Experts warn about nutrition during Eid al-Adha

ISTANBUL

Experts warn people suffering from cardiovascular disease, heart failure, or hypertension about controlled nutrition ahead of Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice scheduled for July 31 through Aug. 3.

People with diabetes and gastroenterological diseases should control their food intake during Eid al-Adha, experts stressed.

“Those with chronic diseases should avoid heavy meals and not break the rules of nutrition. Because even having a fatty dish can be harmful to cardiovascular health,” said Regayip Zehir, an expert from University of Health Sciences in Istanbul. 

Noting that the consumption of red meat will increase significantly during Eid al-Adha, Zehir strongly recommended that individuals with heart diseases must reduce their consumption of red meat in their diets.

“It is very important to pay attention to portion size and cooking style. Excess meat consumption triggers blood pressure, uric acid and an increase in cholesterol. Red meat consumption is recommended no more than two days a week in a normal diet,” he said.

“Not consuming meat fat is one of the precautions that can be taken for heart health,” Zehir added. 

Eid al-Adha marks the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca during which large numbers of animals including sheep and cows get slaughtered as part of the feast and their meat gets distributed to the poor as a religious tradition in Islam.

For many Turks, Eid al-Adha also means reunion with members of the extended family at an abundant dinner table with the meat of the animal they sacrificed.

Zehir said that the meat should not be exposed to the grill flame and vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and carrots should be added to the grill.

Touching on salt consumption, the expert said that salt poses a serious danger for patients suffering from high blood pressure.

“Excessive salt intake can increase the risk of brain hemorrhage, stroke and heart attack by causing excessive rise in blood pressure. Therefore, salt consumption should be kept under five grams per day,” he added.