As India's middle class grows, so does its waistlines, says a fascinating article on News24 and other outlets. The culprit, according to the article? McDonald's and KFC, of course. The fast-food giants, along with their kin Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, are said to be making inroads there, and they're bringing snazzy marketing to entice a whole country of young people who are snapping up the chicken Maharaja Mac at McDonalds and Zinger Burgers at KFC.
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The result? According to the article, “A November 2010 study by the National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation of India found that one in three children in private schools in New Delhi were obese, compared with one in 10 in government schools.”
Another study predicts that as India and other Asian economies flourish, and more people adopt high-fat, high-sugar diets and sedentary lives in front of a computer, the region could face unprecedented numbers of chronic ailments, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes in the next 20 to 30 years. Oh, the price of prosperity.
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Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.