Stressful life events:

.

In 1967, psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe examined the medical records of over 5,000 medical patients  to determine whether stressful events might cause illnesses. Patients were asked to tally a list of 43 life events based on a relative score. A positive correlation was found between their life events and their illnesses.

Their results were published as the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS), known more commonly as the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale. 

maximum stress lies in the relationship with your spouse, followed by your health and your image in the society.

If you are happily married and enjoy good health and social image, you can take on other life stresses.

Life event	Life change units
Death of a spouse	100
Divorce	73
Marital separation	65
Imprisonment	63
Death of a close family member	63
Personal injury or illness	53
Marriage	50
Dismissal from work	47
Marital reconciliation	45
Retirement	45
Change in health of family member	44
Pregnancy	40
Sexual difficulties	39
Gain a new family member	39
Business readjustment	39
Change in financial state	38
Death of a close friend	37
Change to different line of work	36
Change in frequency of arguments	35
Major mortgage	32
Foreclosure of mortgage or loan	30
Change in responsibilities at work	29
Child leaving home	29
Trouble with in-laws	29
Outstanding personal achievement	28
Spouse starts or stops work	26
Beginning or end school	26
Change in living conditions	25
Revision of personal habits	24
Trouble with boss	23
Change in working hours or conditions	20
Change in residence	20
Change in schools	20
Change in recreation	19
Change in church activities	19
Change in social activities	18
Minor mortgage or loan	17
Change in sleeping habits	16
Change in number of family reunions	15
Change in eating habits	15
Vacation	13
Major Holiday	12
Minor violation of law	11

^]

• 
  

PUFA 3 (omega 3) rich foods

          

PUFA 6 and PUFA3 are polyunsaturated fatty acids present in cooking oils as well as many other foods. They are not synthesized in body and have to be supplemented from diet.
Hence they are called essential oils.

They should be in the ratio of 6;1

PUFA 6 is widely available in variety of foods, but PUFA 3 is available only in limited foods in a limited quantity.
As  a result we have excess PUFA 6 and the ratio of PUFA 6 to PUFA 3 goes much above 6 and this has adverse effects on health.
We need to increase our intake of PUFA 3

Following foods are the source of PUFA 3 (omega-3)

Mustard seeds (Rai)
Methi seeds (Fenugreek)

Mustard oil
Soybean oil
Pure ghee

Fish

Rajma 
Green Leaf Vegetables (GLV)

We should eat these foods for our sound health

'zero' cholesterol oils

                                                 

 Sunflower and suffola oils are recommended by doctors because they are 'zero' cholesterol. But the truth is that all oils are 'zero' cholesterol. Every oil is a plant product and plants do not have capacity to produce cholesterol.

When this cooking oil is ingested, the body converts it into cholesterol. Thus the cooking oil is the raw material for the synthesis of cholesterol. Animals also do the same. 

Ready made cholesterol is present in animal products like milk,cream, ghee,egg yolk, meat.


Then how do we select our cooking oil?

It is on the basis of PUFA- 3 (omega -3) contents, which has many health benefits.

Here is a descending order of all cooking oils based on their contents of PUFA -3:(omega-3)

Mustard
Pure ghee
Coconut
soybean
Palm
Olive
Rice bran
Sesame
Groundnut
Corn
Sunflower
Suffola


Traditionally, different regions in India have a preference for a particular oil.
For example, coconut oil in Kerala, sesame oil in Tamilnadu, groundnut oil in Maharashtra and Gujarat. and mustard oil in UP and Bengal. 

Each oil has its characteristic flavor or aroma. If people are happy using coconut or sesame or groundnut oil,due to the flavor, then they should continue with it. You can use pure ghee also for cooking.(It ranks number 2 next to mustard oil) 

Nutritionally, mustard oil is the best and ideal oil. People say that it smells. But it is only while giving 'tadka'(seasoning) There is no smell to the food prepared in it. people will not know that it is prepared in mustard oil. 

How much oil?

You may choose any oil of your choice, but the quantity is very important.
It should be 5 teaspoons per person per day. 
Most of us do not use spoon (we just pour it).our spoons are also of different sizes.
When I ask a housewife "how much oil needed in your home per month?" She is not sure about it.

The oil consumption should be half liter per man per month.
For a family of 4 persons, it should be 2 liters per month.
If the cooking is done by the maid,and the housewife is working ,then there is no control over the quantity of oil.  

We should be aware that oil is a rich source of calories. One teaspoon of oil has 50 calories.When a diabetic patient is in the family, then the housewife should be particular of oil usage, because a diabetic has to control calories. We are not aware of the fact that cooking oil has calories.

Cooking oil

       
Each cooking oil has 3 components: 

1. Saturated ;   Increase blood cholesterol
                         Increase blood clotting

2. Unsaturated :

   Monounsaturated (MUFA)  
                           Decrease blood cholesterol
                           Decrease clot formation
                                                                      
   Polyunsaturated    (PUFA)    
    PUFA -6  (omega 6)                       
    PUFA -3  (omega 03)
                        
Both PUFA- 6 and PUFA -3 are essential,
However, the PUFA-3 should be almost equal to PUFA -6 
     
More of pufa 6 and less of pufa 3 is not ideal.

