A stent, low fats and high spirits

Two days after his arrival from Australia and a day after he had a stent shoved up into one of his arteries, my friend Roger Galway sat up brightly in bed and watched as a young woman made her way into the hospital room.

- SAMAR HALARNKAR

She said, "What would you like to have for dinner, sir?" She was the dietician. "What I would like to have," he said, "you can't give me a biryani." She smiled. "I can't give you a biryani, sir, but perhaps a khichdi?" She felt sorry for him and eventually promised a chicken curry.

Making lifestyle changes after a cardiovascular event can be challenging. I should know. It's been 12 years since the shock to my system. It took two years before I could figure out what was good for my body, as I tried to create a new version of myself. A former sportsman who played competitive cricket, hockey and football but let things slide in middle age—enjoying his regular beer and steak Down Under—my friend now faces the challenge of figuring out how to make the most of his second chance.

So it is for the millions who join the ranks of India's widening epidemic of cardiovascular events. To those who enjoy their food and drink—as do I, and as does my friend—making lifestyle changes can be harder than we realise. Once these changes become a habit, though, it becomes much easier to limit oil, alcohol, red meat and other things that we take so much for granted in many Indian cuisines.