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Let your new year resolution be Healthy Eating

Consumption of a healthy diet has been scientifically proven to reduce the risk of several diseases and to keep our body and mind healthy. This new year, we urge you to take a resolution to start eating a balanced healthy diet and sustain it for life. As a dietician focusing on improving peoples’ cardiovascular health, I would like to share some of the food-related behaviour patterns I come across frequently and some simple solutions to help you acquire a heart-healthy eating habit.

Pattern 1 – Lacks awareness and is resistant to change

These individuals do not include adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis mainly because they are ignorant about the importance of a balanced diet. Moreover, they are likely to consume packaged foods and eat out very often, which makes things worse when it comes to behaviour modification.

Mr. SC, an entrepreneur in his 50s was recently operated for a heart attack and is currently undergoing cardiac rehabilitation with us. Apart from his smoking habit, which he quit after the heart attack and his high BP that has come under control now, his unhealthy dietary behaviour has been and continues to be the main risk factor for his cardiac condition. He has been habitually consuming unhealthy foods like wafers, sweets, savouries and carbonated drinks on a regular basis, and does not include vegetables and fruits in his daily diet.

Solution – Fruits and vegetables are low in calories and are nutrient dense; in other words, they are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre. Plain salads and plain steamed veggies can quickly become boring; there are plenty of ways to add taste to your vegetable dishes. Some healthy cooking methods such as boiling, steaming, grilling, roasting, or pan frying enhances the taste of the vegetables. Naturally sweet vegetables such as carrots, beets, sweet potatoes and peppers add sweetness to your meals and reduce food cravings. Bringing in variety to your menu in the form of mixed vegetable soups or a stew, veggie gravy or a raita, vegetables cooked with dhal and garnished with shredded coconuts and peanut crumbs etc. would enhance the palatability of your dishes. Similarly, getting creative with your salads, experimenting with different combinations of fruits and going local when it comes to farm produce are ideal ways to spruce up your fibre intake.

Mr. SC has understood that his diet has been unhealthy all along but it has been very challenging for him to incorporate the recommended 4-5 portions of veggies and fruits daily. We have succeeded in bringing down his intake of empty calories (carbonated drinks) and packaged snacks but he has troublesome cravings as he as been addicted to unhealthy foods. In fact, he did not find quitting smoking as difficult as adopting a heart-healthy diet but is making slow and steady progress and is sure to achieve all dietary goals during his rehab program.

Pattern 2 – Focused on fitness but consumes an improper diet

Some of us are health conscious and know that we need to exercise regularly to stay fit and healthy. In fact, we believe we are improving our health by over-exercising and cutting down some dietary components like healthy fats to a dangerously low level or consuming too much protein-rich foods which in turn throws the dietary balance away and affects our health negatively.

Mr. R aged 51 years has been an avid exerciser for over 20 years focusing on power lifting (lifting heavy weights), and has been consuming a calorie-dense diet and multiple protein supplements. He recently suffered a heart attack, underwent an angioplasty procedure and is currently receiving cardiac rehabilitation. His main concerns were whether he could return to power lifting and whether his cardiac condition will have long-term effects on his overall fitness.

Solution – Over consumption of any particular nutrient can cause adverse effects. The daily requirement of different nutrients varies according to age, gender, body composition and level of physical activity. The ideal way to improve your diet is by focusing on the nutrients in your diet and not on the calories, that is, count the nutrients and not the calories.  In many instances, the vitamins and minerals found in food sources are better utilised by our body than those in commercially available capsules and powders. Eating healthily gives far greater benefits than opting for supplements and eating poorly. A healthy balanced diet with sufficient fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and lean meats along with some naturally available seeds and nuts helps to prevent nutritional deficiencies and fulfils our dietary requirements.

Pattern 3 – Follows multiple fad diets and loses health

A fad diet is a diet that is popular for a time without being a standard dietary recommendation, and often promising unreasonably fast weight loss or nonsensical health improvements. Some of us tend to follow multiple fad diets with the hope of getting magical results in a short period of time and unfortunately end up losing our health in the process.

Mrs. DD, a home maker aged 44 years, had tried the paleo diet (high protein low carbohydrate diet), keto diet (high fat diet) and a few other diets in the past but ended up gaining rather than losing weight and becoming hypertensive. The pattern we noticed was she would follow a particular diet for 2-3 months and move onto another diet plan when results were not as expected, without incorporating a regular exercise regimen and making healthy lifestyle changes.

