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Spice for Life

Battling Obesity: A healthy curry

The 'Spice for life' recipe book is the result of a collaboration between Lasan Restaurant in Birmingham and diabetes experts at Warwick Medical School.

Obesity and diabetes expert Professor Sudesh Kumar developed the recipes with award-winning chef Aktar Islam for the recipe book entitled ‘Spice for Life’. The book offers healthier versions of classic South Asian dishes.

Professor Kumar’s research has focused on UK levels of obesity and obesity-related diseases. There has been a dramatic increase in prevalence of diabetes in people of South Asian origin and they are four to five times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than Europeans. A high-fat diet is thought to be one of the major contributors to increasing obesity and obesity-related diseases among South Asians.

Professor Kumar said “We all know that obesity is now a major problem in the UK. The latest data from the Office of National Statistics shows that people in the West Midlands are the fattest in Europe officially with a 28% obesity rate and the whole area is a major focus of research in Warwick Medical School."

Future predictions for England are estimated at 36% for men and 28% for women by 2015. The trend is increasing for men at a much faster rate. In 2008 24.1% of men were obese and 24.9% of women so you can see the curve is quite steep for men. Following current trends, 60% all males and 50% all females will be obese by 2050. Currently 75% population are classed as overweight with a BMI rating of more than 25 compared to 30 years ago, only 6-8% of the population were obese.
 
Professor Kumar added: “If we all took a few simple steps to reduce portion sizes, eat a little less salt, sugar and fat (oil) and made it a point to be a bit more physically active this will go a long way in containing this obesity epidemic. What all of us have to now do is to change our habits so that we incorporate these healthy habits as part of our daily routine.”

Over 30,000 deaths a year are caused by obesity in England alone and it is estimated the condition costs the NHS in excess of £500 million a year. Obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, heart attacks and strokes are a major concern for the Health Service.

Download a copy of the 'Spice for Life' recipe (PDF Document)

For more information, contact Kate Cox, Communications Manager, Warwick Medical School, kate dot cox at warwick dot ac dot uk, 02476 150483

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Sample Menu

Starter

Main Course

Dessert