A hearty diet

What say you on the issue below?

President of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia and nutritionist Dr Tee E Siong advises us to eat smart to prevent heart disease.

WHAT role does nutrition play in the causation of cardiovascular disease?

Unhealthy dietary habits have been recognised as a major leading cause of heart diseases. Excessive intake of energy (derived mostly from fat and simple sugars), animal fats, high cholesterol food and lack of dietary fibre can lead to overweight/obesity problems.

The overweight problem is a major risk factor for many diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

According to Dr Tee, to prevent heart disease, healthy eating must start at a very young age.

Thus, practising healthy eating habits is a crucial step that needs to be taken in order to reverse the development of heart diseases. Heart diseases are preventable if one practices healthy eating habits as well as lead an active lifestyle.

The prevalence of risk factors for heart diseases has also been on the rise in the past few decades. As president of Nutrition Society of Malaysia (NSM), what would your advice be to Malaysians in order to reduce their risk of heart diseases?

In order to reduce the risk of heart disease, one should always practise healthy eating. The Malaysian Dietary Guidelines have outlined 14 key approaches towards a healthy dietary pattern. Several of these approaches have direct relevance to reducing risk of heart disease.

First, one should limit intake of foods that are high in fats and oils. These include foods high in saturated fat (from animals), cholesterol (eg internal organ meats) and trans-fatty acids (hydrogenated margarines or foods prepared with “hardened fats”).

Other oily foods that are deep-fried should also be reduced to occasional treats. Practise healthier cooking methods like steaming or grilling instead of frying as much as possible in order to minimise fat intake.

The intake of deep-fried or oily foods should be reduced in order to reduce fat intake.

The second key area to look at is salt. Salt is associated with raised blood pressure and this is one of the risk factors for heart diseases. Therefore, one should also choose foods that are less salty (avoid salted eggs, fish), avoid processed foods such as sausages, meat burgers and nuggets, as well as looking at the use of sauces in cooking.

Thirdly, sugar consumption should be kept to a minimum by avoiding foods that are prepared with high sugar (kuih, cakes, sweets) and replace with healthier options such as fruits.

Also, reduce consumption of drinks that are high in sugar content such as carbonated drinks, canned drinks, cordials, or drinks prepared with sweetened condensed milk such as teh tarik and coffee.

The fourth key area to pay attention to is to eat adequate amount of whole grains/cereals and increase fruits and vegetables consumption to two and three servings (per day) respectively. Plant-based foods contain healthy components other than nutrients such as plant sterols, phytochemicals and dietary fibres,

Finally, to eat healthily, one can use the Malaysian Food Pyramid as a guide to achieve a well balanced diet, to eat in moderate amounts, and to always aim for a variety of food choices.

Besides eating, being physically active every day is another important component in combating heart disease. Even 30 minutes of walking every day can help, rather than doing nothing at all.

Lastly, maintain a healthy body weight and a healthy lifestyle by avoiding smoking and alcohol as much as possible.

You mentioned the importance of healthy eating for the prevention of heart disease. At what age must a person start to be concerned about his eating habits so as to reduce the risk of heart disease?

To prevent heart disease, healthy eating must start at a very young age. If a child is overweight at 10 years old, he is very likely to remain overweight at 20 years and even 30 years, and he will be at risk of getting heart disease.

Fat and cholesterol build-up in the arteries have been known to commence from childhood.

Often, the dietary habits of a person is set from young. The influence of parents and the environment also shapes the eating habits of young children. Moreover, changing habits later on in life is a more challenging task as a lot more motivation is needed.

Hence, it is important that one starts practising healthy eating habits from childhood. The roles of parents are emphasised as they are important role models in cultivating healthy dietary habits in their children from young.