Luke Coutinho, a holistic health coach, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative to combat obesity in India and stated that the country requires regulation and awareness of junk food.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is absolutely right in his vision of combating this problem of obesity,” stated Coutinho during his visit to an Anganwadi Center in New Delhi.

“We need to have regulation and awareness about junk food for children and adults, which is contributing towards the obesity epidemic,” replied Coutinho. He went on to say that nutrition instruction should begin at a young age and be available in all languages across the country.

He also emphasized the need to increase access to native superfoods such as millet. “Modi has encouraged us to use locally sourced superfoods.” Coutinho, co-founder of Luke Coutinho Holistic Healing Systems, stated that these items can help us maintain a natural balanced diet while also supporting the macros of proteins, carbs, and fat.

PM Modi spoke on the 119th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on rising obesity rates and the importance of preventing it because it can lead to a variety of ailments such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer. According to a recent survey, one out of every eight persons nowadays struggles with obesity.

“Obesity cases have doubled in recent years, but what’s more concerning is that the problem has quadrupled even among children. According to WHO figures, over 250 crore people worldwide were overweight in 2022, meaning they weighed more than they should have,” the PM stated.

He advocated “reducing the consumption of edible oil by 10 per cent.”  While expressing support for the obesity goal, he stated that “everyone should take personal responsibility as an Indian citizen to do our part and choose the right food, exercise every day, and focus on our mental and emotional health”.

The expert went on to say that we need to raise consciousness and mindfulness, as well as encourage Ghar-ka-khana (home-cooked cuisine) to make India healthy.