In order to keep one’s health in good condition, proper dietary habits have to be adopted
OUT of innumerable plants and animals that exist in the world, human beings consume only a few hundred. These are edibles that over the course of centuries have proved to be food items that are good for human consumption.
It was proved in the ‘50s that even among affluent communities, inconsistency in eating habits is one of the major factors that makes them vulnerable to different kinds of diseases. Nutrition experts have often tried to find ways to point out healthy eating habits. It also helps countering eating patterns that have made many people in the developed countries susceptible to illnesses such as coronary diseases, diabetes and cancer.
Two-thirds of Pakistan’s population lives in villages. Illiteracy and poverty are two of the most glaring problems that Pakistan is faced with. It would be harrowing to note that in the last decade or so, the ratio of coronary diseases has increased in Pakistan. It is more common in our country than in the Western world. Pakistan also has an estimated seven million diabetics in the age group of 25 years and above. According to the WHO, there will be 300 million diabetics in the world by 2025, out of which 75 per cent will be in the developing countries. Pakistan will be the 4th country on the list after India, China and the USA.
Nowadays, certain types of cancer are also common in Pakistan. They include breast, prostate, blood and oral cancer. It happens due to a lack of knowledge about proper diet, high poverty rate and low literacy. People do not know about how to have a proper diet, which type of food they should consume according to their energy requirements and the kind of lifestyle they must lead.
Coronary diseases are often caused by ‘atherosclerosis’, which is characterized by thickening of the internal layer of the walls of major blood vessels, especially coronary arteries, resulting in constriction of the vessel, reduces the blood flow and supply of nutrients ultimately causing injury to the heart.
Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in which patients run high risk of contracting coronary diseases. Cancer is also a dreadful chronic ailment. It is well-recognized that a majority of cancer-related cases can be ascribed to environmental factors like emission of radioactive rays. There is no proper cure for the disease but a proper dietary treatment. It worsens the condition when the food supply is altered on a regular basis; smoking and other bad habits aggravate it.
Throughout history, different food items have been used both to prevent and to treat illnesses.
Generally human diet consists of large quantities of water-containing proteinaceous, fatty and carbohydrate food as well as other materials rich in minerals. Apart from these, nowadays fibre is also considered as an important constituent of proper diet for better health.
Fibre is known as that portion of diet which is not enzymatically digested by our digestive enzymes and thus does not directly serve as a source of nourishment. Starchy food, such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes are our main source of energy providing carbohydrates. They also supply substantial amount of protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre with little fat.
There are two main groups of fibre: insoluble and soluble. Both kinds are needed for good health. Soluble fibre is found primarily in oats, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Cereal grains, especially unrefined whole grains, are the main source of insoluble fibre.
Instead of speeding up the transit period for food waste, soluble fibre slows down the rate of digestion in the stomach, providing a steadier flow of energy. Carbohydrate food, rich in soluble fibre, gives a gentle rise to blood sugar, which lasts for a longer period. Especially for diabetics or those who are over-weight, steadier blood sugar levels have major advantages. They help steady energy levels and can also help in stabilizing the mood.
Stable blood sugar levels demand less of the insulin mechanism, which is needed to convert blood sugar into usable energy. This in turn may help weight control by delaying the return of hunger, either real or in reaction to a dip in the mood as blood sugar falls. A recent research suggests a link between high levels of insulin and several disorders, notably abdominal obesity, high levels of blood fats and high levels of oestrogen (female sex hormone) — a sign of increased risk of breast cancer.
By increasing the bulk of the faeces, insoluble fibre helps food waste pass through the digestive tract quickly and easily. Eating plenty of cereal grains prevents constipation. Unrefined grains are important to insoluble fibre. The outer layers, which contain almost all fibre, also contain most of the vitamins and minerals. To be really healthy, one must try and eat unrefined grains and unpeeled fruit and vegetables as often as possible.
Several epidemiological studies have found that a diet which is rich in whole grains may protect against cardiovascular diseases, strokes, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. The influence of whole grains on cardiovascular diseases may be medicated through multiple pathways, for example a reduction in blood lipids and blood pressure, an enhancement of insulin sensitivity and improvement in blood glucose control.
According to a research conducted by the Department of Food Service and Human Nutrition, Colorado State University, the type of dietary fibre such as that found in oat cereal, may be important when recommending a high-fibre, low-fat, high carbohydrate diet to improve blood lipid and lipo-protein profiles. A less amount of dietary fibre can be attributed to a lower consumption of whole grains, cereals, roots, tubers and fruits.
Some food items which have substantial amount of dietary fibre and are helpful in preventing chronic diseases like cardiovascular ailments, diabetes and cancer are orange-filled pectin, a form of soluble fibre that helps reduce blood cholesterol, especially bad cholesterol ‘LDL’. Pectin is found mainly in orange peel.
Oats are one of the most valuable staple foods. There is no refined version of oats so their natural nutritional benefits are retained. Oats can reduce blood cholesterol, help stabilize blood sugar levels and ease constipation.
Peas are rich in soluble fibre and reduce cholesterol levels, slow down digestion and give a steadier flow to blood sugar.
According to a research, when 30 French men and women add two to three apples to their daily diet in a month, four out of five have a dip in their cholesterol level — half of which by more than 10 per cent. Pectin that is found in apples is thought to play a key part in this process.
The specific combination of fibre types and fruit acids in apples is probably responsible for their ability to prevent and treat constipation.
Dried or fresh apricots are rich in soluble fibre, which steadies blood sugar levels and helps relieve constipation and also lowers cholesterol.
Brown rice has less fibre than wheat, but still helps prevent constipation and related disorders. Wheat provides insoluble fibre that also helps prevent constipation.
Several studies proved that women who ate more grain fibre ran a lower risk of breast cancer. Eating more whole grain staples such as whole barley, corn, rye, millet is an important step towards achieving a healthy, balanced diet. A high intake, especially of unrefined whole grains, is associated with a lower risk of heart diseases, high blood pressure, certain types of cancer and diabetes.
The strongest message that comes from the above-mentioned researches is that eating a wide variety of food is good for health, if it is done keeping certain important factors in mind.
In order to keep one’s health in good condition, proper dietary habits have to be adopted 
