SPORTS AND WELLNESS
Issue 9: Race restrictions
Issue 9: Nutritional Awareness
Seminar participants were largely aware of the fact that the consumption of a
few of the popular Indian foods (i.e. Briyani, Prata, etc.) and the community’s
eating habits were not healthy. For example, it was common for Indians to
consume dessert after a meal and it was often high in calorie and sugar content.
However, it was observed that that they were not aware of the extent of its
detriment to their health. When participants were asked to estimate the
percentage of Indians in Singapore diagnosed with diabetes, most of them
responded with numbers that were lower than expected (6 out of 10 Indians as
reflected in 2017’s National Day Rally). Participants shared that this could be
attributed to the lack of knowledge about the nutritional content of common
Indian foods. To add to this point, the information from the website
MyFitnessPal.com managed by Under Armour showed that 2 Gulab Jamuns
(286 calories) have almost the same amount of calories as an entire Chicken
Briyani (348 calories). This took the participants by surprise.
Maathi Yosi | 2019
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One of the issues faced by participants who were in sports CCAs was the issue
of subtle racial discrimination leading to sentiments of exclusion or not
belonging. Often this occurred when coaches of the school teams did not speak
in English. In most cases, at an attempt at conformity, it was observed that
sporty Indians would remove themselves from their culture in hopes of
assimilating. If this was not possible, participants would quit the CCA entirely.