Environmentalism and Obesity in Asia
2007 is the Chinese Year of the Pig
One of my doctoral students, who is originally from China, informed me this week that the “year of the pig” had begun. Indeed, the Chinese new year began on February 18th with the usual festivities all across East Asia. Delectable dumplings were steamed on bamboo shelves and green tea poured like rain at numerous New Year parties worldwide. Chinese astrology is based on the “Earthly Branches” and was originally derived from observing the orbit of the planet Jupiter (Suxing) which roughly follows a twelve year cycle. Each year in this cycle is named after an animal to show certain key attributes of balance and harmony with nature.
Regrettably the most important attributes of such a balance between humans and nature is diminishing day by day, particularly in China. At the heart of the matter is consumption ethics of our most basic human need – food. While the ancient Chinese were well-known for their healthy diet of vegetable greens, soy products and choicest fruits, the contemporary Chinese diet is becoming laced with meat and dairy products that are clogging arteries at alarming rates, not to mention the excessive use of monosodium glutamate as a flavor enhancer.
The first official nutrition and health survey conducted by the Chinese government a few years ago revealed an enormous increase in meat consumption between 1992 and 2002. During this period more than 60 million people became obese, a rise of over 90%. As many Muslims visiting China frequently discover to their dismay, the favored flesh for Chinese palates is often pork – making the year of the pig, particularly memorable.
However, the famed gluttony of swine that gives rise to expressions such as “pigging out” or “pork barrel” is just as prevalent in other parts of Asia with very different cultural traditions. In Pakistan, for example, a study at the Aga Khan university by D.J. Nanan recorded prevalence of obesity in Pakistan among 25-44 year olds in rural areas at 9% for men and 14% for women; in urban areas, prevalence was 22% and 37% for men and women, respectively. For 45-64 year olds, prevalence was 11% for men and 19% for women in rural areas, and 23% and 40% in urban areas for men and women, respectively. Perhaps the starkest difference between India and Pakistan can be observed in the difference in diets when it comes to meat consumption. Largely vegetarian India is a stark contrast from largely carnivorous Pakistan. I have even heard the lamentable argument that the most important reason for partition of India was to freely eat meat on the Pakistani side of the border!
Perhaps the more consequential comparison between India and China should also be made. If there is any competitive edge that India has over China on environmental matters it is the vegetarian ethic in the former versus the growing meat consumption in the latter. In terms of long-term sustainability of ecosystems, India thus has a likely advantage in terms of food security.
Clearly meat has played a role in human diets but the level of meat consumption in modern societies is simply unsustainable. Instead of the traditional weekly regimen of a meat dish, most households in parts of Asia consider a daily dose of animal products to be a point of prestige. This is taking a tremendous toll on health system as reflected in the aforementioned obesity statistics which generally correlate with cardiovascular ailments. The data on the advantages of vegetarian diets is indisputable. Controlling for genetic factors, communities that eat less meat have far healthier populations. For example, life expectancy is considerably greater in southern France where a semi-vegetarian Mediterranean diet of fresh fruit, vegetables, olive oil, goats cheese and fish dominates, in comparison to northern France where a carnivorous diet is more common.
Apart from the health impact of meat consumption, the environmental impact is even more dramatic. On average meat consumption requires four times more land than equivalent calories of vegetables (including protein complements). Between 1960 and 1985, nearly 40 percent of all Central American rain forests were destroyed to create pasture for beef cattle. Here in the United States, four million acres of cropland are lost to erosion annually of which 85 percent is directly associated with livestock raising. Furthermore, much of the excrement from "food" animals (which amounts to 20 times as much fecal matter as human waste) flows unfiltered even within the U.S.
Regrettably the most important attributes of such a balance between humans and nature is diminishing day by day, particularly in China. At the heart of the matter is consumption ethics of our most basic human need – food. While the ancient Chinese were well-known for their healthy diet of vegetable greens, soy products and choicest fruits, the contemporary Chinese diet is becoming laced with meat and dairy products that are clogging arteries at alarming rates, not to mention the excessive use of monosodium glutamate as a flavor enhancer.
The first official nutrition and health survey conducted by the Chinese government a few years ago revealed an enormous increase in meat consumption between 1992 and 2002. During this period more than 60 million people became obese, a rise of over 90%. As many Muslims visiting China frequently discover to their dismay, the favored flesh for Chinese palates is often pork – making the year of the pig, particularly memorable.