Thus an ideal cooking oil should have less of saturated fats, more of MUFA ,less of PUFA- 6 and more of PUFA- 3  

Let us compare the profile of some oils on these parameters.

                     Saturated     MUFA       PUFA -6       PUFA -3
                                       (G / 100 G)
                                                            
Mustard              8               70               12                 10

Pure Ghee         65             32                  2                 1.0

coconut oil          90              7                  2                  0.5

Olive oil              13             76                10                 0.5

Groundnut          24             50                25                 0.5

Soybean             15             27               53                 5.0

Rice bran            22             41               35                 1.5

sesame              15             42                 42                1.0

Sunflower           13            27                  60                0.5

Safflower             13            17                 70                0.5  



In selection of the oil, PUFA 6 and PUFA 3 levels are crucial
PUFA 6 generates oxygen free radicals with adverse effects which are antagonized by PUFA 3

The ratio of PUFA 6 to PUFA 3 should be less than 6 :1.

If this ratio is more, following adverse effects are seen:

Increased risk for diabetes and heart disease
Decrease in HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol)
Impaired insulin action
Impaired glucose tolerance
Central obesity (fat around the waist)
Decreased immunity
Formation of blood clot

You should select the oil with ratio of PUFA 6: PUFA 3 less than 6:1. These are;
mustard 
pure ghee
coconut oil

Although pure ghee and coconut oil have high levels of saturated fats,they should be used due to lower ratio of PUFA 6 to PUFA 3

Following oils have higher ratio:

Soybean (10)

olive oil (20)

Rice bran (23)

Sesame oil (42)

Ground nut (50)

Sunflower (120)

Safflower   (140)

Soybean oil has the ratio of 10, slightly more than 6. so there is no harm in using it.

Many people are using rice bran, groundnut or sesame oil. What should they do? If they prefer it for the flavor or if they have been using it for long time, then they should continue to use them, with the knowledge that the relative risk for diabetes or heart attack is more.They should improve their lifestyle to reduce other risk factors for diabetes or heart attack. 

Any way these oils are much much better than sunflower or safflower oils.

Pure ghee as a cooking oil

The profile of pure ghee:

Saturated fats: 65%

Monounsaturated fats; 32%

Polyunsaturated:
PUFA -6     2% (omega -6)
PUFA -3     1%  (omega -3)


 PUFA-6 and PUFA -3 in the cooking oil should be in the ratio of 6;1 or less


There are 4 such cooking oils;

Mustard

coconut

pure ghee

soybean

You can choose any of them





We are not familiar with the idea of pure ghee as a cooking medium.But you can try it

Advantages:

Excellent flavor 

Foods cooked have long shelf life.

Fatty acids in ghee are short and medium chain which are not stored as fats but used for energy production

It resists oxidation during frying, and does not generate free radicals.
Oils with high PUFA -6 (unsaturated oils) are not resistant to oxidation. On prolonged / repeated heating they liberate free radicals which are toxic.(This does not happen with pure ghee.)

What about cholesterol?

100 g of ghee has 300 mg of cholesterol.

100 g is 20 teaspoon. Do we eat 20 spoons of ghee every day? We eat about 2 spoons which has only 30 mg of cholesterol.

There are 3 options:

If you do the cooking in ghee then it should  be 5 teaspoon per person daily. If you have 4 members in the family, then it will be 20 spoons for the family. The housewife should take out 20 teaspoon of ghee in a vessel and the cooking from breakfast to dinner should be within this limit. 

If you do not like this idea, then use ghee for giving Tadka (seasoning) while preparing dal,dal khichdi, upma  

                

Or at least, you can have a  teaspoon of ghee on your rice. 

Ghee is not known in the West. They have margarine (trans fat) which has adverse health effects.

In India, pure ghee is prepared at home from ancient times.
It is a meticulous and elaborate process. Many housewives are unable or not interested in this.They think it is time consuming

The common man has aversion to eat ghee, because it has cholesterol. However one can have up to 150 mg of cholesterol per day. Zero cholesterol diet is not ideal, even for a heart patient.

Eating 1 -2 teaspoons of ghee is healthy.

Dietary fats

                   

Cholesterol

A type of fat.

Essential structural component of cells walls
synthesized by all animal & human cells

80% of blood cholesterol is synthesized by liver and 20% comes from dietary fats

It means even we totally avoid fats and oils in our diet, body will continue to synthesize it.
This is because it is needed to be in the cell walls, coverings of nerves.

It is a precursor for:

• steroid hormones, 
• vitamin D  
• bile acids

It circulates in blood as
LDL (bad cholesterol)
HDL (good cholesterol)




Does not provide energy (zero calories)


Food sources

Red meat
Egg yolk
butter

Triglycerides

Type of fat (lipid) 

Body converts excess of calories from food into triglycerides and stores in fat (adipose) cells.

