Biography:

James Joseph is the Author of the best seller book god’s own office- how one man worked for a global giant from his village in Kerala published by Penguin books and released by Shri Oommen Chandy, Honourable Chief Minister of Kerala. He has over 20 years of sales and marketing experience in North America, Europe and India with globally reputed organizations like Microsoft, 3M and Ford. In his last role as the Director, Executive Engagement at Microsoft India; he was responsible for strengthening Microsoft’s relationship with the senior executives of top 200 enterprises in India. Prior to this role, he was responsible for the manufacturing industry marketing for Microsoft UK. Before joining Microsoft UK, he held business development, sales and marketing positions at 3M, Ford Motor Company, i2 Technologies and Informatica. He has two patents filed for his pioneering engineering research to make green jackfruit affordable for the masses. He has a Masters in Engineering Business Management from the University of Warwick, UK and has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram.

Abstract:

For 60 years since its founding, Kerala took pride as the number one state in the country on life expectancy, receiving praise from world-renowned global health expert, Professor Hans Rosling. Prof Rosling puts Kerala ahead of Washington DC on human health index at a fraction of per capita income. However, lifestyle diseases like diabetes are now in the order of an epidemic in the state reducing the life expectancy of our adult population above the age group of 30. For the first time, Kerala lost out its number one position on life expectancy to Jammu and Kashmir due to an alarming drop in life expectancy after the age of 30 compared to J&K as per 2010-14 census data. The root cause of our problem with diabetes and lifestyle diseases is the rapid increase of starch in our diet over the past 60 years through rice, wheat and tubers like cassava. Through years of policy interventions, we were able to make starch more affordable but the overcorrection is now hurting our health than helping it. In order for Kerala to get back and retain our number one position in life expectancy, we have to cut back our starch consumption from half a plate to a quarter as recommended by American diabetes association and increase consumption of our grossly under-utilized unripe fruits, vegetables and legumes. This paper will scientifically explain why one of Kerala’s oldest traditions of eating unripe jackfruit as a meal is the perfect plate for diabetes and weight loss. These are the results from the first glycemic research conducted on unripe jackfruits from Kerala at Sydney University.

 

Results:

1. Green Jackfruit prepared as a meal is the most ancient meal of Kerala and is nutritionally equivalent to the Mediterranean Plate.

2. Green jackfruit as a meal is good for Diabetes and Weight Loss because a cup of green jackfruit has 40% lower glycemic load, calories and carbohydrates and has four times more fibre than a cup of rice or two rotis.

3. An all-purpose flour can be made from green jackfruit to reduce energy density and increase vegetable content in pasta to pizza.

 

Conclusions:

Contrary to the existing advice given by medical professionals in Kerala, its tradition of eating green Jackfruit as a meal instead of rice & roti is actually good for controlling diabetes and obesity. Kerala can reverse its explosion of non-communicable diseases by bringing back green jackfruit to the centre of its plate replacing rice and wheat. Green Jackfruit as a flour is an easy way for food companies to follow WHO advice to reduce energy density and increase vegetable and fruit percentage in processed food to beat non-communicable diseases. 

This research shows a global parallel between the Mediterranean diet, now considered as the perfect plate for diabetes and weight-loss and our god’s own plate through a 40,000-year-old early man migration and human settlement.

Biography:

Iman Almarhoon has obtained his Bachelor of Science in Home Economics and Nutrition from King Saud University. Following that in August 2014, he has completed his Master of Science at the University of Idaho in Family and Consumer Sciences, which concentrated in Nutrition. His research focuses on child nutrition and health led me to research Saudi Arabian mother's Child Feeding Practices, Autonomy and Concern about Child's Weight.

Abstract:

Background & Objectives: Childhood obesity is a health concern in Saudi Arabia. Further study of parental feeding practices and concern about childhood weight in Saudi Arabia (SA) is needed. The purpose of the study was to: (1) Identify maternal feeding practices and concern about child weight using the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ), (2) identify maternal Autonomy (A) and maternal report of children’s Negative Reactions to Food (NRF) and (3) determine whether there is an association between CFQ scales and NRF and A.

 

Subjects & Methods: A convenience sample of mothers from Saudi Arabia living in the US with children 2-6 years of age were contacted. Eligible mothers were sent a link to an online questionnaire Internal consistency for questions on the CFQ, NRF and A were computed using Cronbach’s α. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to test the association among CFQ scales, NRF, A and demographic factors.

 

Results: Mothers (n=108) completed the questionnaire and internal consistency was 0.73 or above for general autonomy, concern about child weight, negative reactions to food and monitoring. The mean (SD) for concern about child weight was 1.8 (1.2). Mothers’ with a lower-income had a greater concern about child weight (r=-0.20, P=0.04) and mothers who had greater concern about child’s weight and who used more restrictive feeding practices reported NRF in their children (r=0.19, P=0.05; r=0.20, P=0.04, respectively). The more feeding autonomy mothers had, the greater responsibility they reported about feeding their children (r=0.20, P=0.04).

