Caste, food and ideological imposition By   Dr. Sylvia Karpagam https://www.dalitcamera.com/caste-food-ideological-imposition/ November 21, 2020

In reality, cutting down on sugars, reducing traditional cereals (read carbohydrates), and increasing the consumption of animal source foods, has the ability to drastically prevent or reduce the large scale prevalence of diabetes and its complications. 

In India, politics, culture, religion, caste and economics around cereals, vegetables, fruits, pulses, oils, eggs, meat etc., prevent any rational or evidence based conversations around food.

The idea that dalit, Adivasi and OBC children should be grateful for whatever food is ‘given’ to them is deeply ingrained in the minds of doctors, activists, researchers, policy makers and pretty much the entire gamut of citizens in the country. The idea that children have inviolable rights to healthy, nutritious, tasty, clean, culturally relevant food is lost on most people who claim these same rights only for themselves. This is the crux of how caste discrimination operates in India, reinforcing all the hegemonic, hierarchical imbalances that are so evident that they become invisible. An entire mafia has formed around children’s food, making it almost impossible for children to have one decent meal as legally mandated by the NFSA.

It is of utmost importance that dalit, Muslim, Adivasi, Christian communities etc. that consume (and enjoy) eggs, beef, pork, fish, poultry etc. come together to reclaim their food sovereignty and challenge the hegemonic imposition of nutritionally inferior ‘sattvik’ foods.

Tiptoeing Around Meat in India’s Nutritional Minefields.  https://medium.com/brainfoodmagazine/tiptoeing-around-meat-in-indias-nutritional-minefields-5237459c7ef8 Dr. Sylvia Karpagam looks at the vegetarian politics which prevent action on diabetes

Since healthcare in India is largely privatised, unregulated and market driven, prevention of Type 2 diabetes would be considered less ‘lucrative’ than the curative care of debilitating consequences of poorly managed diabetes. The Indian health system is neither ready to handle the consequences of diabetes, nor is it affordable to a majority of Indians, who in the absence of any protective healthcare, are mostly left to choose between a poor public health care system or an exorbitant private system.

Anyone who.. is diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in India is likely to repeatedly hear one specific bit of unsolicited advice ad nauseum — from parents, children, grandparents, relatives, teachers, employers, neighbours, friends, cousins etc. and that is to “Stop eating meat’. Ironically, this ‘nutritional advice’ is also given by medical professionals, counsellors, nutritionists, dieticians, teachers etc. irrespective of what is taught in their text books.

Giving up meat is seen as a panacea to all the health issues of the country. In fact, the more vegetarian one claims to be, the higher they are rated on the ‘nationalistic’ scale, with meat eaters being readily classified as ‘anti-national’.
Burdening patients with the responsibility of exercise as a way to control Type 2 diabetes is inadequate if the prime responsibility is not placed on diet. Multinational food companies are constantly sniffing around for devious ways of entering the food market in India and bring in the risks associated with processed foods.

 Also see:  http://emeets.lnwr.in/index.php/1357-%20karnataka-anti-cow-slaughter-bill-a-denial-of-right-to-nutrition