It is deposited around the waist as abdominal fat and in the buttock

These stored fats are again converted into calories when body needs it

Triglycerides are fatty acids

Fatty acids
Saturated (SF)
Monounsaturated (MUFA)
Polyunsaturated (PUFA)
PUFA 6
PUFA 3
Both these oils are not synthesized in body and have to be supplied from food(essential oils)

PUFA 6 : PUFA 3 ratio should be less than 4. If more it is a risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Energy dense;
1G = 10 calories
           (Twice as carbs & proteins)

Food source


Excess calories from animal fats,nuts, refined sugar converted into TG

Fats & cholesterol contents of various foods

                                                   Fats (Triglyceride)                         Cholesterol
                                     Gm/100gm                         mg/100g

Butter                               80                                250
Ghee                               100                               300
Milk (cow)                         4                                  14
Milk (buffalo)                     8                                  16
Milk (skimmed)                 0.1                                2
Egg (whole)                     11                                 400
Chicken (with skin)          18                                 100
Chicken (without skin)      4                                   60
Cheese                            25                                 100
Paneer                             15                                 20
Mutton                              13                                 65
pork                                  35                                 90
Beef                                  6                                   70
Organ meat
Brain                                 6                                   2000
Liver                                  9                                   300
Kidney                               2                                   370
Heart                                 5                                   150

Prawns                              2                                   150
Fish (lean)                         1.5                                 45
Fish (fatty)                          6                                   45     

Pure ghee has 300 mg of cholesterol per 100gm
Do not get scared by this figure. 300 mg are present in 100g
which means 20 teaspoons.   
   
Do we eat 20 spoons of ghee? we may eat at the most 2 spoons which contains only 30 mg of cholesterol.
It is good to have one or two teaspoons of ghee every day without feeling guilty.

Trans fats

                      
hydrogenation of vegetable oil converts liquid oil into semisolid fats.In this process, PUFA 6 and PUFA 3 are converted to trans fatty acids.The common name for this trans fat is Margarine.

During the second World War there was a shortage of butter and hence the need for a butter substitute which will have the same taste and texture like butter. Since margarine is made from vegetable oils it does not have cholesterol.

Butter is made from animal fat and hence it will have cholesterol (300 mg/100g) Butter has amazing taste which margarine does not have. Food prepared in margarine has a long shelf life, but without the aroma and taste of butter.

Margarine, Vanaspati are called as Trans fats.

Foods high in Trans fats
Cakes
Biscuits
pasties
Cheese spreads
Burgers
Balushahi
Nan katai

These foods are very popular and available all over the world.
It is estimated that an average American eats 3 kg. of trans fat in one year.

The risk:

There is evidence from scientific studies that trans fats promote the development of heart attacks, stroke and diabetes.
There is a growing awareness worldwide about the dangers of trans fats

Legal status;

Denmark was the first country to ban trans fats which was followed by countries like Chile,Norway,South Africa, Austria,and Hungary

Thailand will be free of trans fats within one year.

U.S. FDA has ordered that trans fat to be eliminated from food processing after a 3 year grace period from June 2015 and be implemented by June 2018

WHO introduced a six step guideline to eliminate industrially produced trans fat from global food supply

KFC has stopped the use of trans fats in their outlets in U.S. and Canada.

Burger king has decided to stop the use of trans fats 

McDonald also will comply with FDA guidelines 

India plans to be free of trans fats by 2022

Trans fats all over will be substituted with Palm oil and there will be a big boost to palm oil industry

Packaging labels:


If the label indicates 
trans Fat 0g then it is safe to use











Many products have trans fats, but they do not use that word. They use the following words:

Hydrogenated vegetable fats
Partially hydrogenated

Margarine
Vanaspati

 All these labels mean trans fat. The common man does not know that trans fats are actually hydrogenated fats

Prediabetes : A wake up call

It is a condition where blood sugar is high but not high enough to call it diabetes.

It is associated with slight increase in abdominal fat. It is confirmed by measuring the abdominal circumference.(More than 94 cm in males and 80 cm in females)

There are some signs:

  

increased hunger, 

dry mouth  

frequent urination

It's a wake up call

You can reverse these signs and prevent diabetes

How?

Stop eating out:
This is the best way of reducing calories.

Our life has changed drastically over the last 50 years
Modern lifestyle has so many occasions to eat outside:

Restaurants
Marriages
Get- togethers
Birthday parties
Kitty parties
Ordering food from restaurant
Traveling

The food on these occasions is high in fats, oils, sugar and calories. It is not possible to avoid these occasions.Then the only way out is to select your food items which will have low calories. (Idli, roti, dhal, plain rice, curds,raw salads,vanilla ice cream)

Avoid (strictly) vegetables in these buffets They are oily and creamy 
    

Consider this as an opportunity (not a threat) to improve your lifestyle and prevent diabetes.