 

Conclusion: While few mothers reported a concern about weight, they reported frequent use of inappropriate restrictive and pressuring feeding practices. Understanding mothers feeding practices is important to identify children’s eating habits and prevent childhood obesity. Since a little is known about feeding practices among Saudi mothers, further study is needed to verify the differences in child feeding practices and concern about child weight in mothers who only live in Saudi Arabia.

Biography:

Tigest Ajeme Tuffa has completed her Master’s degree in Public Health with a speciality in Nutrition from Addis Ababa University, College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health. Her interest in nutrition mainly on eating disorder has made her work on a study on female high school adolescents regarding unhealthy weight loss practice, one of a critical public health issue these days. She has more than five years of work experience in the healthcare, both in direct health care service and leadership.

Abstract:

Unhealthy weight control practices are a serious concern with clinical implication as a potential risk factor for eating disorder. Despite recent epidemiological studies indicate a high prevalence of unhealthy weight control practices in developing countries, there is a lack of such knowledge in Ethiopia. This is the first Ethiopian study aimed to determine the magnitude of unhealthy weight control practice among female high school adolescents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We conducted a school-based cross-sectional study among randomly selected 721 adolescents. We used a nine-item question to measure engagement in unhealthy weight control practice and an eight-item body part satisfaction scale to measure body part dissatisfaction. The body part satisfaction scale was translated into the local Amharic language and tested for face validity. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios for predictors of unhealthy weight control practice. The magnitude of engagement in unhealthy weight control practice at least once a week in the last one month was 232 (33.8%). The overall prevalence of purging and non-purging behaviour was 10(1.5%) and 222(32.3%), respectively. Factors that were significantly associated were perceived overweight [AOR=2.88, 95% CI=1.08-7.69], being overweight [AOR=2.84; 95% CI=1.31-6.17], severe depression [AOR=1.98; 95% CI=1.17-3.35], family influence to lose weight [AOR=1.59; 95% CI=1.03-2.45] and being wealthy [AOR=2.09; 95% CI=1.24-3.52]. This study revealed a high prevalence rate of unhealthy weight control practices including both purging and non-purging behaviours among female adolescents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Such findings imply that public health systems should pay attention to these behaviours and design prevention and intervention strategies.

Biography:

Archana Arora is a Registered Dietitian and has been practising for more than 20 years in the fitness, healthcare, wellness and catering industries. She has completed her Masters in Food and Nutrition in 1995 followed by an internship at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. Currently, she is working as a Senior Dietitian and Health Coach at NU Foods, Dubai.

Abstract:

Obesity is a complex condition with biological, genetic, behavioural, social, cultural and environmental influences. It is a fact that reduced physical activity and fast food are linked to obesity. However, there is also a strong connection between stress and obesity. Stress may seem to have a small impact but it interacts in a way that magnifies the problem of obesity. There is so much that happens in our life; it is up to us how we handle and overcome the difficulty, negativity, pressure and ups and downs that we face regularly. The mind is the real powerhouse that controls and balances all chemical reactions and processes of the body. Stress alters the biochemical profile of the body dramatically. Current obesity prevention efforts focus solely on eating and exercise, but changing your outlook towards life can tackle the problem to a great extent.

Biography:

Fatima Irfan is a 3^rd year student enrolled in Doctor of Dietetics and Nutritional Sciences from University of Lahore, Pakistan. She is a Member of Nutritionists and Dietitians Society, Pakistan (NDS), American society of nutrition and the nutrition society (UK).

Abstract:

Obesity is a multi-factorial disorder, recognized as a major health problem by World Health Organization (WHO), Centers of Disease Control (CDC) and National Institute of Health (NIH). It increases the risk of several debilitating and deadly diseases hence decreasing the quantity and length of life. Body Mass Index (BMI) is the estimation of the body fat. As BMI increases, so does blood pressure, blood sugar, Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and cholesterol. These changes translate into the risk of heart strokes, CVD, diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Poor dietary intake, sedentary behavior, genetics, high demand of convenience and processed food at an early age can lead to a greater probability of developing metabolic and endocrinal syndrome, insulin resistance and future complication in pregnancy. According to a study at Harvard, worldwide rate of obesity has already doubled since 1980, affecting 200 million adults, under 3000 million women and 43 million children (since 2010). According to another study at Rand Institute, obesity is a higher risk factor for chronic diseases than living in poverty, smoking and drinking. Approximately 300,000 people die per annum in USA. Obesity and its association linked with chronic diseases harms virtually for every aspect of life and health. It isn’t necessarily a permanent condition, an approach to healthy diet; exercise along with educating the individual the skill to make better choices can lead to weight loss and ultimately longer healthier and happier life.