The South Asian Health Solution: A Culturally Tailored Guide to Lose Fat, Increase Energy and Avoid Disease

385 Pages·2014·5.03 MB·English

by  Ronesh Sinha MD

RONESH SINHA, MD
i
© 2014, Ronesh Sinha. All rights reserved.
Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, reproduction
or utilization of this work in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other
means, now known or hereaft er invented, including xerography, photocopying,
and recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system, is forbidden
without written permission of the publisher.
Mention of specifi c companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not
imply endorsement by the author or publisher. Information in this book was accu-
rate at the time researched. Th e author received no incentives or compensation to
promote the item recommendations in the book.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013915701
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on fi le with the publisher
Sinha, Ronesh 1971-
Th e South Asian Health Solution/Ronesh Sinha
For my late father, Dr. Ramananda Sinha,
ISBN: 978-1-939563-12-5
a physician who inspired me to write, teach,
1. Health 2. Weight Loss 3. Diet 4. Physical Fitness
and question everything.
Editor: Amy Lucas
Design and Layout: Caroline De Vita
Illustrations: Caroline De Vita
Cover Design: Janée Meadows
Index: Sara Beatty
Consultants: Shally Sinha, MD; Mark Sisson
Publisher: Primal Blueprint Publishing.
23805 Stuart Ranch Rd. Suite 145 Malibu, CA 90265
For information on quantity discounts, please call 888-774-6259,
email: [email protected], or visit PrimalBlueprintPublishing.com.
DISCLAIMER
Th e ideas, concepts, and opinions expressed in this book are intended to be used
for educational purposes only. Th is book is sold with the understanding that the
author and publisher are not rendering medical advice of any kind, nor is this
book intended to replace medical advice, nor to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any
disease, condition, illness, or injury. It is imperative that before beginning any diet
program, including any aspect of the diet methodologies mentioned in Th e South
Asian Health Solution, you receive full medical clearance from a licensed physi-
cian. Th e author and publisher claim no responsibility to any person or entity for
any liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as
a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material in this book. If you
object to this disclaimer, you may return the book to publisher for a full refund.
ii SOUTH ASIAN HEALTH SOLUTION
For my late father, Dr. Ramananda Sinha,
a physician who inspired me to write, teach,
and question everything.
iii
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Infl ammation and Insulin: Th e Real Culprits •• •• ••• ••• ••• • •1
When Insulin and Infl ammation Strike
How Did We Get Into This Mess?
Achieving Your Metabolic 6-Pack
Cholesterol and Heart Disease ••••••• •••• • ••• • •• • •• • ••27
Cholesterol Confusion
Six Cholesterol Rules
Advanced Testing
Improving Your Cholesterol Levels
Blood Pressure: Th e Pressure Is Killing Me •• •• ••• ••• ••• • •55
Understanding Blood Pressure
Dietary Management of High Blood Pressure
Behaviors That Raise Blood Pressure
Six Steps to Lowering Blood Pressure
Your Body: Width Over Weight •••• ••• •••• • ••• • •• • •• • •75
Why Worry About Fat?
Body Measures (Weight/BMI, Waist Measures, Strength Measures)
Ways to Measure Body Fat Percentage
Th e South Asian Struggle with Fat and Weight Loss •• •• ••• ••95
Understanding Carbohydrates and Fats
Other Factors That Affect Fat Storage
Why Low-Fat Diets Seem to Work
Establishing a New Norm
CARBS Approach to Burning Fat •••••• •• •••• • •• • ••• •• 119
The “CARBS” Approach for South Asians
Fats
Protein
“6-S Strategy” to Eat More Vegetables
Breakfast: The Unhealthiest Meal of the Day?
Intermittent Fasting
It’s All in the Roots
Exercise: An Enjoyable Approach to Fitness and Strength •• •• 151
Top Three Reasons South Asians Refuse to Move
How to Make Exercise Happen
The Tree Approach to Strength and Movement
Walking for Health
Workout Tips
Recharge! An Approach to Energy and Stress Management •• •189
Understanding Fatigue
S-Factor: Stress
S-Factor: Sugar/Starch
v
S-Factor: Sleep
S-Factor: Substances
S-Factor: Sedentary Lifestyle