However, the famed gluttony of swine that gives rise to expressions such as “pigging out” or “pork barrel” is just as prevalent in other parts of Asia with very different cultural traditions. In Pakistan, for example, a study at the Aga Khan university by D.J. Nanan recorded prevalence of obesity in Pakistan among 25-44 year olds in rural areas at 9% for men and 14% for women; in urban areas, prevalence was 22% and 37% for men and women, respectively. For 45-64 year olds, prevalence was 11% for men and 19% for women in rural areas, and 23% and 40% in urban areas for men and women, respectively. Perhaps the starkest difference between India and Pakistan can be observed in the difference in diets when it comes to meat consumption. Largely vegetarian India is a stark contrast from largely carnivorous Pakistan. I have even heard the lamentable argument that the most important reason for partition of India was to freely eat meat on the Pakistani side of the border!
Perhaps the more consequential comparison between India and China should also be made. If there is any competitive edge that India has over China on environmental matters it is the vegetarian ethic in the former versus the growing meat consumption in the latter. In terms of long-term sustainability of ecosystems, India thus has a likely advantage in terms of food security.
Clearly meat has played a role in human diets but the level of meat consumption in modern societies is simply unsustainable. Instead of the traditional weekly regimen of a meat dish, most households in parts of Asia consider a daily dose of animal products to be a point of prestige. This is taking a tremendous toll on health system as reflected in the aforementioned obesity statistics which generally correlate with cardiovascular ailments. The data on the advantages of vegetarian diets is indisputable. Controlling for genetic factors, communities that eat less meat have far healthier populations. For example, life expectancy is considerably greater in southern France where a semi-vegetarian Mediterranean diet of fresh fruit, vegetables, olive oil, goats cheese and fish dominates, in comparison to northern France where a carnivorous diet is more common.
Apart from the health impact of meat consumption, the environmental impact is even more dramatic. On average meat consumption requires four times more land than equivalent calories of vegetables (including protein complements). Between 1960 and 1985, nearly 40 percent of all Central American rain forests were destroyed to create pasture for beef cattle. Here in the United States, four million acres of cropland are lost to erosion annually of which 85 percent is directly associated with livestock raising. Furthermore, much of the excrement from "food" animals (which amounts to 20 times as much fecal matter as human waste) flows unfiltered even within the U.S.
A proud butcher in Pakistan
Gluttony, more generally has been considered a sin in most religions. In Christianity, it is one of the “seven deadly sins.” Even in Islam, there are several traditions which discourage excessive consumption. A hadith of the Prophet Muhammad quoted by Imam Tirmidhi states that “No man fills a vessel worse than his stomach. For a person a few mouthfuls are sufficient to keep his back straight.”
Muslims seem to indulge in end of year celebrations during the final month of Zul-Hajj with the same consumption frenzy that the Chinese indulge in at New Year. The level of meat consumption after the festival of Eid-ul-Adha drives many to hospitals with meat gormandizing ailments and disorders. Thankfully, this year, Pakistani TV documented many of these ailments and issued medical advice on moderating meat consumption. While the noble goal of sharing food charity through Abrahamic communion may well have worked at one time, there is clearly a need for reform on this matter now.
With over a billion Muslims, one fourth of whom are, engaging in mass-slaughter of sacrificial animals on one day, it is perhaps time for Islamic scholars to consider a more symbolic gesture of communion through “green food” distribution. Even with the highly efficient system of meat packaging and shipping in Saudi Arabia which I observed after the annual pilgrimage ( Hajj), the amount of meat wastage and consumption concerns are immense and will ultimately have to be addressed.
The Chinese and other Asians must also consider a moderation in meat consumption that harkens back to their tradiational diets.
As we enter "the year of the pig," instead of embracing proverbial pork, let us instead try our best to reject the flesh of swine not only in literal but more figurative ways for the betterment of the planet.
Muslims seem to indulge in end of year celebrations during the final month of Zul-Hajj with the same consumption frenzy that the Chinese indulge in at New Year. The level of meat consumption after the festival of Eid-ul-Adha drives many to hospitals with meat gormandizing ailments and disorders. Thankfully, this year, Pakistani TV documented many of these ailments and issued medical advice on moderating meat consumption. While the noble goal of sharing food charity through Abrahamic communion may well have worked at one time, there is clearly a need for reform on this matter now.
With over a billion Muslims, one fourth of whom are, engaging in mass-slaughter of sacrificial animals on one day, it is perhaps time for Islamic scholars to consider a more symbolic gesture of communion through “green food” distribution. Even with the highly efficient system of meat packaging and shipping in Saudi Arabia which I observed after the annual pilgrimage ( Hajj), the amount of meat wastage and consumption concerns are immense and will ultimately have to be addressed.
The Chinese and other Asians must also consider a moderation in meat consumption that harkens back to their tradiational diets.
As we enter "the year of the pig," instead of embracing proverbial pork, let us instead try our best to reject the flesh of swine not only in literal but more figurative ways for the betterment of the planet.
