Undoubtedly, a healthy diet lets a person live a better lifestyle. The biggest question of today’s time is: What to eat and what not to eat. Well, in today’s time and age, thanks to the Internet, it is a cakewalk to find answers. However, how authentic is the source of these answers? Worry not, CitySpidey spoke to a doctor to answer your dietary and lifestyle questions.
Dr Randeep Wadhawan, a Bariatric Surgeon and Weight Loss Surgeon at the Manipal Hospital in Dwarka’s Sector 6, said that a person suffering from obesity may get to an ICU if they contract Covid-19 as well. Obesity is a complex disease and opens gates for many other diseases as well, he added.
The Covid-19 induced lockdown impacted our health in many ways as people started doing everything from home. Working from the office meant walking, or at least some sort of physical activity. However, the lockdown restricted everyone to their houses.
Dr Wadhawan suggested, “People should make a habit of walking 40 minutes everyday. It is more than enough, but one should be consistent.” He also added that while Covid-19 is one pandemic, obesity is another. “So we need to treat obesity just like we are treating coronavirus,” Wadhawan added.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have a vaccination for obesity; it can only be cured if you change your lifestyle and adapt to a physical workout. If you get to know that you have coronavirus you will run to the hospital straight away but if a doctor says you are obese then most people don’t even care to give any reaction. A person can suffer from multiple emotional problems when he/she is obese. For example depression, problems within families, problems with immediate relations and not being able to sleep at night,” the doctor said.
“Working out while doing your work is never a complete workout. You need to do a proper workout after you are done with your work. If you are thinking you have done enough workout while working then it’s not considered as an exercise. In urban areas, unfortunately, more people are suffering from obesity than in rural areas,” Wadhawan said.
“Sadly, healthy food is costlier than junk food. It makes it difficult for many people to afford it. The USA, for example, has more people suffering from obesity. The American government tried to ban all advertisements promoting junk food and soft drinks containing more sugar levels. Americans go for a bariatric surgery 20 times more as compared to India. It clearly shows that the USA is actually addressing this issue,” he added.
“The problem starts right from childhood mainly because kids end up being hooked to the TV and rejecting any kind of outdoor activities. Even adults prefer staying indoors as opposed to outdoor activities. Schools should also be giving more importance to physical education,” he said.
