Health Concerns

These days who is not concerned about Cancer, Heart attacks, Brittle Bones etc, etc taking a toll on your health and life, and , the added stress that further damages your system and life style. There is also the fear that these ailments are hereditary and chances are that you will most probably inherit them !

A family friend of ours came from a regular meat eating family. Not a day passed when meat in some form or the other did not make its appearance on their dining table. Then came news of our friend's father having a heart attack and soon after his wife's sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and this became a worrying factor for all of them. In fact they were constantly worrying about what was in store for them and their two children. Was there anything they could do? They wondered, if they could ever overcome the family's medical histories and also improve their chances of living to a healthy old age? I am sure most of us have asked ourselves the same question time and again. Thankfully, now scientists have an answer, a resounding YES. Even people who have a strong predisposition for disease that they have inherited are still subjected to environmental influences.

And as our friends discovered, of all the environmental influences that can tip the odds against your favor or at least tilt them against you, Food may be the most important. Consistent evidence has revealed that good nutrition can reduce the incidence of colon cancer by 70 percent, breast cancer by 50 percent, and cancers in general by up to 40 percent. And recent studies show that what you eat and don’t eat can also help you ward off heart disease, High blood pressure, Diabetes, hypertension and also osteoporosis.

To put these new findings to work for our own selves it is better that we gather facts about what diseases are running in the family? which ones were fatal? And, were there any related ailments like heart disease, blood pressure, stroke and diabetes for instance or cancers of the breast, ovaries and prostate..Your family Physician would be able to evaluate the facts once you gather the relevant information. One case of a certain ailment within your extended family may be bad luck but when you find several such cases, you can be sure that your own risk factor rises tremendously! The odds jump up if the relatives like in our friend’s case are your siblings, parents and if the illness was detected when they were relatively young. Because according to most health specialists any ailment that crops up repeatedly, you will want the full battery of tests done.

Once you are through with the tests and armed with all the right information given by your doctor, the time is right to take some necessary actions. Studies have shown that right diet can unclog arteries, lower cancer risk and also lower blood pressure and keep osteoporosis away. So instead of having to say “ If I had only....now you can say “I am doing everything right to keep the ailments away “. All that is required is a few changes here and there and what a difference that can make to your health and general physique! Of course, there is no guarantee in life about anything but it does boost your spirits to know that you are doing something positive towards improving the quality of your life and that is good enough to start with , better things will follow later on !

Heart Disease

Never mind what most of us have heard but the coronary disease has not one but three causes and all of them are worrisome!

Cholesterol related heart disease is a buildup of a plaque in the arteries that results from too much LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein which is known as bad cholesterol).

When there is a family history of early heart attacks or diabetes an affinity to this particular disease is found in individuals. This is also called insulin resistance heart disease since cells do not respond to normal amounts of insulin, so the body compensates by cranking out more and in the bargain damages more blood vessels leading to the heart.

Thirdly, there is another kind of heart disease which can be traced to the amino acid homocysteine, high levels of this can injure the blood vessels setting the stage for a coronary blockage.

A diet that is rich in Fiber, Folic acid, Less fat, proteins, low carbohydrates is ideal for anyone who has the fear of being in the initial stages. Fiber is known to fight the cholesterol and insulin types of heart disease. Soluble fiber, the kind found in oats, apples, beans, barley binds with bile and prevents cholesterol from being absorbed into your bloodstream during digestion. Insoluble fibers, are found in whole grain bread, brown rice, crunchy vegetables and fruits – slows down the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose and this is especially important if you are at risk of insulin resistant because glucose forces the pancreas to churn out the very thing your body has trouble using which is insulin. So get as much fiber as possible in your diet .

Green beans or French beans, ladies finger, cauliflower, spinach, tomatoes and oranges all have the added benefit of being loaded with folic acid. Vitamin B is very essential when we are at risk for the kind of heart disease that is linked to homocysteine, which is produced naturally during the digestion. Without enough folic acid (400 micrograms according to heart specialists) our bodies cannot dispose of the amino acid. The fresher the produce we consume the better, because B vitamins disintegrate quickly.

When you suffer from elevated cholesterol levels, it is recommended that you eat a diet that contains no meat, virtually no fat , unlimited fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. Studies have shown that if you keep fat between 10 or 15 per cent of the calories you eat each day, it is possible to stop and even reverse the clogging of arteries. By steering clear of meat, you will avoid not just the worst kind of saturated fat but also cholesterol and animal protein. The small amount of fat that you may consume should be ideally mono unsaturated such as olive oil or canola oil which has been shown to lower blood cholesterol!

