It is our general conception that the person who looks thin and is not overweight, he is considered as fit and healthy. We often get to hear people saying to a person who does not look fat that wow you look so great and thin. But do you know most of these people who although prima facie look fit because of their thin physique they in fact have high fat percentage and adiposity and therefore they are called as ‘Thin Fat Indian’. Dr. Chitranjan Yajik, a medical scientist from Pune, is known for his work on the topic ‘The Thin Fat Indian’.
Being thin doesn’t mean that you are fit. The person living next door might be hogging on junk food regularly without gaining weight. But the reality is that he is gaining fat, though not under the skin but around the organs and that is the reason that they don’t appear to be physically fat. Thin fat individual (Indians) are more in number in India as compared to the western population who are fat in their appearance. The reason for this health condition of western population is because of their diet pattern. The Indians follow “tadka” pattern which they give in the tomato and onion gravy in almost all their food, and the oil used in tadka leads to visceral deposition of fat around the body organs and not under the skin, due to which the Indians look thin. Whereas the people in western countries like USA consume high carbohydrate food like pasta, bread, etc. which leads to deposition of fat under the skin giving bloated and obese look.
Although there might not be immediate consequences of having fat around the organs but they are at high risk of having heart disease and metabolic consequences in the longer run. The excessive fat stored around the organs disturb the body’s internal communication system and gives a wrong chemical signal to the body that fat needs to be stored in the organs like liver, pancreas, etc. which in turn increases the risk of having fatty liver, diabetes and other diseases. An active obese person doing regular exercise might be more fit than a thin inactive individual. This explains the answer to a very common question asked by people. What is the reason behind sudden death of a healthy and fit looking individual because of a sudden heart attack?
What is the solution for the above problem??? Correct diet and regular exercise is the best solution to fight this Thin Fat Indian problem. Regular physical exercise helps to burn off the excess fat around the organs and keep the individual fit from inside. Physical exercise like swimming, yoga, walk, running, cycling are beneficial.
So far as diet in concerned, we should increase the intake of fruits and vegetables in the diet as they are loaded with fiber, minerals, vitamins and negligible fat in them. Lean meat, beans and daal, low fat paneer, soybean, tofu, quinoa will full fill your protein requirement and they are low in fat too. It is important to restrict the consumption refined food products, ready to eat meals, oil and ghee rich food, packaged namkeen, processed meat, up to once a month. Water intake should be minimum 2 liters per day as lack of water also increases visceral fat.
So now when you fail to lose weight and you are unable to look thin even after regular exercise and nutritious diet, do not worry, as you might be fit as compared to your thin looking friend or your next door neighbor with u often compare your physical appearance.