Q: My father has had heart failure. He is 72 years old. He is not a diabetic but has high blood pressure. What kind of a diet schedule should he follow?

Apart from taking a low fat diet, your father must restrict his salt intake. This is important, as heart failure patients are required to take less fluid. Extra salt must be strongly avoided and not more than five grams (one level teaspoon) is to be used while preparing his entire day’s meals.

The total amount of fluids he takes throughout the day needs to be measured as per your cardiologist’s prescription. This should include not just water but other drinks such as tea, milk, soups etc. Foods which are highly processed or spiced must be avoided. His meals need to be evenly spaced out and must be light ? under no circumstances should he overeat, as it may be detrimental to his cardiac status. Special emphasis must be laid on his dinner, which should be as light and easily digestible as possible. Make sure items that are difficult to digest and may cause gas, flatulence or any kind of abdominal discomfort are not included in his menu. Constipation can aggravate his problems, so adequate fibre in the form of whole-grain cereals, vegetables and fruits should form part of his daily diet.

However, it is best to consume these items little at a time and avoid them during the later part of the day to prevent gastric discomfort. Thick gravies, dressings, heavy dals like chole, rajma, pickles, fried foods, desserts and other preparations of whole milk, red meat, egg yolk and saturated fats such as butter, ghee, margarine, cheese and confectioneries are not recommended for him.

Q: Are genetically modified foods nutritious? Do they harm us in any way?

The nutritive values of genetically engineered foodstuffs are in no way less or inferior to naturally grown ones. The modifications are carried out to eliminate the harmful components, to decrease spoilage, or incorporate/increase nutrition in the products.

While growing genetically modified crops, care is taken so that the genes altered or introduced do not harm the consumer in any way. However, it is difficult for people to procure such food due to their high cost and non-availability.