heart disease and your diet

less sugar and salt, saturated fats, more vegetables and fruit and exercise is the way to reduce obesity, diabetes and cancer

City-dwellers are more likely to consume energy-dense diets – high in saturated fat and in refined carbohydrates. This sudden change in diet, combined with a sedentary lifestyle, is having a drastic effect on the urban poor.

“Not all fats or all carbohydrates are the same; it pays to know the difference,” said Dr Uauy, adding, “People should eat less high-calorie foods, especially foods high in saturated fat and sugar, be physically active, prefer unsaturated for saturated fat and use less salt; enjoy vegetables, fruits and legumes and prefer foods of marine and plant origin..”

A diet rich in vegetables and fruit containing immune-system boosting micronutrients could also help the body’s natural defenses against infectious diseases, Uauy said.

The Expert Report’s specific recommendations on diet include limiting fat to between fifteen and thirty percent of total daily energy intake and saturated fats to less than ten percent of this total.

Carbohydrates, the report suggests, should provide the bulk of energy requirements – between fifty-five and seventy-five percent of daily intake and free sugars should remain beneath ten percent. Protein should make up a further ten to fifteen percent of calorie intake and salt should be restricted to less than five grams a day. Intake of vegetables and fruit should be increased so as to reach at least 400 grams a day.

The report underlines the fact that chronic diseases are not only caused by overeating but also by eating an unbalanced diet, citing the influence of high salt consumption on increasing blood pressure and saturated fats contributing to high levels of cholesterol.

Physical activity is a key factor in determining the amount of energy used each day and is therefore fundamental to energy balance and weight control. 1 hour per day of moderate-intensity activity, such as walking, on most days of the week, is needed to maintain a healthy body weight, especially for those people who spend most of their time sitting down, according to the Expert Report.

WHO and FAO hope the report’s findings will provide member states with solid evidence to prepare national health strategies. The Expert Report urges national governments to aim for dietary guidelines that are simple, realistic and food-based. Japan and Finland, countries that have actively intervened in the diet and nutritional behavior of their populations, have witnessed dramatic decreases in risk factors and plunging rates of chronic disease, the Report says.

Recognizing that chronic diseases are preventable, addressing the issues and creating an environment which supports health, the Report says, is the key to reducing rates of deaths and disability from chronic diseases. The process should establish working relationships between governments and communities, encourage local initiatives affecting schools and the workplace and also involve the food industry, the report says.

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Diet And Your Immune System Dietary Substances Eating Disorders Exercise-diet And Your Health Low Fat Diets Nutrition and Physical Education Obesity Zinc