“We normally eat in haste and most of the time try to finish off a meal in a few minutes. By doing so, we end up not realising the full energy from the food consumed. If we cut the meal into half and spend more time eating it, the energy produced will be more, food will be digested better and we will not feel heavy or sleepy after the meals,” he said.

The simple formula, according to the doctor, is to consciously reduce the quantity of food and double the time taken to consume it.

“It is a common practice in the West where some families spend an hour or more on the dining table, taking their meals at leisure,” he added.

If such a diet regime is followed, believes the doctor, one doesn’t need to pump irons in the gym and a simple walk would serve the purpose of maintaining the ideal body weight. In fact, encouraged by the results of his methods on the patients over a few months, Sharma says, he has advocated the method to a large number of his other patients. With cardiovascular diseases on the rise in developing countries like India, the changing lifestyle and dietary habits are tipped as the main cause.

“The problem is that Indians consume more of junk food now and their physical exercise is minimal. Genetically too, Indians are prone to cardiovascular diseases than their counterparts in the western countries,” said another doctor.