Many people who have diabetes, high blood pressure or obesity also have one or more of the other conditions, although it may have gone unrecognized.

Individually, each of these conditions can lead to damage to the blood vessels, but together they are far more likely to do harm. People with these conditions in combination become much more likely to experience heart disease, stroke and other conditions related to problems with the blood vessels.

When a person has such a combination, they are said to have metabolic syndrome. This is also sometimes called insulin resistance syndrome (because one of the features is a very high level of the hormone insulin in the blood, which the body doesn't react to or is 'resistant' to) or syndrome X.

Metabolic syndrome is very common and becoming more so. In the United States, surveys estimate that as many as one in four adults has metabolic syndrome and UK research suggests a similar number of people are affected here. It's more common in certain ethnic groups (such as Asian and Afro-Caribbean people) and among women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

The problems found in metabolic syndrome include:

• Central obesity, when fat is laid down around the abdomen, rather than spread evenly around the body
• Abnormal fat levels in the blood – specifically, high levels of triglycerides and low levels of HDL (or 'good') cholesterol, which can lead to arteriosclerosis (fatty plaques) on the walls of blood vessels
• High blood pressure
• Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance – an inability to use insulin properly or control blood sugar levels very well, which is a very important factor in metabolic syndrome
• A prothrombotic state – an increased tendency to make tiny clots in the blood
• A proinflammatory state – an increased tendency to inflammation

Metabolic syndrome is very complex and doctors are yet to work out exactly what goes on in the body at the level of the cells and molecules. However, there seem to be three contributory factors: an inherited genetic tendency, being overweight and physical inactivity.

It seems some people are born with a genetic tendency to develop insulin resistance. If they put on a lot of weight and don't do enough exercise, they become insulin resistant and develop the metabolic syndrome.

Although much more research has to be done to work out the relationship between different factors in metabolic syndrome, and how natural treatments might be used to help people, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk.

Lifestyle changes can make a big difference, preventing or delaying the development of serious disease. Losing weight and getting active are the top priority. A study conducted at the Baylor College of Medicine has revealed that drinking at least one glass of low sodium vegetable juice daily may help overweight people with metabolic syndrome lose weight.

The term ‘diet’ reminds everyone of boring, uninteresting, restrictive diets. Just the thought of it can repulse a lot of people from trying any diet. But the actual meaning of the terms ‘diet’ and ‘dieting’ are totally different from what is commonly understood. So, before we go into ‘why diet’, it is helpful to understand what the terms ‘diet’ and ‘dieting’ really mean. ‘Diet’ is the food we consume during any one given day. It includes all the food we eat (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks) and drinks we drink (water, juices, milk, hot and cold beverages).

‘Dieting’ means consuming suitable foods in a proper regulated fashion with specific goals. It can be a weight loss diet in case of overweight or obese people, weight gain diet in case of underweight people, or sports diet to increase the body mass of athletes and other sports people. There are clinical diets for specific health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, etc., where a particular type of diet is prescribed by a nutritionist or a healthcare professional according to the nutritional requirements of that particular health condition. In this book, we mainly learn about weight loss diet through interesting, colorful, attractive, tempting recipes using a variety of raw, fresh, healthy and nutritious foods. Many of you might have tried dieting before with varied results. Many of you might have lost little or no weight with the previous diets. Many of you might have given up on dieting altogether thinking ‘diets do not work’. You are right, starvation diets do not work.

Diet, as mentioned earlier, is the intake of food in a regulated fashion. A majority of an average western diet, and other diets are also picking up fast, consists mostly of refined and processed foods and a lot of animal-based foods. The consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds is getting minimal to completely absent.

These processed and refined foods are:

1. Loaded with refined carbohydrates, simple sugars, saturated animal fats, cholesterol, trans fats, all of which are not very healthy.
2. Deficient in dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates, unsaturated fats, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, the nutrients that promote health.

Processed and refined foods combined with large portion sizes and minimum or no physical activity, over a period of time, leads to excess weight gain and obesity. Excess weight gain often starts from a very young age. This is reflected in the increased number of overweight and obese children over the last few years, who are mistakenly considered ‘healthy’. Raw diet is rich in the good nutrients like dietary fiber, complex carbohydrates, unsaturated fats, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are actually good for your health. So, following a diet that has lots of fresh, healthy and nutritious foods that provide just enough nutrients and calories required to meet all the energy requirements of our body can effectively result in shedding off excess weight, building muscle and gaining stamina.

But make sure you get proper advice and support – research has shown that people who join a weight-loss group, for example, are more likely to lose weight and keep it off.

In terms of getting fit, join a gym or find a sport you enjoy. You are more likely to stick at it if you like what you are doing.

Some preventive treatments are also available from your GP. It is important to keep your blood pressure under control, and blood fat (cholesterol) and blood sugar (glucose) at healthy levels. But some blood pressure treatments, such as diuretics and beta blockers, can actually make metabolic syndrome worse.

By TTS Cofounder Botanical Chef Omid Jaffari