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© Kamla-Raj 2004 Anthropologist, 6(3): 175-180 (2004)
Food and Nutrition of The Tibetan Women in India
Sanjukta Bera
Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore 721 102, West Bengal, India E-mail: sanjukta_bera@yahoo.com
KEYWORDS Food Habits. Nutritional Status. Tibetan Migrant Women
ABSTRACT The paper aims to study the food habits as well as nutritional status of the Tibetan women in India. The Tibetan refugee population concentrated in different locations of northern India, who had migrated from the high altitudes of Tibet. The adult women of the selected families (227 households from two locations of North India) were interviewed using questionnaire schedule. For the nutritional assessment the information on the kinds and frequencies of food eaten by subjects were collected, using 24 hours recall method. The anthropometric measures were also used following the standard method. The diet pattern of the migrant Tibetan women at low altitudes in India is likely to similar as the native Tibetans at high altitudes. The caloric intake of the migrant women is sufficient, rather more than adequate, as compared to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for the Indians. The diet of the migrant population consists of high protein and fat like most of the high altitude populations. Higher consumption of fat but decline in the energy expenditure due to decrease physical work at lower altitudes is liable for accumulation of body fat. As a result, at present the Tibetan women in India suffer from the problem of obesity.
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