Yukiko Kinoshita writes:
Because both Mr. and Mrs. Mine work hard, neither of them are very careful about what they eat. Monday through Saturday they usually skip breakfast. And they often eat fried fatty foods such as fried chicken and fried fish, and fast food such as pizza, yakitori, or chinese noodles with eggs, pork and chicken. They are so busy that they can't spare the time for exercise.
Mr. Mine skips breakfast before going to the office. And his lunch is usually a hamburger or fried chicken or fried fish. And when he comes home late, he picks up on his way from the office -- pizza, yakitori or Chinese noodles with eggs, pork and chicken. Thus, he eats fried fatty food too much. And pork, chicken and cheese contain too many saturated fatty acids. Animal foods are an excellent source of protein, iron , zinc and vitamin B, but if we eat too many of them, cholesterol levels in the blood become high. Mr. M has low levels of HDL but his LDL level is 170. Most coronary heart disease is due to blockage in the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. Along with fat it circulate in the blood and builds up in the walls of the arteries and can slow or block the flow of blood. Excess cholesterol and saturated fat collects in the lining of blood vessels, forming fatty deposits called plagues. Over time, blood vessels become clogged, reducing the blood flow and oxygen to the heart. This may cause chest pain called "angina", or if the blood supply is cut off, there is heart muscles injury, and a "heart attack", possibly resulting in sudden death. Mr. Mine already has high blood pressure and occasionally experiences angina chest pains. So he needs to change his daily eating habit as soon as he can.
First, he should avoid fatty food and eat more fiber-rich food such as vegetables and fruits. Fiber reduce cholesterol level. Second, daily and moderate exercise is recommended. Exercise helps increase his HDL cholesterol levels which will be effective for reducing the LDL-cholesterol level. In addition, he had better stop smoking, because smoking is linked to heart disease.
Mrs. Mine also intakes too many saturated fatty acids from animal food, such as butter, margarine, cheese, pork and chicken. So, she should avoid fatty foods and eat more fiber-rich food such as vegetables and fruits. And daily and moderate exercise is recommended. Mrs. Mine has a unique problems in terms of her health. These are being overweight and her family history of various cancers, including breast cancers. She says that she doesn't understand why she is 10 kilos overweight though she eats only 2 meals a day. Mrs. Mine should eat 3 meals a day regularly, because weight is controlled by limiting calories and not by the number of meals. And to take only 2 meals gives her much stress, and as a result, she takes high caloric side dishes. Also recent data suggest that weight gain in adulthood may be a risk factor for breast cancer. A trans fatty acid rich and fiber-poor diet is the cause behind the rise in cancer risk. From this aspect, she must control her weight by changing her daily eating habit. She takes many sweets such as cakes, cookies and ice cream. Sweets provide calories but little else nutritionally. It is necessary for her to limit these sweets.
Both of them too much eat fatty food. First of all, they should reduce the quantity of animal fat they eat, such as beef and pork, because these meats contain plenty of saturated fat, a kind of fat which is thought a risk factor of heart disease or cancer. Mr. Mine already has high blood pressure and occasionally experiences angina chest pains. These symptoms indicate that he is at a risk of heart attack. So he needs to change his eating habit as fast as he can. He must switch to less fatty food such as tofu and natto. Mrs. Mine can control her weight by the same method. And, she had better eat konnyaku instead of sweets. They both need moderate exercise, like walking, 30 minutes a day.
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