Solution – Some disease conditions may alter our nutrient requirements, but otherwise we all need a balance of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins, and minerals in our diet to sustain a healthy body. Instead of eliminating certain food groups from your diet, selecting the healthiest options from each category is the better thing to do. A combination of a balanced healthy diet with proper intake of recommended nutrients, sufficient exercise, good sleep and adequate stress management helps to maintain a normal weight in the long term whereas crash diets may reduce the body weight temporarily mainly by loss of muscle mass rather than loss of stored body fat and is therefore extremely unhealthy.

Making the switch to a healthy diet

Switching to a healthy diet doesn’t have to be complicated. You need not completely eliminate foods you enjoy, and you don’t have to change everything overnight. A better approach is to make few small changes at a time. Keeping your goals simple will help achieve more in the long term without feeling overwhelmed by a major diet. Think of planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps like adding a salad to your diet once a day, reducing your intake of hidden salt present in packaged foods and cutting down added sugar, one change per week. Once these small changes become a habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices. When cutting back on unhealthy foods in your diet, it’s important to replace them with healthy alternatives.

A healthy eating plan should include

  • A variety of vegetables from all of the subgroups like dark green, red and orange, legumes (beans and peas), starchy, and other leafy vegetables
  • Fruits, especially whole fruits which are are superior to fruit juices
  • Choose whole grains instead of refined ones (e.g. whole grain bread instead of  white bread)
  • Fat-free or low-fat dairy, including low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, and/or fortified soy beverages
  • A variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), nuts, seeds, and soy products
  • Steam or shallow fry instead of deep fry

Some tips to ensure a balanced wholesome diet

  • Try at least one new healthy recipe per week
  • Try to eat a family meal everyday to help you focus on eating healthy meals
  • Pack a healthy lunch with some healthy in-between fillers like nuts and fruits for work. This lets you have more control over what you eat.
  • Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals throughout the day. A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, while eating small, healthy meals keeps your energy up all day.
  • Avoid eating late at night. Try to eat dinner earlier and fast for 14-16 hours until breakfast the next morning. Studies suggest that eating only when you’re most active and giving your digestive system a long break each day may help to regulate weight.

Shortcuts might help you achieve temporary results, but focusing on sustainable healthy changes will help you maintain good health for decades. Feel free to take professional help if you’re not sure where to start or how to help a loved one with nutritional challenges. After all, we are what we eat and eating healthy is an art that once learnt will go a long way in keeping you healthy and happy!

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How to eat healthy during lockdown

With the ongoing pandemic and the enforced lockdown, many of us are increasingly concerned about maintaining healthy eating habits. And those of us under treatment for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, kidney problems and other chronic conditions are likely to be more anxious about staying safe and healthy during these uncertain times. As a dietician, I can reassure you that eating a healthy diet is the most important thing to keep all our parameters under control while staying home. Taking care of our heart health begins with getting the concept of healthy nutrition right!

Ideal nutrition not only has an effect on our physical health but it also affects our mental health. We need to figure out how to eat in order to keep our immunity intact, how to manage healthy meals with limited ingredients on hand, how to cook when some of us may not be very experienced cooks and also how to be disciplined about our diet and health goals.

Purchasing and storing fresh fruits and vegetables can be challenging during lockdown. But whenever available, it is important to include adequate fruits and vegetables in your daily diet.

Tips to eat healthy during lockdown

  • We can store dried goods like beans, pulses and grains such as lentils, peas and legumes for longer periods of time. They are nutritious as well as affordable. Include dhal, sprouts or sundal in your everyday cooking
  • Include dried fruits, nuts, rice flakes and puffed rice instead of biscuits, chips and fried foods
  • Limit the intake of highly processed drinks, snacks and ready-to-eat meals
  • Try to avoid high fat, high salt foods like pastries, pre-cooked and packaged foods
  • B vitamins are present in green leafy vegetables, beans, eggs, poultry and fish
  • Eat a good source of protein every day (e.g. fish, meat, eggs, nuts, beans, tofu)
  • Consume 2 servings of dairy every day (e.g. milk, cheese, yoghurt or dairy alternatives such as soya milk)
  • Eat at least five portions of fruits and veggies every day
  • Boredom may lead to mindless snacking on unhealthy foods; so make a daily plan to keep yourself busy and follow it
  • Limit the intake of added sugar in the form of sweet beverages and desserts
  • Include anti bacterial and anti microbial foods to improve immunity level, eg: turmeric, lemon, ginger, garlic, green tea
  • Try to minimize consumption of coffee and tea, especially during this lockdown, as this can help you sleep and focus better
  • As we are spending more time inside than ever before, and many of us do not have access to an outdoor space, vitamin D deficiency is common; sunlight is the best source of vitamin D and the morning and late afternoon hours are ideal for some sun exposure in your garden, terrace etc.; a daily supplement of Vitamin D or fortified foods can be consumed if sun exposure is not possible

