For South Asians, there’s a distinct difference between “rice with curry” and “curry with rice”.

When we spoke to Indian and Sri Lankan migrants with type 2 diabetes and heart disease, they told us the advice they received on ways to reduce the quantity of staples like rice in their diet was difficult to implement.

This was because it doesn’t match with their perception of a “proper” meal — that is, a lot of rice and a little bit of curry. Receiving dietary advice not tailored to their cultural needs created a feeling that clinicians didn’t understand the social value they placed on traditional foods.

This acted as a barrier to effectively managing their diets and, in turn, their conditions.