Body weight and diet in the Philippines

[manofthecoldland]

Whenever I watch news clips re food shortages, distributions, and a recent NBC nightly news clip on Yout. about the small town of Miami, Oklahoma... where generous people prepay for a $10 restaurant meal and post it on the 2 restos walls to be freely claimed by any who need it.... I am always surprised by the girths of the people. This is despite the fact that its common knowledge that we have a 70%+ rate of overweight and obese people in the USA, as well as in many other countries on the planet... and  the numbers seem to be increasing.

I watch a lot of 1950s TV shows and the people of my youth sure were living differently re diet, physical activities and attitudes in the lifestyles of the times. 

Somethings have gone seriously wrong..... with our commercial Western food production systems, less energetic lifestyles and technical attempts to improve our 'quality of life' during my lifetime , it appears to me. 

Nothing new with that, since the media is awash with critiques and recommendations on these matters.

An on site search here, provided quite a few of 2-4 year old dated reference postings when I typed in "body weight", some of which caught my interest, so since they all bottomed out with the 'these are old postings.... open a new one if you want to add to the topic', I decided to bring it to the forefront again.

The Pandemic has brought the issue of food security front and center. Especially here in the PI. I really don't know what the true state of need is either here in our Philippines, or in the Western countries among the various income groups.

People in my province, don't seem to be starving, but I really don't know the level of deprivation or inadequate diet here. The culture of formal communal and informal inter-family assistance here seems to be working.... but I may be wrong, and things may vary greatly from province to province. I don't really know.

But one thing that I do know is that we don't have 70%+ of the population here overweight or obese, with many self-same calling out for free food assistance.  

Despite racial and ethnic genetic differences, if you want to shed some excess bodyfat, you could probably make progress by eating like most lower economic class Pinoy. Nothing wrong with fish, rice (red or black is healthier), and local vegetables twice or even 3 times a day, balanced out with clean drinking water. I myself don't follow that diet, but I do try to eat fish, small portions of red rice, local veggies, etc  at my two daily meals at 11 am and 7 pm.  2 morning coffees and a liter of cold Golden Eagle on very hot days rounds it out, since I don't use AC, has trimmed me out over the last 18 months here, despite no longer going to the gym. 

How are you doing, and what's your opinion on having a healthy diet here?.... or any of the mentioned issues ?

  

[graham59]

After a few months in the Philippines, I am always reduced to almost skeletal proportions, from being (in the UK) a 'correct' weight, slim and fit person, for my age. 

I probably have a healthier diet here (more fresh fruit and veg) than back in the UK too, plus, fairly active. 

Presumably the change in climate. I still feel perfectly healthy, despite the POW appearance.

When searching the net, I can only find stuff about how NOT to put ON weight... predictably.   

I will add though, that there is certainly no shortage of 'fatties' here in the Phils now, either...all part of that other unfortunate world pandemic 'Cobesity21'.

Fast foods, plus slow, or no exercise.  Not much energy expended sitting gawping into a phone all day either. 

 

[Freebie]

Ive noticed over past 10/20 years a tremendous increase in girth in many Filipinos.... who perhaps dont know that being so plus sized with kill them.. its no suprise that  most of these larger folk happen to be n the "bigger" cities where there are plenty of fast food options with a good dose of fat or sugar as an added extra, complimentary of course.

Travel to various provinces and people are way slimmer, especially the kids and teenagers.

Very sad to see the way some waddle around Manila knowing that heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes are just around the corner for them.

 

[Old55]

During our visits I always loose weight even though I’m eating like a pig 🐖. Fresh fruit seafood and other local foods.

Agree with Freebie we see a lot of over weight Filipinos.

[graham59]

 

1 minute ago, Freebie said:

Travel to various provinces and people are way slimmer, especially the kids and teenagers.

I'll agree on that... except that the 'sickness' IS starting to affect the younger people too now, here in the province, simply because of the absolute crap that many of them are being fed on, practically from birth. SNACKS, full of sugar and salt, munched on all day long, plus sugary drinks. Fruit and veggies growing all around, but surprisingly little of it going into stomachs already full of sugar. 

I honestly feel that the health of the kids and young adults here is going backwards now.  Lots of dental problems too ! (Unsurprisingly).

I have recently paid for our 9 year-old niece to have several teeth fixed. It looks like this young lady has more problems with them to come though. I'm sure the culprit is this 'spoiling of her... an only child, with these rubbish snacks. Kids' teeth are NOT the same as adults'. They are soft, and vulnerable to acid attack... from sugar.  Try getting that through to the Mrs, and other locals though. 

The most common reason for fall-outs between me and the Mrs, i over the amount of 'crap' that she and her relatives are feeding to our 5 year-old.

I feel pretty helpless, once the child is out of my sight.  It is so frustrating.  

[hk blues]

I think there is also some element of the idea widely-held in some Asian cultures that being overweight is a sign of wealth rather than a negative image.  I'm always shocked ay seeing quite overweight under-10s in the mall - often the parents are relatively slim. Too much rice, soft drinks and potato chips and fast-food in general.

[Tommy T.]

On 4/19/2021 at 11:34 AM, manofthecoldland said:

How are you doing, and what's your opinion on having a healthy diet here?.... or any of the mentioned issues ?

I will weigh in on this situation...

One of my observations from years of travelling to remote - and not so remote - Pacific Island cultures is that there are a lot of weight issues in the islands. The Samoas, to cite an extreme example, don't eat until they are full, they eat until they are tired. That's a sort of dark humour joke many foreigners shared with each other, but there is a lot of truth to that. Kidney dialysis is big there - like the people - in the Samoas.

