Sanjay Borude - Generation XL: Tackling and Preventing Childhood Obesity in India

Obesity is not only a health hazard but a huge setback emotionally and mentally. To deal with such a sensitive issue that can have damaging outcomes requires a relentless journey of expertise, an in-depth balance and grasp to sensitively handle the patients distress and educate the family towards an environment conducive to promoting a healthy childhood. This book highlights that we should not take weight gain as a sign of a happy child; do not encourage it as a benchmark for a healthy child. We need to break these shackles and emerge as responsible parents. Dr Sanjay Borude, a dynamic, driven surgeon and an authority on this subject has come out with a book which will be etched as a guiding light for eternity. The book touches upon all the issues that a child faces, and how the family can prevent them and help the future generation overcome these hurdles. I stand eternally grateful to Dr Sanjay Borude for dedicating his life to this issue, and I look forward to a healthy society. Our children are the future of our nation; we need to set the standards today!Raj Thackeray, politician and chairperson of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS)

Generation XL expertly tackles the sensitive subject of obesity, in a reader-friendly, informative style. A must-read for allnot just people dealing with weight issues. Parents of young children dealing with weight gain and related health problems will benefit greatly from Dr Sanjay Borudes well-researched book, in which he describes obesity as a time bombShobhaa De, novelist and columnist

When Dr Sanjay Borude came to meet me, he told me he was a fan of mine. But after we met, I turned into a fan of his! He sings and hes an artiste, so when he does his surgeries, I have no doubts he must be doing it artistically. He has been a doctor for the past thirty years. Initially he used to perform surgeries on cancer patients. Later, he realized he could serve humanity even better by tackling the issue of child obesity. I can say this from my own experience. I was overweight and would feel dejected and upset because of that. I had a lot of difficulty losing weight. Children who are either born obese or those who turn obese because of what their parents feed them face difficulties all their lives. Dr Sanjay Borude has done tremendous work in this area. Consider this: he has even carried out a surgery on an 11-month-old infant, and she is now a healthy 12-year-old. When I look around, I see parents giving their children all sorts to things to eatthree to four ice creams at a time, sandwiches with thick layers of cheese and what not. If, instead of that, children ate the satvik, native foods our parents gave us and if they ate only so much as would fit into a palm, it would be sufficient. Thats what Dr Borude says, and I too am saying this, because Dr Borude is a splendid doctor, and he sings nicely as well. In my view, Dr Sanjay Borude is the best doctor in the world. Hes also a very good human being. Where needed, he works for free and saves peoples lives. Can there be a greater thing than saving lives? We cannot see God but we can see doctors, and for me, Dr Sanjay Borude is God!Asha Bhosle, playback singer

The book discusses the genesis and management of childhood obesity with all the relevant details. Obesity in children is a preventable problem with very few exceptions. Prevention should start from birth with exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months followed by complementary feeds from the family pot, while breastfeeding is continued for at least another six months. Of course, it must be subsequently maintained with a good lifestyle. This can happen only if health is monitored by a growth chart so that mild weight gain can be picked up and corrected. It is not only the weight but also height and BMI. This is a health card similar to a progress card in school. Indian Academy of Pediatrics has published growth charts for Indian boys and girls, and the chart is modified in a simple way to give BMI on the same chart that depicts weight and height, and it can show whether the child is underweight, overweight or obese. These charts can be downloaded for free from IAPs websiteDr Yeshwant K. Amdekar, paediatrician

To Zoya Khan