Neera completed a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Alberta. She has gone on to do a combined Masters in Public Health Nutrition and her Dietetic Internship upon which she will be registered with the Dietitians of Canada. She has worked as a Community Nutritionist for the South Asian population and has been featured in Flare Magazine and Family Health Magazine. Questions about food and nutrition? Calories in Indian foods? Low-fat desi-recipes or fad diets? Email her! neera@mybindi.com

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Heart Healthy Eating for South Asians

Did you know that South Asians are more likely to suffer from a heart attack or stroke more than any other ethnic group? You've heard about it, the uncle, a family friend that can no longer talk because he suffered a stroke. In Canada, 42% of all deaths among South Asian Canadian males and 29% of all deaths among South Asian females are due to heart disease. Findings published in The Lancet, a prestigious international medical journal, conclude that though European Canadians are more likely to have clogged or hardened arteries - a major risk factor - South Asian Canadians are still twice as likely to suffer a stroke or heart attack.

A study by Dr. Anand, an assistant professor of medicine at McMaster University, concluded that one identifiable risk is that South Asian Canadians were much more likely to develop blood clots than any other ethnic groups. Reason being, they exhibited higher levels of certain proteins that impair the body's ability to dissolve blood clots in the arteries. The findings also indicated that South Asians tended to be heavier than European and Chinese Canadians and they are much more likely to put on weight around the abdomen, another risk factor for the disease. Other factors include high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, smoking, an inactive lifestyle, being overweight, gender, aging, having diabetes and a personal or family history of heart problems.

So How Can You Reduce the Risk?
One helpful way is to adopt a healthy traditional South Asian lifestyle. Going back to a more traditional diet, changing the way you prepare foods, avoiding convenience foods, and making better food choices will help reduce your risk of heart disease. By adding some form of exercise, meditation or doing yoga are all ways you can protect your heart and lead a long, healthy life.

Some Heart Healthy Nutrition Tips
Follow Canada's Food Guide, which stresses the importance of a well-balanced diet that includes a variety of foods from each of the four food groups. Foods are grouped according to the major nutrients they provide. The number of servings you need depends on your age, gender and activity level. Each food group contains both high fat and low fat food choices. Select the lower fat food choices within each food group more often. Strive to include at least three of the four food groups at each meal.

Eat Less Fat
Due to a variety of factors, South Asians living in western countries consume a large amount of fat. On average about 40% of their energy comes from fat. You should reduce your total fat consumption to 30% of what you eat each day. Choose healthy fats and reduce your consumption of unhealthy fats. Treat your heart right by eating very little of the "bad" fats (saturated and hydrogenated). You should eat a bit more of the "good" fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated), but keep moderation in mind. Monounsaturated fat seems to be the most heart healthy and can be found in canola oil as well as olive oil. For tarkas/vighars of Indian dishes the best option is to use canola oil.

Some Tips to Reduce Fat in Your Diet:
• Avoid spreading butter, ghee or margarine on chapatis or rotis. Otherwise, pat down your roti with a paper towel to remove the excess fat.
• Choose dahls and other legumes (channe, rajma, rongi) more often.
• Avoid foods prepared in fat, such as puris, bhaturas, samosas, pakoras, and other fried snacks.
• Choose meats labelled lean or extra lean. Limit lamb, pork, goat and beef.
• Limit the intake of high cholesterol foods such as egg yolks, cheese and shrimp.
• Eat chicken without the skin, and eat more fish.
• Choose 2%, 1% or skim milk. Have your homemade yogurt (dhai) made with 2% or 1% milk instead of whole (tell your parents it can be done!)
• Choose low fat foods such as dhokla, plain roti, boiled rice, plain masala dosa and idli-sambhar.

Change How You Prepare Food
The South Asian diet can be a wonderfully balanced one. However, the addition of fat when cooking foods, such as dahls, sabzis and rotis adds unnecessary fat and calories. You can dramatically reduce the fat in these foods by slightly adjusting how you cook and prepare them without altering the taste.

Some Tips to Change How You Prepare Food:
• When cooking, use canola oil or olive oil and soft margarines instead of saturated fats, such as ghee, butter, shortening, coconut oil and sesame seed oil.
• Trim off all fat before cooking meat and poultry.
• Measure the amount of fat you add for tarka/vighar with a spoon, rather than pouring the oil straight from the container and gradually reduce the amount you use.
• Avoid deep-frying and frying parathas, samosas, paneer and pakoras. Try baking or broiling them instead.
• When dishes are cooked and cooled, skim off any visible fat that has hardened on top.
• Use ground chicken or ground turkey to make keema.
• Try tandoori-style, broiling, grilling or baking meats instead of making curries.
• Use 2% or 1% milk when making homemade yogurt (dhai).
• Replace recipes that call for paneer with firm tofu. No one will notice the difference!

So You Live At Home And Don't Do The Cooking?
Some of the tips above are ones you can use once the food is prepared; otherwise…get on your parent's case! Encourage your parents to make small changes in the way they prepare food. Point out subzi swimming in oil, or roti soaked in butter to the point that you can see your reflection. Enlighten the cook by telling them it's important to cut back on the fat and that the food will taste just as good (really it will).

Though South Asians are at a greater risk for heart disease than any other ethnic group, by employing a traditional South Asian lifestyle we have an effective way to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Making wise choices when it comes to eating and preparing food can be simple. By making small changes gradually and adopting a healthy diet you can protect your heart. And remember to celebrate the food that is traditionally yours!