The foods of choice in most islands I visited seem to make the difference and, unfortunately, many used to be supplied (and some still are) mainly by the USA. Now many are Chinese or locally produced. We're talking Cheese Curls, potato, corn, rice and other chips, fatty meats such as a lot of ground beef, pork belly and other pork meats, deep-fried delicacies like french fries, onion rings and battered chicken are favourites among kids and adults who have a few extra pesos to spare. Add that to all the sugary sodas, confections like cakes and sweetened rice suman (rice cakes). Then there's the taro, casava and other starchy root crops. White rice is not particularly healthy alone and many Asians' thrive on it with no ill effects - especially those who work hard. But so many now seem to gorge themselves on rice and add the unhealthy products mentioned above and then there is heart disease among other ailments.

Edit: I should have included these comments in my original post... Think about the diets that most or all islanders subsisted on for...how many years? before us palagis (sky bursters in the Fijian language) showed up to "guide" them in their ways? We introduced Christianity in many different forms, TV, video, drugs... Before our western cultures arrived, they ate mostly fish, wild pigs, bananas, coconuts, taro, casava and a number of local vegetables.

HK is right on the mark regarding being fat as equating with wealth - because it is assumed that they get fat because they can afford to buy and consume the imported junk foods. Many island nations exhibit very fat women and many of the local guys really love that... Think of saturated fats, high fructose corn syrup among others.

L, for her part, generally prepares healthy meals with only the occasional fatty or starchy food. Usually she cooks fish and veggies. But she loves her rice and pork belly and junk foods after full meals. Her daughter loves sweets, Filipino-style spaghetti, carbonara so has gotten a bit heavy.

I am guilty at times due to my love of pizza, bacon/cheese burgers, beer and Tanduay...hmmm ice cream and sometimes cookies or brownies I bake - yeah, okay, mea culpa too. I have gained some weight, but keep it controlled by reducing the beer intake and do not eat much rice or other starchy foods... I am currently exercising more since we got a new guard dog who requires lots of exercise and attention as we train him...

Edited April 20, 2021 by Tommy T.

[jimeve]

3 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

I will weigh in on this situation...

One of my observations from years of travelling to remote - and not so remote - Pacific Island cultures is that there are a lot of weight issues in the islands. The Samoas, to cite an extreme example, don't eat until they are full, they eat until they are tired. That's a sort of dark humour joke many foreigners shared with each other, but there is a lot of truth to that. Kidney dialysis is big there - like the people - in the Samoas.

The foods of choice in most islands I visited seem to make the difference and, unfortunately, many used to be supplied (and some still are) mainly by the USA. Now many are Chinese or locally produced. We're talking Cheese Curls, potato, corn, rice and other chips, fatty meats such as a lot of ground beef, pork belly and other pork meats, deep-fried delicacies like french fries, onion rings and battered chicken are favourites among kids and adults who have a few extra pesos to spare. Add that to all the sugary sodas, confections like cakes and sweetened rice suman (rice cakes). Then there's the taro, casava and other starchy root crops. White rice is not particularly healthy alone and many Asians' thrive on it with no ill effects - especially those who work hard. But so many now seem to gorge themselves on rice and add the unhealthy products mentioned above and then there is heart disease among other ailments.

HK is right on the mark regarding being fat as equating with wealth - because it is assumed that they get fat because they can afford to buy and consume the imported junk foods. Many island nations exhibit very fat women and many of the local guys really love that...

L, for her part, generally prepares healthy meals with only the occasional fatty or starchy food. Usually she cooks fish and veggies. But she loves her rice and pork belly and junk foods after full meals. Her daughter loves sweets, Filipino-style spaghetti, carbonara so has gotten a bit heavy.

I am guilty at times due to my love of pizza, bacon/cheese burgers, beer and Tanduay. I have gained some weight, but keep it controlled by reducing the beer intake and do not eat much rice or other starchy foods... I am currently exercising more since we got a new guard dog who requires lots of exercise and attention as we train him...

You are right about starchy food, Tom. Rice, potatoes, pasta and bread. High in carbs and sugar. Avoid sugar and high carbs, in other words keep to a low carb diet and the lbs will drop off. Fatty foods are okay as your body will use this as fuel rather than carbs. Protein your body needs, leafy green vegetables for minerals.

I still drink Gin or tanduay with diet cola. But no beer (carbs) In 3 months I have lost 13 Kgs. "Keto diet"

 

[Freebie]

And lets not forget the other element of the argument, namely the role of excercise. In some study a couple years back Filipino youth were deemed the second most idle/inactive in the world which is believable given their addiction to facebook and online games etc.

Many occupations dont lend themselves well to  excercise for sure ,but the ability to move oneself around a bit certainly helps with health and weight maintenance..but for some its just easier to sit down and stay sat down.

 

[hk blues]

16 minutes ago, Freebie said:

And lets not forget the other element of the argument, namely the role of excercise. In some study a couple years back Filipino youth were deemed the second most idle/inactive in the world which is believable given their addiction to facebook and online games etc.

Many occupations dont lend themselves well to  excercise for sure ,but the ability to move oneself around a bit certainly helps with health and weight maintenance..but for some its just easier to sit down and stay sat down.

 

I feel the schools could do more to help - in my son's case the PE lesson was usually a dance class pre-covid.  They should be outside running around, playing a sport of some kind as we did when we were students.  They have the facilities. just not the motivation.  Even walking here is considered a pastime of the poor who cannot afford a car!