Nutritional consultant Mrs Sati Nair says, "Diet plays an important role in heart health. The risk of heart disease can be stemmed by 40-50 percent by good nutrition. Try to eat 5-6 small meals a day. Breakfast should be the heaviest meal, and they should get lighter as the day progresses. Dinner should be extremely light."
Nair also advises eating dinner by 8:30-9 pm and making sure your meals consist of fibre, whole grains, fruit and vegetables. She also lays stress on the importance of exercising regularly. "One should aim to walk between 6,000 to 10,000 steps per day. You can make it up in small ways, by walking to the corner store, taking the stairs instead of the elevator etc. And the food on your table should be a good mix of colours. This is an easy way to make sure you're getting your nutrients. Make sure you have green, yellow, brown and red food groups."
If you follow these guidelines, you can give in to indulgences once a week without jeopardising your health.
The foods that should be avoided are fried and fast foods, refined flour, sweets and oily preparations. For cooking, one should stick to olive oil; if price is a constraint, rice bran oil is a cheaper substitute.
Also see: Unwanted pregnancies: How to cope
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