Very good thread. I actually talked about this with my dad the other day that why Bangladeshis end up getting things like heart attack, diabetes and high blood pressure. I'm no expert but I'd list some of the observations that I've seen.
1. Being fat and meaty is healthy while skinny means your not eating enough, A lot of times I get made fun of by Bangladeshis due to the fact that I'm so skinny. I'm about 125 pounds and 25 years old but many people think my health is not good and they'd point out my friend or cousin's health was good because he's meaty. Again I might be wrong but I've heard this a lot from Bangladeshis and this mentality really needs to go. Being fat is bad in all different ways. It puts pressure on your body and especially on your heart which is why many Bangladeshis die of heart attacks.
2. Bangladeshis rarely exercise. Again I could be wrong but from what I've seen, I hardly see Bangladeshis doing any type of exercise. Exercising gets your body active, blood running and in the end makes your metabolism faster. Without exercising or doing enough of it and eating bad will obviously make you gain fat. Just 15-20 minutes of treadmill running every other day can really help burn those calories and fat.
3. Finally, I feel Bangladeshis neglect going to the doctor. It's important to see how your body is doing and if you don't check up. Your body is like a machine. If you don't know what's wrong with it or don't feed it the necessary fuel, chances are your not maintaining your body the way your supposed to.
So this is the foods I recommend eating
Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Make it a habit to eat fruits 2-3 times a day. Apples, bananas, oranges, berries etc. These fruits are packed with vitamins, fiber and antioxidants. Likewise with vegetables. Make sure to eat 1-2 times a day. Again they are packed with nutrients and make you feel great day to day.
Carbs: Bangladeshis think of one thing and that's bhat, bhat and more bhat which is actually good. Rice is a good carb source but what can your bhat even better is adding brown rice. Brown rice is great again in fiber and bran. Brown rice makes you fuller fast which makes you eat less and therefore less calories. As Mufi bhai said, oatmeal is also great for you but get rolled or steel oats rather than instant or quick oats since the latter is more processed and less nutritious.
Protein: Another good thing Bangladeshis eat is lots of fish. Fish is great since they have fish oils that ensure a healthy heart and blood and packed with lean protein without much fat or cholesterol. Chicken is also a great source of lean protein. Whole eggs and nuts are great as well. If you have high cholosterol, eat less whole eggs and more egg whites.
It's hard to stay disciplined all the time of course so having a burger, pizza or fried chicken every once in a while won't hurt but don't make it a habit.
Now I finally want to talk about beef vs goat. The two favorite red meats for Bangladeshis. Goat is far more superior in having less calories, total and saturated fats, and in the mean time has more potassium, and more iron. So my suggestion, substitute goat with beef. Have beef but careful not to eat too much of it.
https://www.google.com/#q=beef+vs+goat+meat&safe=off
Sorry for my very long post. Hope this helps.
