PESHAWAR, Mar 24 (APP):Many peoples know that changing what they eat can be good for their health, especially when it comes to lowering their risk of heart disease and cancer but they might not always know which dietary rules to follow or how to put them into practice in their everyday lives.
This was stated by Dr. Mehboob while talking to APP regarding healthy food plans during the Holy month of Ramadan.
He said most of our calories should come from fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, which are high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals and low in fat and cholesterol and the rest of our calories should come from dairy products with low or no fat, lean meats, poultry, and fish.
It is important to keep a balance between how many calories one eats and how many calories one burns, he added. In other words, one shouldn’t eat more than his body can use, or gain weight, he said, adding, “The more one moves around, the more he or she can eat and still keep this balance”.
He said healthy diet and regular exercise are the keys to keep the weight and health normal for life. “Even though some groups may have different dietary needs, the basic rules for eating well are the same for everyone, no matter what the age is,” Dr. Mehboob said.
There are certain keys for healthy diets, he said, adding, “You don’t have to eat bland or boring foods to keep your diet healthy, instead, you can think of healthy eating as a chance to try out new foods, and it’s fine to treat yourself once in a while as long as your diet sticks to these basic rules.”
For a healthy diet, he said, it is best to eat low-fat or fat-free dairy products, nuts, and small amounts of meat, poultry, and fish every now and then. This is called the semi-vegetarian diet, but a vegetarian diet can also be very healthy, he said, adding, “Most of your daily calories should come from complex carbs like grains, beans, potatoes, and other starches.”
He said, some experts have the opinion that you shouldn’t eat more than 25 percent of your daily calories from fat. To do this, choose lean meats, chicken breast without the skin, fish, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products, Dr. Mehboob said.
He said one should eat less butter, margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressings, fried foods, and chips, which are all high in saturated fats so it is important to remember that packaged foods like cookies, cakes, crackers, and TV dinners, as well as fast foods like hamburgers and pizza, often have a lot of hidden fats and calories.
It is important to remember that fats have more than twice as many calories per gram (nine) as protein or carbs, like sugar (four). So, reducing the amount of fat you eat can help you control the number of calories you eat and stay at a healthy weight, he further added.
Choose oils like canola, olive, corn, or peanut oil that have a lot of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats but one should only use these oils in small amounts, he said. Saturated fats, which mostly come from animal products like fatty meats, whole milk, butter, and cheese, and Trans fats, which are found in hydrogenated fats in margarine and other processed foods, can cause the body to make more cholesterol because of this, it’s important to eat as little saturated and hydrogenated fat as possible, Dr. Mehboob said.
He said cholesterol is only found in foods that come from animals, like meat, poultry, dairy and egg yolks. One egg yolk contains about 210 milligrams of cholesterol, which is a big chunk of the amount one should eat every day, he added.
On the other hand, a three-ounce serving of meat, poultry, or fish has about 60 milligrams of cholesterol, which is 20 to 25 milligrams per ounce so the important thing is to remember that foods with a lot of cholesterol don’t always have a lot of fat.
Choose low-fat sources of protein, like skim milk and nonfat yogurt, which are also good sources of calcium and other important nutrients, he said. He said cantaloupe, carrots, broccoli and citrus fruits are all high in antioxidant nutrients like vitamins C and E and carotenoids.
Many types of cancer may be less likely to happen if you eat foods that are high in antioxidants and Vitamin-E may also lower the risk of heart disease, and vitamins C and E seem to protect against cataracts. He said high-sugar foods like cakes, pies, and cookies also tend to be high in fat.
He said regular exercise helps build strong bones and keeps bone density and strength over the course of a person’s life and this is especially important for women because their bone density drops a lot during menopause.
About the dietary supplements available in the markets, he said, dietary supplements can’t replace a healthy diet, which gives you all the essential nutrients and other good things you need.
He said drinking plenty of water every day is good for health.
The human body loses about two to three quarts of fluid through sweating, breathing out moisture, and going to the bathroom, so to make up for this, one should drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day. In addition to drinking water, one can get some of the fluids he or she needs by eating solid foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Also, juices, milk, and soups are just as good as water for replenishing the body’s fluids, Dr. Mehboob opined.
