Festivals, promotions, bad moods—stop the sweets! Delhi cardiologist suggests alternative love habits

In Indian homes, affection often arrives wrapped in silver foil and soaked in sugar syrup. From celebrations to comfort rituals, sweets have quietly become the default language of care. But a Delhi cardiologist is asking families to pause and rethink this habit. Through a series of candid posts on X, Dr Shailesh Singh has sparked a conversation that feels deeply familiar, slightly uncomfortable, and urgently necessary for modern Indian households.

Dr Shailesh Singh, a Delhi-based cardiologist, recently pointed out how deeply sweets are woven into everyday emotional moments in India. Guests walking in are greeted with mithai. A promotion is celebrated with laddoos. Festivals feel incomplete without sugar-laden treats. Even low moods are brushed away with a gentle nudge to eat something sweet. According to him, the issue is not love or togetherness, but the way love is repeatedly expressed through sugar.

He made it clear that he is not asking families to care less. Instead, he urged people to discover healthier expressions of affection. Simple acts like going for a morning walk together, cooking a nourishing meal with intention, or accompanying a loved one to a medical checkup can speak volumes. For Dr Singh, real love is about adding years to someone’s life, not just sweetness to their plate.

What most people struggle with?

In another post on X, Dr Singh highlighted a struggle many patients silently face. Just when someone tries to change their eating habits, the family often steps in with well-meaning persuasion. A little won’t hurt. One sweet makes no difference. It’s a festival, forget the diet today. He noted that in many Indian households, love is served generously with sugar and ghee, turning the dining table into a battleground. While the patient fights the disease, the harder fight often unfolds at home.


Dr Singh also shared a striking comparison that reframed how people think about wealth and health. He contrasted a person earning Rs 2 lakh a month, taking barely 500 steps a day and investing nothing in health, with a house-help earning Rs 8,000 a month, walking nearly 15,000 steps daily. His question was simple yet unsettling. Who is truly richer? And who is more likely to need a cardiologist first? His message was blunt. Money cannot replace what regular movement gives freely.

Why is walking beneficial for health?

he Mayo Clinic notes that staying active does not require complex workouts or gym routines. Even a simple habit like brisk walking every day can quietly transform overall health. Regular walking supports weight control, helps reduce body fat, and lowers the risk of serious conditions such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. It also improves heart and lung fitness, builds stronger muscles and bones, boosts stamina, and enhances balance and coordination. Beyond the physical gains, walking lifts mood, sharpens memory, improves sleep, strengthens immunity, and eases stress. The Mayo Clinic adds that increasing pace, distance, or frequency amplifies results, while mixing fast and slow walking through intervals burns more calories and improves fitness in less time.