Food Planning for Eid

Eid is the most important festival for Muslims. To stay fit in this festive time, we have to be more conscious about our eating habits, especially for Eid ul-Azha. A proper diet planning is necessary to reduce fat and cholesterol from our food. We could, for example, place some cholesterol controlling food (such as soluble fibre) beside beef and mutton. Some vegetables and fruits are rich in soluble fibre like long yard bean, kidney bean, carrot, apple, guava etc. The amount of cholesterol and fat in beef and mutton could differ depending on its position. For example, leg pieces contain less cholesterol and more protein than breast pieces. A 100g liver contains 400mg cholesterol and 100g brain contains 2500ml cholesterol. Similarly, 100gm beef contains 122mg cholesterol and 100gm mutton contains 95-100mg cholesterol. Some healthy cooking recipes can also contribute to reduce cholesterol from food. Oil is the first preference for these. We should use oil with unsaturated fat (vegetable oil) for cooking beef and mutton. For kebab, we can choose shallow frying instead of deep frying. The use of lemon juice, garlic, vinegar in cooking can help to absorb excess oil. We should also cut down the fatty portion of beef and mutton before cooking. Those who have high blood cholesterol levels should boil beef and mutton in water and wash out the visible fat. After cooking we can also separate extra oil and fat from the food, when it floats to the top.