Eat a balanced diet

Eating a well balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, plant (pulses and legumes) and animal proteins (lean meat, fish,poultry, eggs) and healthy fats (nuts and oil seeds) is the best option to getall the essential nutrients for good health and optimal immune function.

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are the most important foods for supplying our dailyrequirement of vitamins, minerals and fiber. We should aim to eat 5 portionsof fruits and vegetables every day. Different colored fruits and vegetables provide phytochemicals and antioxidants, which are essential forgood health.

Stay hydrated

Keeping hydrated is essential for overall health. We can add watery fruitsand vegetables (bottle guard, pumpkin, cucumber, muskmelon, watermelonetc.) to maintain fluid level in the body. Try to consume as whole fruits insteadof fruit juices.

Get enough sleep

Adequate sleep is as important as a healthy diet. Make sure you get the recommended 6-8 hours of good quality sleep every night.

Keep healthy snacks around

Keeping healthy and nutritious snacks nearby will ensure you don’t head straight to the fried, baked and preserved foods.

e.g. Nuts and dried fruits, sprouts or sundal, fruits, vegetable salads, soups, smoothies, butter milk, tender coconut water, seasonal fruits

Practice personal and food hygiene

Good hygiene is important when handling food to prevent the spread of virus. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before preparing food. Wash unpacked products of fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water.

In conclusion, eating a healthy diet should be a priority at this time. Make sure you shop smartly for the essential ingredients; take adequate preventive measures before stepping out, during shopping and after returning home with the products. Following personal hygiene measures and maintaining social distance remain the best means of avoiding infection. There are lots of different nutrients that are involved with the normal functioning of the immune system. So, we would encourage maintaining a healthy balanced diet in order to support the body’s immune function. In addition to exercising regularly and quitting smoking and drinking, maintaining a healthy diet plays a crucial role in preserving our physical health and emotional wellness.

A positive attitude, adequate nutrition and regular exercise are a great way to offset the anxiety, worries and uncertainties during this quarantine period. If you or your loved ones have any special dietary requirements or disease condition and would like professional advice on how to eat healthy during this pandemic, please feel free to email me on tharani@cardiacwellnessinstitute.com.

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Balanced diet vs Crash diet for heart health

As a dietitian, I am disturbed by the fast pace at which crash diets are gaining popularity! And I strongly believe that people need to be aware of the potential health hazards of these currently trending diets. Nutrition is a basic prerequisite to sustain life. A balanced and nutritious diet is one which provides all the nutrients in required amounts and proper proportions. It can easily be achieved through a blend of four basic food groups namely:

  1. Cereals millets and pulses
  2. Vegetables and fruits
  3. Milk and milk products, eggs, meat and fish
  4. Nuts and oil seeds

The quantity of nutrient requirement varies with age, gender, physiological status and physical activity. A balanced diet should offer around 60-70% of total calories from carbohydrates, 10 – 12 % from proteins and 20 – 25% from healthy fat and should also other provide sufficient dietary fiber, antioxidants (Vitamin A, C, E, Beta – carotene, selenium etc.) which protect the human body from free radical damage.

Crash diets are modified diets undertaken on an urgent short-term basis with an aim of achieving rapid weights loss, improving blood sugar control etc. There are multiple crash diets that have sprung up recently and the most popular ones are low carbohydrate diets (Atkins, Zone diet), high fat diets (Ketogenic diet), low glycemic index diet, high protein diet (Paleo diet) and liquid diet. A crash diet is similar to a crash course wherein one cuts off either the fat and/or the carbohydrate intake and thus the calorie amount is drastically decreased (600 – 800 kcals/day instead of 1500-2000 kcals/day).

