Thai waistlines expand
Forty percent of Thai children under the age of six are overweight. In 2003 that percentage was 13,4.
The culprits are known: junk food, snacks and soft drinks that contain a mountain of sugar. Young people spend about 10.000 baht on this every year. They are not or hardly aware of the risks: tooth decay and, later in life, cardiovascular disease, gout, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Thais have a sweet tooth. The consumption of sugar has increased eightfold in the past 14 years. Combined with an unhealthy lifestyle (watching TV, computer) with little exercise, it is therefore not surprising that waistlines expand and other discomforts arise. The increase in diabetes is alarming. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts a 90 percent increase in Asia over the next 20 years. This silent killer – and its related ailments – could be the biggest health crisis this century.
Worldwide state Thailand ranks twelfth among sugar consuming countries. Little consolation is that the whole world seems addicted to sugar. Exports are doing well; Thailand ranks sixth in the ranking of sugar-producing countries. But sugar products are not yet satisfied given their recent request to the new government. They ask the government to finance expansion of production and take measures to increase productivity. This includes improving irrigation and the use of technology with satellite sensors that measure or predict the moisture level of the soil and the amount of sunlight.
The Thai love for sweets will remain for a while. It would go a long way, writes the Bangkok Post in its editorial, if food labeling were improved and clearly stated how many calories a product contains.
About this blogger
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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and music.
Enough hobbies, but unfortunately little time: writing for Thailandblog, fitness, health and nutrition, shooting sports, chatting with friends and some other oddities.
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Give them a basic salary of 300 baht a day anyway.
True, when I first came there 15 years ago, I thought how slim those people are, but they did indeed start to grow over the years.
Sugar is, in fact, the most commonly used drug out there, all of which are converted back to fat, with the accompanying ailments.
In the Netherlands and other countries people are very difficult about eg smoking, also a drug, but I dare to say that using the drug sugar (also addictive) too much, causes a lot more deaths and sick people.
"It would help a lot, writes the Bangkok Post in its editorial, if food labeling were improved and clearly indicated how many calories a product contains."
This claim assumes that people can count and have self-discipline. Good luck!
The cliché of the little Asian is now gradually becoming a joke.
In the 70s and 80s you hardly saw any fat Thai or Japanese.
It hurts my eyes to see young children already have the figure of a sumo wrestler.
Thai ladies are also all too often stuck because of bulging rolls of fat and thick sausage arms and legs
I fear this is the price of economic progress.
She doesn't care about thick legs, as long as they are as white as possible!
This applies even to small children, I have heard the mother say it herself. He also has very thick legs, but yes they are white from sitting inside.
Thai kids always get their way with food, if they only like hot dogs then they will get that too. Also know a Thai boy who only wants to eat tomatoes, so he gets a bowl full every day.
Yes, I notice that here too: Thai children get their way with food and not just with food. I myself was brought up (in the Netherlands) with: You have to eat what is served. The only vegetable my mother didn't make me eat was fava beans. And I still don't like it.
Correction: sugar products must be sugar producers
Some time ago there was an article in the Bangkok Post stating that the average Thai consumes about 30 kilos of sugar per year. That's 20,5 scoops of sugar a day!! “Can I please have a cup of sugar with coffee?” Sugar, the white death, my mother always said. Also alarming is the increase in the number of diabetes patients in Thailand. Half of women over sixty are diabetic. The latter does not always have to do with excessive sugar consumption. Convenience food, endless snacking (especially schoolchildren) and hardly any exercise are also to blame. I even read that 15 million children in Thailand were already considered overweight, but this number seems very high to me. The question now is whether Thailand is declining rapidly in terms of health. I would have preferred her to run ahead, at least there was still movement.
Not only junk food makes the children fat, but playing games on the computer all day long in the internet shop or shopping malls is also not beneficial for the body!
This obesity problem does not only apply to Thailand, but also to the European and American population