Diet tips for diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol by Dr Jagmeet Madan

Your diet -- what you eat, how much you eat and when you eat -- is vital, more so when you suffer from a condition like diabetes, blood pressure or high level of cholesterol. If you or someone you know suffers from a health condition, they will naturally have a lot of questions about their diet and what kind of nutrition they need. Answering all such queries, Dr Jagmeet Madan spoke a lot about nutrition and diet in a Facebook Live. Dr Jagmeet Madan is the National Vice President , Indian Dietetic Association; National Executive Council member Nutrition Society of India and All India Association of Advancing Research In obesity (AAIRO) and also the principal and professor- department of Food and Nutrition at Sir Vithaldas Thackersey College of Home Science (Autonomous) , SNDT Women's University.

She spoke at length about how we need to understand our body, its needs and why a specific food and its nutrients is important for us. How many of us understand what LDL or HDL cholesterol mean or how many of us can read our reports for cholesterol tests? Dr Madan explains what cholesterol does to our body and how to handle it in a very easy manner.

In the interactive Facebook Live session, Dr Madan answered many questions from the audience ranging from blood pressure to a healthy diet for diabetic patients. She also spoke at length about gluten and why people should stop blindly following a gluten-free diet. Not many people understand what gluten is or that you should not consume gluten only if you are gluten-intolerant or allergic. Gluten-free diet will not help you lose weight, and to know why, watch the Facebook Live video.

Tips from Dr Jagmeet Madan

• Do not exclude fat completely from your diet. Recommended amount of fat is 1 tablespoon per person, per day.
• To keep your weight in check, exercising is as important as eating right.
• Understand the sources of carbohydrates, fat, protein, fiber and other micro-nutrients and balance your meal to include each type.
• A proper meal distribution through the day important. It is extremely important to have a carb-rich breakfast.
• Include fruits in your everyday diet.

Facebook Live video with Dr Jagmeet Madan

Video: Facebook/ TheHealthsite

Image: Shutterstock