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Diet-related health problems of monks in Thailand

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 12:33 pm
by gavesako
Monks suffer from health problems : study

July 31, 2012 2:38 pm


A research study indicates that almost half of Thai monks are overweight or are affected by noncommunicable diseases

The study focused on the health concerns of Thai monks and how to offer them food during the upcoming Buddhist Lent.

The survey’s participants included 246 monks from the Dhammayuttika Nikaya and Mahayana movements in 11 provinces.

Fortyfive per cent of the monks experience varying levels of obesity, while 40 per cent of them face such diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and allergies, partly due to the rich, oily and sugarladed foods offered to them by the Buddhist faithful.

The average monk’s only sporting activities is walking in the morning while on rounds seeking alms, and sweeping temple courtyards. Only around 21 per cent have annual health checkups.

According to the study, some monks have more than three evening drinks each day, for they must abstain from eating food. However, some of the drinks offered to monks are not healthy, as they are mostly soft drinks with sugar, leading to diabetes.

A dualtrack campaign is being prepared to teach monks to select healthy drinks, and also to inform food donors about healthy food when offering alms to monks.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 87366.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Thais told to lighten up monks' food as weight becomes a problem
July 31, 2012 6:46 pm

Thais were asked to make more healthy choices when donating food to monks after a survey released Tuesday found that nearly half of the monks recently checked for health problems were overweight or suffering from diet-related diseases.


Of the 246 Buddhist monks in 11 provinces taking part in the survey, 45 per cent were overweight and about 40 per cent suffered from diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, ulcers and allergies that could be blamed on unhealthy diets, the survey conducted by the government’s Thai Health Promotion Foundation found.


The foundation, which released its results prior to the start of Buddhist Lent on August 3, advised laymen to be more selective about the food they donate during the three-month Lenten period when monks are restricted to their monasteries and temples.


Thais tend to offer monks rich foods that were the favourite dishes of departed ones, such as curries and sweets, as a means of making merit.//DPA

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakin ... 87405.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


:toast:

Re: the great vegetarian debate

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 2:54 am
by retrofuturist
Greetings ven. Gavesako,

I'm not surprised, given how tasty Thai food is!

:tongue:

I think there's also an onus on the monks to avoid the temptations of over-eating, and there is guidance in the Sutta & Vinaya Pitakas in this regard. If monks had "3 parts of rice, to 1 part of curry", such issues wouldn't be so prevalent. Given more food than they can possibly consume, it's no wonder then that often there will be a preference for the tastiest (read: unhealthiest) morsels.

Education may be useful, but even in the absence of that, one can ascertain from one's waistline and general state of well-being, which food, and in what quantities, contribute to better health.

Metta,
Retro. :)

Re: the great vegetarian debate

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 6:03 am
by Cittasanto
retrofuturist wrote:Greetings ven. Gavesako,

I'm not surprised, given how tasty Thai food is!

:tongue:

I think there's also an onus on the monks to avoid the temptations of over-eating, and there is guidance in the Sutta & Vinaya Pitakas in this regard. If monks had "3 parts of rice, to 1 part of curry", such issues wouldn't be so prevalent. Given more food than they can possibly consume, it's no wonder then that often there will be a preference for the tastiest (read: unhealthiest) morsels.

Education may be useful, but even in the absence of that, one can ascertain from one's waistline and general state of well-being, which food, and in what quantities, contribute to better health.

Metta,
Retro. :)
Hi Retro,
the four parts doens't provide a minimum or maximum quantity though so weight gain could still be an issue :-)
I enjoyed eating little but it was a pain getting moaned at for how little and fast I ate it!

but as I noted in the vegetarian thread where this was posted also this isn't just a Thai problem, but also a problem for Sri Lanka, and maybe Burma has the same issue?

I think the worst thing is peoples desire to offer the best food and food they like to the monks?

Re: Diet-related health problems of monks in Thailand

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 7:29 am
by DarwidHalim
In my opinion, just expecting the community to serve healthier food to the monk is just a 1 side solution.

The most important is the monk community itself. They have to change the lifestyle by changing the curriculum.

Frankly, most of them lack of physical exercise.

Probably, Thai boxing, or yoga, Kung fu should be introduced to make them healthier.

All yogic and shaolin monks are generally very healthy. Not only give them benefit in physical sense, but also in their journey for enlightenment.

Re: Diet-related health problems of monks in Thailand

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 8:03 am
by retrofuturist
Greetings,
DarwidHalim wrote:Probably, Thai boxing, or yoga, Kung fu should be introduced to make them healthier.
Walking would probably suffice - it was good enough for the Buddha.

Metta,
Retro. :)

Re: Diet-related health problems of monks in Thailand

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 10:04 am
by gavesako
"Wisely reflecting we use this almsfood, not for fun, not for pleasure, not for fattening and not for beautification. But only for the maintenance and nourishment of this body, for keeping it healthy, for helping with the holy life, thinking thus: I will allay hunger without overeating, so that I may continue to live blamelessly and at ease."

