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Heart
disease for a long time was thought of as a mans problem.
The reason could have been because it has a very strong relation
to a persons stress and as the man used to be the sole breadwinner
and also had to handle his work place stress he was probably
more prone to heart problems.
This picture
has changed and today even women in there 30's are showing
raised blood lipid levels. The reason for this could be that
women have started working and their stress today may be even
more than the mans as their responsibilities of running the
home and raising the children has not been reduced. They have
to manage the home, children, as well as the work place pressures
and demands.
 The
second big factor is that the cooking picture has changed.
The woman is in a hurry and convenience has overruled what
is correct and healthy. To cook anything faster you need to
use more oil. Also the housewife has handed over her caring
cooking to the cook or maid who again is liberal with the
use of oil. Finally it is convenient and quicker to eat or
order from cafés, restaurants etc and there again restaurant
food is always oilier and tastier and eaten more and more
frequently. The Bottom line is oil or fat consumption has
rocketed in the past 30 years or so.
The 3rd
factor is the tremendous decline in walking or daily movements.
In the old days one walked to the market, to the store, or
to a neighbors house but today that has stopped completely.
Also big homes have been abandoned for tiny flats and the
walking around to maintain a house and compound which kept
women quite fit and healthy has vanished. Also instead of
being on your feet the whole day fulfilling household chores,
women are sitting at a desk for 9-10 hrs a day. Today obesity
and heart disease is plaguing women of all socio-economic
levels and backgrounds.
Besides
the above factors your genetics also plays a major role. Those
who have a family history of heart disease could be definitely
more prone and must be cautious from a young age. One woman
may be able to eat mittai made of ghee daily and see normal
blood cholesterol levels. She is called a hypo-responder to
cholesterol in her diet. Another woman may eat mittai just
once a week and her levels may be high. She is called a hyper
responder to cholesterol in the diet.
Before
I describe the details of various cooking oils or fats I would
like to make a statement. In the past 5 years of my work as
a diet counselor and specially advising many patients with
heart problems the key is a total reduction of all or any
kind of fat consumption. In day-to-day cooking the oil intake
per person should not exceed 3-4 tsps of unsaturated oil.
 The
2nd point is that there is no protection to your heart without
regular exercise or walking. Here we are recommending a 20-30
min walk daily for all above 13 years of age. Finally High
Fiber foods like fruits and raw salad has to be a part of
the daily menu. Ensure that you eat salad with lunch and dinner.
Have a fruit at 11am and 6pm and avoid an oily samosa or chips.
Make sure at least dinner is a whole-wheat roti meal for more
fiber. Avoid rice, pasta, idli, dosa etc at night. Fiber hinders
fat absorption from the meal e.g. If your meal contains 10gm
fat. If there is a salad or roti eaten with it the fiber will
block the fat and allow only 8 gm to be absorbed. Also fiber
helps to break down the cholesterol or triglycerides that
is high in the blood as the body has to work harder to digest
the fiber.
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