Healthy Heart South Asian Diet
by Lalita Kaul
Trade Paper: 7 1/2" x 10", 212 pp.
ISBN: 1-59663-756-0, $16.95
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HHSAD Healthy Heart South Asian Diet, paper             

 

On July 27, 2007, The Embassy of India, Washington, D.C. held a reception, presentation, and dinner for Howard University Medical College Professor, Dr. Lalita Kaul. Dr. Kaul spoke to members of the diplomatic, scientific, medical, and press community on her recent book Healthy Heart South Asian Diet, detailing a practical program for a sustainable healthy heart diet. 


This timely and carefully delineated book touches on a subject that could hardly be more topical or more useful. The risks of heart disease have been thoroughly documented for all segments of the population, and though this work deals with a very specific target group, the lessons to be gleaned from it are universal, and the popularity of the culinary styles of Southeast Asia guarantees its applicability to us all.

In the first section of the book, Dr. Kaul examines the root causes of heart disease, both inherited and environmental; in a fashion that is both concise enough to hold the layman’s focus and detailed enough to allow all of us regardless of our scientific background (or lack thereof) to understand. She narrows the focus to South Asian Americans and shows how their genetic profile raises their susceptibility to cardiovascular disease. Coupled with the increased availability of fatty foods and their own broadly increasing prosperity, special efforts are needed to maintain their cardiovascular health. She moves on into a very detailed yet succinct "recipe" for a healthy heart that applies to all of us, regardless of our ethnic makeup.

Dr. Kaul also profiles the dangers inherent in four popular cooking styles: Chinese, Mexican, Indian/Pakistani and Fast food. If you enjoy any or all of the above foods, she offers examples of both the healthiest and most dangerous items on the menu. For example, beans, rice and bread are all significant and healthy ingredients in Indian cooking: many- items, however, are prepared using clarified butter or coconut oil, which makes them unnecessarily high in saturated fats. With fast foods, avoid cheese sauce, sour cream and salad dressing. Go for a baked potato or a grilled chicken sandwich. Dr. Kaul makes it clear that there are healthy choices available no matter where you find yourself.

This next section offers over 90 recipes, ranging from Cracked Wheat Porridge to Spinach Soup to Turkey Seekh Kababs and Kheer (a rice pudding). All are low in fat and cholesterol and many will significantly raise your fiber intake. These are not to be found in any other "how to" books on heart disease, and represent the ‘hands on’ application of the lessons learned in the earlier chapters. There are dishes from all of the South Asian cultures, and reworkings of other, more familiar foods, more than enough to keep even a very ambitious cook busy for a year.

Among other things, this book includes a risk profile questionnaire; detailed tables listing the Calories, Fat grams and Cholesterol of a wide variety of specific foods; similar breakdowns for dishes from fast food restaurants; lists of high fiber foods; and a Glossary that includes weights and measures, a number of south Asian ingredients and spices and the medical terminology pertinent to heart disease and diet. For anyone interested in further research, the reference section is a gold mine.

About the Author: Lalita Kaul, PhD, RD, LD, LN

Dr. Kaul received her PhD from the University of Maryland. She is Professor of Nutrition in the Department of Community and Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Howard University (HU), Washington, DC. Dr. Kaul teaches medical students, residents and other health professionals.

Her area of expertise includes hypertension, overweight, obesity, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia, vegetarianism, and general nutrition. In addition, she has taught nutrition in several settings and has provided leadership for National and International conferences. She is the Director of Bariatric Clinic and has published over 40 papers. She is a member of Sigma XI, American Dietetic Association (ADA), NY Academy of Science, American Institute of Nutrition, American Institute of Clinical Nutrition, North American Association for the Study of Obesity and American Diabetes Association. She is listed in Who’s Who in Diabetes Treatment, Education and Research. She is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Nutrition for the Elderly. She has received several grants for nutritional studies. She has also conducted workshops on obesity for lay people.

Dr. Kaul is a National Spokesperson for The American Dietetic Association. She has been interviewed by news media about ADA’s position on various diets and nutritional issues. Recently she was interviewed by the Washington Post about Chocolates and the importance of breakfast. She was also interviewed by the Washington Times about soft drinks in the schools. Recently she has published a book on obesity, Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity. The book has been received very well.

In the past, Dr. Kaul has worked in the White House Health Care Information Center and Presidential Correspondence Analysis. She was also a consultant at NIH. She was a pioneer in incorporating nutrition education in the medical curriculum at Howard University. She also developed a program for primary care physicians
HHSAD Healthy Heart South Asian Diet, paper