Dr. Ronesh Sinha: A Holistic Approach to South Asian Wellness

Joe Croos: I thought ghee (clarified butter) is bad for you, but after reading this book I’m not going to feel guilty eating ghee dosa, but would avoid samosas! The author, a practicing doctor of South Asian origin, has first hand understanding of how South Asian bodies respond to Western lifestyles. Before reading this book I also thought, like many, reducing LDL and increasing HDL in your cholesterol numbers is the goal of maintaining healthy cholesterol level with or without medication (I’m on Lipitor satin). But the author threw a monkey wrench that instead of concentrating individual numbers made me to look at the ratios and manage triglyceride levels. I initially bought the Audible version (Audible version doesn’t have recipes) and had to stop many times to write notes, but after finishing listening I ordered the print version for an in-depth reading and note taking!

United States on Jul 12, 2021

Tushar: This is book is brilliantly tailored for the South Asian community who, both in the UK and US, are one of the most high risk ethnic groups when it comes to heart disease and diabetes, etc. He has superb chapters dealing with common issues that arise with South Asians: high blood pressure, insulin resistance; special chapters about the elderly, women and children where he deals with unhelpful cultural traditions that only exacerbate poor health. I bought this when I found out my mum suddenly got high blood pressure and was immediately given medication. I read the relevant chapters and within a month she no longer needed tablets - lifestyle changes identified in the book were sufficient. The greatest achievement of this book is drawing our attention to the NHS/WHO/food industry sponsored low-fat, high carb farce. Instead of obsessing with cholesterol figures, Sinha's 'metabolic 6-pack' approach is far more helpful. With Asians buying drums of vegetable oil to fry their daily high carb meals, it's no wonder we have a cultural health crisis. Buy this book and promote it to your relatives and especially to South Asian GPs - too many of whom are ignorant of the dire consequences of...

United Kingdom on Mar 22, 2017

Geeta: Every one should read this book. When I read this book, I feel that doctor whose prime concern is my health, talking to me. Whenever I go out of my track, I pick up this book and read a few pages. Only then, I get again motivated to stick to my diet and exercise. Thanks to Dr. Ronesh Sinha

India on Jul 25, 2016

Steve Parker, M.D.: Dr. Sinha practices internal medicine in southern California (Silicon Valley) and has a large dose of South Asians in his clinic. "South Asia" usually encompasses India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Maldives. One fifth of the world's population lives here. This book pertains mostly to Indians, which is Dr. Sinha's ethnicity. I live in the Pheonix, AZ, area and we have a fair number of Indian engineers and physicians.

WHY DO SOUTH ASIANS NEED THEIR OWN SPECIAL HEALTH GUIDE?

Because Dr. Sinha says they have unique genetic and cultural issues that predispose them to type 2 diabetes, abdominal obesity, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and adverse cholesterol numbers. For example, compared to natives who stay in their home countries, South Asian immigrants to the West have 3-4 times higher prevalence of diabetes, he says. Dr Sinha has a program that he's convinced will prevent or forestall these medical problems in South Asians.

According to Sinha, South Asians eat too many carbohydrates and are too sedentary. Especially those who have moved to the West (e.g., US, UK, Europe, Canada). He notes that the core of the typical South...

United States on Aug 16, 2015

Swapna Mazumder: Thank you Dr. Sinha for this resourceful and informative book. It has been a long time coming. Finally a book on diet and health geared to the genetic and cultural background of South Asians. Dr. Sinha very clearly and concisely demystifies various staple foods of South Asians and their detrimental effect on our health. Ultimately the onus is on us to be custodians of our health, and this book helps us in doing everything we can and must do to lead healthy lives and be health models for our own families.

Canada on Jul 16, 2015

MS: It is a very informative book and a must read for south Indians who are genetically prone to get diabetes and heart problems and consume excessive amount of carbohydrates. This is one of a kind book gives step by step details about diet and life style changes that we need to make to prevent and control some diseases and manage weight also.

India on Apr 15, 2015

Syed Sajjad Lateef: I was referred to Dr. Sinha by my primary care physician, when I inquired about lifestyle options as an alternative for medicine, specially for South Asian physiology.

As a 40+ South Asian male working in a high stress job, in Silicon Valley, I fit perfectly in the target audience that Dr. Sinha is attempting to address. In fact, the first case presented in the book could have been me, right down to the symptoms and family history! I, however, would not like to end up as the case subject did. Therefore, I am treating the recommendations as guiding principles for my life.

I took Dr. Sinha’s advice to heart and am doing my best to follow his recommendations on food choices, exercise and reduced stress lifestyle. Over the past three months, I have lost over 15 pounds. Best part is that my A1C numbers dropped from 6.2 to 5.6 - enough that my endocrinologist decided to take me off the supplementary diabetes medication and even suggested reducing the statin dosage.

While I have not been able to follow all of the recommendations to a ’T’, I have been able to:
a. Switch to a mainly low-carb diet - no rice, bread, potatoes, bananas
b. Monitor my daily...

United States on Sep 15, 2014

Caroline Wong: An important and timely message that recognize the unique situation South Asians find themselves in when they move to North America. Prior to this book, whenever we wondered why South Asians who were super slim in their 20s develop all sorts of health issues in their 40s and 50s, the answer was frequently "poor genetics - nudge, nudge, wink, wink". This book will help.

Canada on Aug 21, 2014