums to hurt it was that sweet.
Next thing to consider is desserts. Sweets, biscuits, desserts are meant to be occasional treats, but i don't think anyone goes a day without eating something sweet. This is the sort of excess that wears our bodies down.
Finally the sugar we use is highly processed, it breaks down into our body much quicker. The same with the oil we use to cook with. Ghur and desi ghee are much healthier, but they are harder to produce on mass scale so we have these unhealthy common alternatives. My sister is a diabetes and she wore a continious glucose monitor, She found ghur and clarified butter (ghee) spiked her blood sugar levels much less than refined sugar did and food cooked in vegetable oil/butter.
In the month i was in Pakistan, i lost about 6kg, despite eating roti and rice 3 times a day, spending my time sat around or driving, hiding in the AC or under fans, eating fast food, drinking fizzy drinks, milkshakes, sweet lassi. I had to avoid spicy food for a week due to a bug, but generally i ATE. Despite that i lost 6kg. Why? Because the atta was wholemeal, organic, from our own farm, same with the rice, vegetables, spices, everything - organic. Even the meat was reared eating grass not feed. The majorit of my meals were organic, and i lost weight.
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It's very hard to do, but we must cut out as many processed foods as possible, keep sweet items as a once a week treat, eat smaller portions (follow the sunnah) and MOVE more. Movement is the biggest thing lacking in our modern urban lives - thats why diabetes gets us.
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jang.com.pk
