Role of healthy diet in prevention & control of NCDs

Dr Serin Kuriakose
DNB Family Medicine, MNAMS
Assistant Surgeon & Specialist Family Physician
Kerala Health Services

Chair, The Spice Route India Movement

Executive Member, AFPI Kerala
 Leading Risk Factors, % of Global Deaths, 2010

eading Risk Factors, % of Global Deaths, 2010

% Deaths
Disaggregation of diet suggests low fruit, high sodium, low nuts & seeds, low whole
grains, low vegetable intake, low seafood omega-3 main contributors to diet disease
burden
Contribution of unhealthy diet on different NCDs
A healthy diet helps to prevent major non-communicable diseases
(NCDs), including diabetes, heart disease and cancer

Healthy dietary practices should start early in life and continue

through life

Energy intake (calories) should be in balance with energy

expenditure

Keeping salt intake to less than 5 g per day helps prevent

hypertension and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke in the
adult population

Ref WHO
Pyramid to healthy plate
1992 2001
1992 2011
Measures of overweight & obesity for adults

• Body Mass Index (BMI) –weight in kg divided by height in meter squared

BMI>=25 overweight, BMI>=30 obesity

• ABDOMINAL OBESITY - measured by waist circumference (WC)

men >=90 cm, women >=80 cm

• WAIST HIP RATIO-WC divided by Hip circumference

>=0.90 for men and >=0.80 for women

IMPLICATIONS OF UNHEALTHY DIET : OVERWEIGHT & OBESITY
• If you follow healthy diet pattern and increase physical
activity, weight loss will occur gradually

• Even a small change can make a big difference!

• Slowly increase intake of fruits and vegetables

• Nuts and seeds 4-5 times per week

7
Ign-¡m-hp-¶ Ign-¡p-
Examples of unhealthy diet
• Excess salt, sugar, oil, low
fruits and vegetable intake
• Trans fat meals

Prefer the use of homely food

While eating outside-eat less/avoid certain food items even though it is free
Diet & physical activity

• Every adult should accumulate 30 minutes or more of

moderate intensity activity (eg: brisk walking) on five
or more days per week
OR
• 20 minutes of vigorous intensity activity (eg: out
door games) on three days or more per week in order
to gain health benefits
Policy interventions to reduce unhealthy diet
• Reduce salt and sugar content in the manufactured food items
• Salt ,sugar & fat taxes
• Banning of junk foods in schools
• Junk food tax
• Harmful advertisements targeting children on unhealthy diet

• Increase vegetable and fruits production (subsidy) for

cultivation
• Promote fruits and vegetables in school lunch
• Mid-day meal program-possibility of including/ensuring healthy
food choices
• School canteen/Vegetable garden
• Make children physically active
Diet & physical activity : Tips
Immediate Take at least one Ask how many of the Monitor how many Don’t take unhealthy
behavior change exercise during class students eat an extra students eat unhealthy snacks before and
time fruit at breakfast food last week after lunch time

Short period Ask students to try Ask students to drink Ask them to watch Stop eating while
behavior change sugarless juice/tea for an extra glass of water one hour less TV watching TV
two weeks at each meal for this every day this week
Give week
assignments/projects
on healthy diet
behavior

Permanent change Ensure the Check students lunch Ensure physical Ban junk food inside
implementation of regularly education period school campus
healthy diet behavior exclusively for
among children Monitor students exercise
weight and keep a
register

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Practical strategies to reduce salt, sugar and oil

 Avoid serving extra salt  Reduce/avoid sugar,  OIL

during meals
 Remove the salt shaker from
your table
 Reduce salt while cooking
 Avoid/reduce pickles
 Reduce salty snacks
 Avoid/reduce Salty/dry fish
 Avoid/reduce processed food
 Eat out less often
sweetened beverages
 Avoid Junk Food
 Replace foods like payasam
and ice creams by fruits
 Read Nutrition Labels
 Avoid sugary snacks
 Avoid/reduce processed food
 Eat out less
 Advice parents to cook the
vegetables with minimum
oil
 Avoid/restrict fried items
(example prefer fish curry
to fish fry)

It is not only important what you eat, but also how much you eat
Role of teachers in dietary modification
• Role model – make sure to eat Gatekeeper – as a teacher you have
healthy, wholesome foods and the power to monitor and control
what your students eat, the exercise
get plenty of exercise yourself
they get.
& encourage the students to
follow the same.
Ban junk foods inside the school
• Be consistent campus
this should be a permanent part of
your lifestyle
OVERNIGHT FITNESS ?

This didn’t happen overnight …. Neither did this

SAY NO TO JUNK FOOD