These five common sense health decisions will change your life

Health is complicated. But that's only because the science about it changes every few days. There's new research out every day, often a couple of times in a day, which confuses more than informs. That said there are some age-baked wellness truths that we all know about, have always know, but overlooked (often disregarded with disdain). Here's a list of new research that reiterates their validity. Maybe this is what you were waiting for.

1. Fried food is bad for us: Who doesn't know that! Now a spanking new study says the same. Research presented at the American Heart Association EPI/Lifestyle 2015 meeting reports that frequency of fried food consumption is the key. According to the report, risk for heart failure went up 23 per cent for men who ate fried food one to three times a week, 26 per cent for those who ate it four to six times a week, and 100 per cent for those eating fried foods seven times and more a week. Time to figure out where you stand, and then finally and firmly cut fried off.

2. Sound sleep: Surely you have noticed that you sleep better on days when your activity levels are higher. And if a day's spent couch hoarding, then sleep comes by only after a lot of tossing and turning. According to a study done by Condordia University, Canada each additional ten minutes of moderate physical activity lead to greater general sleep quality. Researchers further list watching television and computer use as factors associated with poorer sleep quality. Time to put the TV off, get off the couch and go take the dog for a walk maybe.

3. Break the fast: It is important to begin our day with a power packed breakfast. But still most of us just down coffee, and maybe munch on a toast or an apple if time permits. Well, do that only if you are really keen on becoming a diabetic. Research from the University of Missouri has found that those who have a high-protein breakfast maintain better glucose and insulin control than those who have lower-protein or no-protein meals. So maybe it's a good idea to follow what you have always known anyway - and eat a good sit down breakfast. Keep eggs/sprouts/nuts/lean cuts of meat/yoghurt/cottage cheese handy (and eat them too), and opt for a glass of milk over juice before heading out in the morning.

4. Ghee is good: Grandma believed that ghee is good for us. And she happily smeared it on rotis (and added to dal) everyday. But that was before it became a four letter word, and we began embracing vegetable oils (extracted from seeds - rapeseed, soybean, sunflower, safflower...) ever too warmly. This lead to a skewed omega6/omega 3 (both PUFAs or polyunsaturated fatty acids that the body needs) balance in our diet, which is a big triggering factor for many lifestyle diseases. It's time to get back to the earlier followed practice of having a little of all kinds (of fat sources) and not shun saturated fats (SF) totally. A spanking new study released in March 2014 by the University of Cambridge strongly states that it is actually excess carbohydrates and sugar in our diet that is more to be blamed rather than SF.

5. Just veg out: If for you, the choice between chicken and vegetables is a no brainer, with chicken winning every time (even if your brain is telling you otherwise) then maybe this research published in the journal The JAMA Network will help change your mind and make you eat less meat. It reported that vegetarianism is associated with reductions in risk for several chronic diseases, including hypertension, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease (IHD). So how about eating and enjoying some more of those leafy vegetables that you always sideline. Part vegetarianism is a great idea you know!