When you are at risk for insulin resistant , any drastic restrictions of fat may do more harm than good because what happens is that your diet is likely to overflow with carbohydrates which does a lot of harm. Research shows that these carbs break down in the bloodstream almost as quickly as sweets do and triggering the production of insulin. It is very important to consult a dietician about how much fat you should eat under the circumstance. Fish is excellent for all types of heart disease since they have the magical omega-3 fatty acids and also are rich in vitamin B, which relax the narrowed arteries , inhibit the formation of life threatening clots and reduce blood levels of harmful cholesterol and even prevent blood pressure from rising.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is normally found among women who are thin, having narrow frames or have had hip fracture. Men are also vulnerable to this ailment in their later years. What is required is a bone building or strengthening diet which has more calcium and Vitamin D. Bones are the body’s calcium banks and like any bank they gain and lose reserves all the time. To keep them well supplied you need at least 1,000 milligrams of Calcium each day and your daily requirement jumps up to 1,500 milligrams if you have passed menopause and are not taking estrogen. However, luckily for us there is plenty of delicious food around brimming with minerals including dairy products, many green leafy vegetables , soya beans, oranges and sea food. And all it takes to meet your daily requirement is a cup of skim milk at breakfast, a cup of low fat yogurt/dahi at lunch time, some chana or any sprouted pulse like green gram or horse gram or toor dhal, an orange or a sweet lime and a few pieces of fish for dinner and another glass of milk. That sounds good , definitely not a rigorous diet !

However, make sure that you don’t take too much salt in your diet. Salt and Caffeine are known to cause lower absorption or even depletion of calcium from our system. It is best to limit your coffee intake to just two cups a day and totally cut down on any extra salt other than what is absolutely essential. Similarly liquor or rather too much liquor too interferes in the formation and strengthening of bones. All soya based foods are excellent in providing calcium and phytoestrogens which stimulate bone formation.

Diabetes

Most of us tend to think that preventing this potential killer disease means giving up sugar, but with some careful planning of our menu one can have the cake and eat it too!

According to many studies conducted, people who ate a diet full of whole grains and other high fiber foods can dramatically reduce their chances of developing Type2 diabetes. The volunteers stayed healthy merely by switching to whole grain cereal for breakfast. However, one can plan ones meal around high fiber, low glycemic diet (foods that do not spike the blood sugar level instantly such as beans, peas, green gram, vegetables and fruits ). It has been found that Fenugreek seeds ( methi) are very healthy since they are not only rich in fiber but also contain an alkoloid called trigonelline which has been shown to reduce blood sugar levels in many studies. It also has the added benefit of lowering cholesterol. So, one must make it a point to include Fenugreek in as many ways as possible in our daily cooking.

It is also advisable to keep away from soft drinks, fruit juices, desserts, jams, jellies – all of which contain simple sugar and can spike up your blood sugar level and overload your pancreas. There is no need to cut down on sweets entirely, instead limit them to less than 200 calories a day. Eat fiber rich fruits instead of having them in the form of juices. It is also better to be vigilant about low fiber carbohydrates like Maida and any other kind of refined grains which if eaten in large quantities on a daily basis is likely to be the cause of developing type 2 diabetes. Having sweets or refined carbohydrates as part of the meal slows down the glucose rush, also never skip a meal or wolf down your food. These habits are likely to throw your blood sugar levels out of balance, often a precursor to diabetes.

High Blood Pressure

This is the most common ailment that most middle aged people suffer from. For years doctors’ advice on reducing high blood pressure was peppered with warnings to cut back on salt. But now many experts believe that sodium is just one of the minerals to watch out when you are suffering from high blood pressure.

According to health experts, a proper diet can definitely help in lowering systolic readings by as many as 11 points, comparable to what is possible with drugs. Stunning results can be achieved just by eating Plenty of vegetables and fruits and cutting down on all other foods and drinking at least 2 liters of water which helps in flushing out your system and keeps it working perfectly. The same rule applies here too – go for at least three colors of vegetables red, orange/yellow and green. This combined with low fat dairy product like skimmed milk and butter milk will do wonders for your system besides keeping your blood pressure at the required levels.

Sodium or salt is no longer the villain as it was earlier thought to be, however one has to be careful not to overdo it since eating too many snacks and chips can still be harmful. So say no to chips, pickles, processed cheese etc. But, there is no need to cut down on normal intake. Heavy drinking has been found to double the risk of hypertension. Here, experts say that men should stop at two drinks per day and women should stop at one drink !