How to Recharge Yourself Once and for All
Medical Conditions That Cause Fatigue
Optimal Health for South Asian Women •• •• ••• ••• ••• • •225
The PCOS Epidemic
Female Diffi culties Reducing Excess Body Fat
Bone and Musculoskeletal Health
Pregnancy Pearls
Building a Healthier Future for the South Asian Child •• •• ••255
A South Asian Parent’s Top 10 Concerns About Health
Anti-Aging and Improving the Health of the Elderly •• •• ••• 301
Accelerated Aging
Vitamin D Health
Taking Better Care of South Asian Seniors
My Grandmother: Optimal Aging in Action
Achieving Your Goals ••••••••••• ••• • •• • •• • ••• ••• •329
Setting Goals
Building Your Health Team
Samina’s Story ••••••••••••••• •• • •• • ••• ••• ••• • •• •339
Harish’s Story ••••••••••••••• •• • •• • ••• ••• ••• • •• •341
Rajesh’s Story ••••••••••••••• •• • •• • ••• ••• ••• • •• •344
Recipes ••••••••••• •• •• • •• • •• •• • •• • •• •• • •• • •• •346
Resources •••••••••••••••• ••• • ••• • •• • •• • •• • •• • •358
Endnotes •••••••••••••••• ••• • ••• • •• • •• • •• • •• • •363
Index •••••••••••••••• ••• ••••• • •• • ••• • •• • •• • ••369
vi SOUTH ASIAN HEALTH SOLUTION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To my wife Shally, who has offi cially joined the circle of author’s
neglected spouses. Th ank you for supporting me, believing in me,
and acting as a single parent so oft en during this process. (And thank
you for helping me write the children’s chapter!) Th ank you to my
sons Rohan and Avi, who teach me to connect with my inner child
every single day. To my mom, for her unconditional love and ingenu-
ity with the recipes. To my brother Robin, who kept checking in on
me no matter how much I drowned myself in this book and my work.  
Special thanks to my publisher Mark Sisson who allowed me to
take a decade long dream and turn it into a book that exceeded my
expectations. You are living proof that you don’t need an MD to save
lives and help people achieve optimal health. Huge thanks to Brad
Kearns from the Primal Blueprint Publishing team. You are an unbe-
lievable coach who kept me motivated, kept me laughing, and always
found a way to extract great content out of me. Th anks to my editor,
Amy Lucas, for patiently helping me uncover my inner author, amidst
a pile of complex scientifi c jargon. Th ank you Caroline De Vita for
designing a beautiful interior layout for the book that refl ects the
richness of South Asian culture. To the very talented Janée Meadows
for craft ing a brilliant book cover.  
A special thanks to Janet Lederer, VP of Health Education from
the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF), who has been an inspi-
ration and huge supporter of all of my South Asian and culturally
tailored health initiatives. I want to thank all of the wonderful people
from PAMF’s marketing department (Sarah Chan, Erin Macartney,
Sapna Parekh, Cynthia Greaves, and Ed Bierman to name a few), who
help me take my message to the diverse communities and workforces
in Northern California and beyond.
And fi nally, I want to thank all the dedicated HR team members—
from companies across Silicon Valley—who have allowed me to
deliver culturally tailored health education programs to such diverse
workforces. Your employees inspired so much of the material in this
book, and I am committed to helping them fi nd innovative solutions
to lead healthier lives.
vii
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C H A P T E R 1
INFLAMMATION AND INSULIN:
THE REAL CULPRITS
WHY ARE SOUTH ASIANS AT SUCH a high risk for diabetes
and heart disease? Th is is the most common question I face in my
clinic, during lectures…even at cocktail parties where I’m oft en sur-
rounded by South Asians puzzled by this epidemic. Regardless of my
response, many South Asians are convinced they know the answer.
Do any of the following sound familiar?
• “My husband puts too much ghee on his rice, or too much
sugar and cream in his tea.”
• “My wife can’t stop worrying about everything so I’m sure
stress is the reason her blood sugar is so high.”
• “I can’t fi nd the time to exercise, but I’m sure once I do, I’ll
lose the weight and improve my heart health.”
Each of these reasons carries a certain degree of truth (except the
ghee—keep reading and you’ll fi nd out how ghee can actually be
good for health), but pay close attention to the verifi able and scien-
tifi cally validated answer:
1