Crash diets often appear to be working in the immediate term. The diet sends signals to our body to get into starvation mode, where we will experience rapid onset of weight loss, which is mostly due to decrease in muscle mass and not the fat mass.

It is important to note that crash diets carry both short term and long term health risks. The most common short term risk is nutritional deficiency. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy and restricting them completely can cause hypoglycaemia. Food devoid of carbohydrates is going to be low in fibre as well, leading to constipation and infection in the digestive tract.

Long-term risks of crash diets include damage to the brain, kidney, heart and other vital organs. Some established complications are:

  1. Eating disorder
  2. Metabolic disorder
  3. Anxiety
  4. Depression
  5. Muscle loss
  6. Compromised immunity
  7. Impaired brain function
  8. Weak bones
  9. Poor attention span
  10. Hair loss
  11. Skin problems
  12. Dehydration
  13. Cardiac failure
  14. Renal failure

False claims made by crash diet proponents:

Rapid weight loss – In reality, you won’t lose fat but rather lose muscle, bone and water

Restricting or over – Consuming of foods groups–It is better to avoid diets that severely restrict food groups or allow you to eat unlimited quantities of certain foods

Combining foods – There is no evidence that combining certain foods enhances weight loss; eg; Cinnamon powder drink and other preparations

Exercise not necessary –The truth is without adequate exercise the weight you lose will come right back

Crash diet leads to heart diseases:

Crash diet is harmful for our heart health too. In my experience at Cardiac Wellness Institute, I have cared for individuals who were diagnosed with severe coronary blocks after following high-fat diets for a few months and for others who have had several attempts at crash diets for weight loss and had multiple nutritional deficiencies.

Research has shown that individuals on a very low calorie diet suffered heart failure. Low calorie diet can causes abnormal heart rhythms that can be fatal when body levels of magnesium or potassium dropped in susceptible individuals. Excessive dieting can cause cardiac stress, potentially leading to heart attack. Every individual should consume a nutrient dense diet that includes vitamins, minerals, proteins and whole grains in order to control weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar.

I would like to conclude that crash diets are not scientifically backed and are almost always harmful in the long run. Medical research clearly indicates that eating the right kind of food in a balanced fashion helps to prevent many health problems like heart disease and cancers, the two leading causes of death worldwide.

Losing weight is best achieved by following a calorie deficit balanced diet, where calories are lost by burning more calories than is consumed. Choosing whole foods and fibre-rich foods and exercising adequately with a positive mental attitude will help to improve fitness and achieve ideal body weight. Again, losing weight should not be the goal; instead, weight loss should be the side effect of following a healthy lifestyle.

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A to Z of a heart-healthy lifestyle

 

We introduce the English alphabets to our kids at a very young age hoping that their language skills and intellect will start developing as they master their A to Z. Likewise, let us try to understand the building blocks of a healthy heart through this set of lifestyle guidelines.

A Avoid tobacco products and alcoholic beverages
B Balance your diet by including fruits, veggies and whole grains
C Cheer up and be grateful for what you have
D Discover your hidden talents and use them
E Engage in some form of exercise everyday
F Fruits – everyday; fast foods & fried foods – very rarely
G Goal setting is a useful tool to improve health
H Help others as much as you can
I Invest time in building friendships and relationships
J Juices should ideally be fresh, homemade and sugar free
K Kill the sitting habit; get up and walk as much as possible
L Love unconditionally – Learn a new skill – Leave the past behind
M Make meditation a part of your life
N Nature is all around for us to enjoy, protect it and pass it on
O Open up your feelings to your loved ones
P Play games that bring back memories of childhood
Q Quitting smoking is the best gift you can give yourself
R Refresh your body and soul with active hobbies
S Smile as much as you can; sleep at least 6-7 hours per day
T Television/gadget time should be kept to a minimum
U Use your time wisely – don’t use lack of time as an excuse
V Visit your physician regularly to keep your health in check
W Water – drink a lot; Walking – brisk walk is the most effective
X Xpect less out of others and give more from yourself
Y Young at heart is a feeling, it is a state of mind that can beat aging
Z Zealously follow your dreams but don’t lose track of your health

If we can lead this lifestyle and set an example for our youngsters to follow, there is going to be a sea of change in how they care for themselves as they grow up.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going – Old Saying

Tough are those who are resilient to unhealthy habits – New Saying