Potassium is supposed to be a good mineral that has many health benefits , also helps in controlling high blood pressure. This mineral can be found in Bengal gram dhal or whole, Urad ( black gram) dhal, drumstick leaves, bitter gourd, bananas, melons, chickoos which are easily available and can be used easily in ones daily cooking.

Breast Cancer

It is surprising to note that Chinese women are much less likely to develop breast cancer than their counterparts elsewhere in the world and this news has been a hope and frustration for many reserachers.It is unclear whether adopting soya rich food in adulthood will reap the full anti cancer benefits  - that is because what you eat during your childhood and puberty seems to be influential , triggering hormonal changes that can affect your health throughout your life ! But to be on the safer side it is better to go with the exerts and follow their recommendations.

IAccording to researchers increased intake of animal fats, polysaturated fats, saturated fats and other kinds of fats however do not increase the risk of breast cancer!

What is needed is food that foils the development of the tumours , so eating a broad mix of foods like Cabbage,cauliflower, green beans, Green leafy vegetables , soybeans,carrots, onions,papaya,mango,citrus fruits are all highly recommended. Fat rich food however has no direct link to cancer but it makes women obese. Ans as we know a fat or obese woman has 40 -60 percent likelihood of being more prone to breast cancer.So it is advisable to go easy on fats and instead concentrate on easily digestible simple food.Also studies have shown that as little as two drinks a day may ratchet up ypur odds of developing breast cancer by almost 40 percent !

Recently, there were some messages on the iinternet warning people that sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate both cause cancer. But,  experts say , that it is rather impossible to avoid both these chemicals as they are used for cleaning, found in household cleansers, shampoos, shaving creams and many skin care products and sometimes found even in natural products. So far no such evidence has been found to suggest that these claims are true.

Colon Cancer

For obviouys reason here diet plays a major role in this type of cancer than any other. The main goal is to minimize the action of bile acids which are nothing bt fat digesting liquids that can act as carcinogens and also to flush out the toxins from the system.

We have to go back to the magical fiber diet again which seems to have all round health benefits for every singl e ailment.So one should make sure that our daily diet includes a good amount of fibre rich food. There is nothing magical  about it except that it speeds up the passage of food through the digestive tract. It also dilutes the carcinogens.Get your roughage from as  many different sources as possible because scientists are still not sure which one of them are the best suited and offers the most protein. Raw green vegetables ,fruits and unrefined grains are all excellent food that provides a loyt of fibre.

Studies have shown that there is definitely a link between sweets and cancer especially colon cancer.A sweet heavy diet increses the risk of cancer. Sugar may promote the disease in two ways - by slowing the digestion and then by crowding out more nutriutious foods.Grilling, frying, and barbecuing can develop carcinogens known as heterocyclic amines which are mostly found in cooked meat. To guard against this , use barbecue sauce and dont let meat char or get over cooked. Poultry and fish are definitely better than red meat. It is better to eat more fish and sea food and cut down on red meat. A high fat diet will definitely double your odds of this particular type of cancer.

Another factor that contributes to the onset of colon cancer is heavy drinking and smoking.The evidence is persuasive that heavy drinking promotes colon cancer possibly by inhibiting the repair of damaged DNA cells that line the digestive tract.

Conclusions

It is one thing to know that altering your diet might fend off heart diseases, blood pressure or cancer. It is quite another to do something about it, maybe that’s because nothing takes the joy out of food when we turn them into medicine. If you start out radically, you may set yourself up for failure. So, don’t sacrifice the great pleasures of eating .It definitely takes time to become reconciled to a life with all the dietary changes , but make up your mind with the thought that any move you make is better than doing nothing. The worst nutrition sin you can commit is to turn food into therapy. Maintain your passion for eating by making your new diet an adventure. No need to eat bland and boring food. Keep innovating on new recipes that are tasty as well as healthy. There is no need to give up on your favorite desserts, spicy gravies ,pastries or chaats - instead save them for special occasions or celebrations only ! Also, it is a good idea to involve the entire family when you make some dietary changes since it is in the interest of the whole family to eat healthy and stay healthy.One can never be sure what is in store for each one of us in the later years of our life.

To conclude, Staying active may be even more important than eating well. That is because exercise speeds up digestion so most ailments don’t linger in our system for long. Those who walk regularly, cycle regularly and also those who do some regular exercise and aerobics can hope to cut their risk factor by more than 40 percent. Never lose sight of the reason why you need to make these changes in your lifestyle, later you can pat your back for taking a positive step towards a healthy life!