<\/p>\n
\u201cA male patient\u2019s meal becomes a priority and all members of the family are ready to have the same food. However, the same is not true for women.”<\/p>\n
Aneesa Bibi*, 67, cooks food at two homes to make a living. She lives with her husband in a rented two-bedroom house located on the first floor in a middle-class neighbourhood in Karachi.<\/p>\n
At the entrance is a small kitchen, which leads to a large room with two single beds. The other room is smaller and has a few plastic chairs, a drying stand, a trunk, and a few other things. Bibi\u2019s only child, Raheel, lives on the ground floor of the same house with his wife and two children.<\/p>\n
Bibi was diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease (CVD) since the past two years, when she started experiencing severe chest pain. At the time, her son took her to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) \u2014 the city\u2019s largest public sector hospital \u2014 after the doctor at a local clinic, and two private hospitals refused to treat her. Subsequently, one of her heart valves was replaced in a successful surgery at the hospital.<\/p>\n
Following her surgery, the doctors instructed her to have two proper meals a day. While Bibi enjoys cooking, she has largely been unable to follow the doctor\u2019s instructions. Financial constraints and responsibilities limit her food intake to only one meal a day. She does, however, try to cook food with less salt and oil due to her health. \u201cI knew beforehand that salty and oily food is unhealthy. Why should I become an enemy of my own health when I have to do everything myself?\u201d she questioned rhetorically.<\/p>\n
Bibi earns Rs14,000 per month which is barely enough to cover household expenses. She leaves for work at 6am and after cooking at the two homes, she comes home late in the evening.<\/p>\n
A lack of family support from her son has added to Bibi\u2019s woes as cooking at home has become a tiresome activity on top of a full work day. \u201cSometimes, I am so tired that I don\u2019t cook food at all and sleep without eating anything. This happens at least thrice a week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bibi and her husband are not able to eat the recommended amount or quality of food every day. For breakfast, they have one sugar-free rusk with a cup of tea. Then they have dinner. At work, Bibi\u2019s employers sometimes ask her to have lunch or cook food for herself but \u201cthe pressure of work is so intense that it has robbed me of my appetite\u201d, she lamented.<\/p>\n
Over time, inadequate food intake has created multiple issues for Bibi. She feels dizzy, has trouble sleeping at night as well as waking up in the morning. A few months ago, she had a bad fall, breaking two of her teeth. Despite this poverty-induced hunger, Bibi thanks God for whatever food is available to her.<\/p>\n
Of late, the one-time meal she shares with her husband has also become increasingly difficult to afford. She usually cooks mixed sabzi<\/em> (vegetables) since it is easier to cook. Meat remains a luxury. \u201cThe doctor has advised me to have meat once a week, however, I rarely cook it once a month.\u201d<\/p>\n At the same time, the responsibility of earning forces Bibi to work despite her age, stamina and will.<\/p>\n According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally<\/a>, claiming an estimated 17.9 million lives each year. CVDs are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels and include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and rheumatic heart disease, among other conditions. The most important behavioural risk factors of heart disease and stroke are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, smoking and harmful use of alcohol.<\/p>\n CVD is the leading cause of death in Pakistan. In 2019, 32.84 per cent<\/a> of deaths in the country were attributed to some form of CVD.<\/p>\nGendered diets<\/h2>\n