Diet and Food Guidance for Coronary Artery Disease

Diet is genuine heart medicine for CAD - not as a substitute for statins and stents, but as the daily foundation that decides whether plaque grows, stabilizes or regresses. The heart-healthy Indian plate is specific, practical and delicious once you get there.

The enemies - cut these honestly

• Fried and trans-fat food: samosa-pakora culture, bakery products with vanaspati, reused frying oil - the LDL-and-inflammation drivers. Occasional, not daily
• Excess salt: pickles, papads, namkeen, processed food - under 5 grams a day total (a teaspoon); blood pressure is a plaque accelerator
• Sugar and refined carbs: sweets, sweetened drinks, excess white rice-maida - they drive triglycerides, belly fat and diabetes
• Red meat heavy patterns and full-fat dairy in excess
• Alcohol: no cardiac benefit worth starting for; if drinking, modest limits - and zero in triglyceride problems

The friends - build the plate on these

• Vegetables and fruits: half the plate; leafy greens, gourds, beans, berries, citrus - fiber and potassium actively help cholesterol and BP
• Whole grains: whole wheat atta, brown rice, millets (jowar, bajra, ragi) - the traditional Indian grains are the modern advice