The Blessed One addressed the monks: "Bhikkhus, I partake a single meal for the day, and on account of it experience few afflictions, few ailments, lightness, strength, and a pleasant abiding." (Bhaddali Sutta)


http://metta.lk/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/ ... li-e1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://books.google.com/books?id=g5YfHB ... ta&f=false" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



In Phuket there is a very old monk called Luang Pu Supha (an old tudong monk) who is around 116 and is still alive and active:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php ... 24,0,0,1,0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://phuketwan.com/entertainment/phuk ... ate-12980/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://jamie-monk.blogspot.com/2009/09/ ... emple.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

________________________

World's oldest man Walter Breuning dies in US aged 114
The world's certified oldest man, whose advice to others included the observation "you're born to die", has passed away aged 114 in the US.
Walter Breuning was old enough to remember his grandfather recounting his part in the slaughter of the American Civil War, during the 1860s.
In his final years in Montana, he was passionate about ending two modern wars, those in Iraq and Afghanistan.
His long good health he put down to a strict regime of two meals a day.
"How many people in this country say that they can't take the weight off?" he asked in an interview with the Associated Press news agency in October.
"I tell these people, I says get on a diet and stay on it. You'll find that you're in much better shape, feel good."
The former railway clerk died of natural causes in hospital in Great Falls.
He had been living in the same retirement home since 1980.
His wife of 35 years, Agnes Twokey, died childless in 1957.
"We got along very good," Breuning said. "She wouldn't like to spend money, I'll tell you that."
Of his grandfather, he remembered hearing, at the age of three, his recollections of killing Southerners during the Civil War.
"I thought that was a hell of a thing to say," he said.
Reflecting on mortality, he told the Associated Press: "We're going to die. Some people are scared of dying. Never be afraid to die. Because you're born to die."

15 April 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13090291" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Diet-related health problems of monks in Thailand

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 10:05 am
by gavesako
Intermittent fasting promotes brain health

http://www.naturalnews.com/035166_inter ... ories.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:popcorn:

What would happen if you could only eat between the hours of 9 am and 4 pm? Would you gain less weight and be healthier overall even if you ate a high fat diet? Numerous studies have shown that shiftwork and the odd patterns of sleeping and waking that this lifestyle involves, has many negative health consequences, including obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome as well as insomnia. Very little is known about how alterations in the rhythms of eating and sleeping affect overall health. Most of us have a short fasting period, i.e. we stop eating only we’re sleeping; and a long feeding window, i.e. we eat all day long. This feeding pattern is very unhealthy for both mice and humans; the CDC statistics agree. The take home message from this study: eat early and eat whatever you like but skip dinner and never have late night snacks.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/you ... eep-better" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Diet-related health problems of monks in Thailand

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 1:45 pm
by DNS
Thanks Bhante for those links, reports! Glad to see I am doing it right and can send those links to some who think I might be unhealthy doing that plan.

Re: Diet-related health problems of monks in Thailand

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 6:59 am
by gavesako
Many of the ordinary town and village monks in Thailand are not very restrained when it comes to food. This photo shows an extreme example of that:

http://news.mthai.com/headline-news/178859.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:toast: :popcorn:


On the other hand, in the forest monasteries the meal scene is very disciplined and restrained, eating all food from the bowl.

Re: Diet-related health problems of monks in Thailand

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 1:25 pm
by DarwidHalim
Is it true that a monk has to finish whatever food given to him?

Re: Diet-related health problems of monks in Thailand

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 12:43 am
by appicchato
DarwidHalim wrote:Is it true that a monk has to finish whatever food given to him?
No...

Re: Diet-related health problems of monks in Thailand

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 1:46 am
by mikenz66
appicchato wrote:
DarwidHalim wrote:Is it true that a monk has to finish whatever food given to him?
No...
Luckily... That would be impossible in most cases.

:anjali:
Mike

Re: Diet-related health problems of monks in Thailand

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 3:41 am
by DNS
What is done with the leftover food in Thai temples? They don't throw it away, do they? My experience has been mostly with Sri Lankan temples in the U.S. and there they always put the leftovers in the refrigerator for use when there is no scheduled family to give food dana. I heard that the Thais are more strict on not storing food. If this is the case what do they do with it?

Re: Diet-related health problems of monks in Thailand

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 3:48 am
by retrofuturist
Greetings,
David N. Snyder wrote:I heard that the Thais are more strict on not storing food. If this is the case what do they do with it?
At the Melbourne-based Thai wat I've frequented, the food is offered to the monks, and what goes uneaten is eaten by the laity for lunch. This seems very practical to me.

Metta,
Retro. :)

Re: Diet-related health problems of monks in Thailand

Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 3:51 am
by DNS
retrofuturist wrote: At the Melbourne-based Thai wat I've frequented, the food is offered to the monks, and what goes uneaten is eaten by the laity for lunch. This seems very practical to me.
Yes, very practical. Thanks for the info. :thumbsup: