Healthy & Good Eating for a Happy Heart - By: Saifuddin Lakda

My childhood friend is a very experienced doctor in UK and he once advised me that the secret of living a long life is to remember :"Healthy & Good Eating for a Happy Heart" and to skip lunch ( instead eat fruits and/or salads, drink juice, etc. ). Drink water regularly - at least 8 cups a day!

A lifestyle that provides you with sufficient energy, health and wellbeing to enjoy life, is vital at all ages. It is important to take good care of yourself, ensure you eat a healthy balanced diet.

Healthy and good eating is very important for good health. What you eat can either protect you or increase your chances of getting diseases like heart-disease.

The key to healthy and good eating is to eat a wide variety of foods.  Use the following "Food-Pyramid" which will help make sure you get all the vitamins, minerals and goodness you need from your food.

Imagine a pyramid having five shelves - the top shelf is smallest and the bottom shelf is largest ( and in between 3 shelves increase proportionately from top to bottom ):-

1. Top-shelf is smallest and contains: Fat, High Fat/Sugar, Snacks, Foods and Drinks. ( Choose very small amounts, limit fried foods 1-2 times a week. Only have small amount of high fat/sugar snacks and drinks and not too often.)

2. Second-shelf from top contains: Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs & Alternatives. 2 servings a day, 3 during pregnancy. ( Choose any two, lean cuts of meats. Eat only fish.)

3. Third-shelf from top contains: Milk, Cheese & Yogurt. 3 servings a day for children and adults.5 serving a day for teenagers or for pregnant or breast-feeding mothers. ( Choose any three, but low fat varieties )

4. Fourth-shelf from top contains: Fruit & Vegetables. 5 servings a day. ( Choose green leafy vegetables and citrus fruit frequently, fruit juice only counts for one serving, each day.)

5. Bottom-shelf contains: Bread, Cereals, Potatoes, Pasta & Rice. 6 or more servings a day. ( Eat these foods at each meal - high fiber is best )

NOTE: Each plate is one serving - except for the top-shelf. The number of servings you need each day ( for adults and children ) is given for each of the four main shelves. Choose whatever food plates you like to make up your total number from each shelf.  Eat only small amounts from the top-shelf.

In short, choose most foods from the bottom two shelves, smaller amounts from the next two shelves and a very small amount from the top-shelf.

LOW-FAT COOKING FOR A HEALTHY HEART:-

• Oven-bake, grill, poach, stir-fry or dry-fry food with a low-fat spray instead of frying.
• If you are using oil, measure out the oil with a spoon, rather than pouring the oil. Use no more then 1-2 table spoons for a family.
• Buy the leanest mince that you can and drain off the fat, while cooking.
• For your main meal, a portion of chicken and lean meat should be no more than 4 ounces (100 grams) and about 6 ounces (150 grams) for fish.
• Add plenty of vegetables to stews, casseroles, curries, sweet and sour, stir-fry and other dishes.
• Use tomato based sauces instead of creamy sauces.
• Use low fat-milk and low-fat cheese.
• Use light mayonnaise in coleslaw and salad dressings.