Our diet is now mostly made up of highly processed foods, with most individuals often not aware of what they are eating. During food processing activities, natural fibres are removed and then replaced with sugar, salt, and fats. Also added to processed foods are artificial flavourings and colourings to make them taste better and look attractive. Preservatives are added to extend their shelf lives.
Recent figures from the Department of Health do show that the number of obesed men in England has gone up from 13.2% in 1993 to 23.6% in 2004 while for women the comparative figures are 16.4% and 23.8%.5
New guidelines (JBS 2), which replace the Joint British Societies Guidelines on Coronary Prevention in Clinical Practice (JBS 1), recommend a total cholesterol target of 4.0 mmol/L (compared with 5.0 mmol/L under JBS 1).6
At the same time, the guidelines from the British Cardiac Society, the British Hypertension Society, Diabetes UK, Heart UK, the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society and the Stroke Association, recommend CVD screening for:6
- All adults aged 40 years and older, with no history of heart attack, stroke, or diabetes, and not already being treated for high blood pressure or cholesterol
- All adults under 40 years with a family history of developing hardened and narrowed arteries earlier than expected.
However, major reports from experts, agree that the most effective way in which our diet can be improved, is to reduce the amount of fat we normally eat. There is the need to discourage the traditional diet of 'chips with everything', as they are a sure way of developing a heart attack at an early age. Likewise, intake of large amounts of sugar leads to obesity and possibly other health problems such as diabetes, with salt linked in the incidence of hypertension and heart disease. To remain healthy, regular intake of fruits, vegetables and high-fibre foods is encouraged.1
is a diet programme you can combine with exercises, to achieve optimal weight reduction within a reasonable time frame.