Here’s a simple guide to heart health

1. Good fat comes from food cooked at home using traditional practices.

The cooking practices that your nani and dadi have used are what your body is accustomed to since your childhood. Stick to those. Expensive products may not necessarily be sources of good fat. Good fat comes from using good traditional cooking practices.

2. Air frying is not better than deep frying. 

Air frying is not necessarily better than deep frying. If you air fry a samosa instead of deep frying it, you don’t feel as satisfied and then end up eating a larger quantity (more samosas or other unhealthy things.) When you follow traditional cooking methods and deep fry the items you’re supposed to, your satiety levels increase. Then you realise you won’t need to eat more because you’ll be satisfied.

3. Exercise is needed for your heart. Include strength training in your weekly plan.

The human body is made for regular activity and movement. Exercise is as necessary as eating and sleeping. At least do 30 minutes of exercise everyday, and you need at least 1 day of strength training in the week.

4. Smoking/alcohol harms your heart

There are no good cigarettes or any alcohol that is good for you. It is a myth. In fact, manufacturers create surrogate ads instead of regular ones because the products are so harmful. You are better off not smoking or drinking, if you want to care for your heart.

5. The 3 Ps which are bad for your heart: packaged food, pollution and bad city planning

Pollution needs to be in control for us to have good health. We can try to make a change by asking our politicians to prioritise the reduction of pollution. The second P: City planning. We can’t exercise outside if our city is not planned well. The third P stands for packaged food or ultra processed food. The more you eat it, the more your stomach will bloat. And the more your stomach bloats, the worse it is for the heart.

She adds a bonus tip: If your heart is clean, it will be healthy. Don’t hold onto any grudges or negative emotions.

For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!