The final installment of my “American Hearth Month” theme for February I continue with heart disease issues on this and my other blog NewMexicoWellness.blogspot.com. Here continues the discussion of heart healthy foods.
Since 1999 the FDA approved a claim on foods containing 6.25 grams of soy protein be allowed to carry a claim on its label/packaging that is can lower the risk of heart disease when combined with a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
However, nutrition is a science. And like any science, we must evolve and as new evidence reveals itself, we need to revise information and be responsible and provide that information to the public.
Research regarding food, nutrition, and how it is beneficial, or not as beneficial as we once thought, to our health reveals itself and we must bring that information forward to the public.
About a year ago, the FDA began its open comment period regarding the claim of soy protein and coronary heart disease. The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association chose to respond based on reviewing scientific literature and the effects of soy protein and isoflavones on the many risk factors for heart disease including blood pressure, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides.
Based on the AHA information and review of research since 1999, research indicates that large amounts of soy protein needs to be consumed, and that more than half of our protein needs to come from soy, and it may have a positive effect on LDL-cholesterol by a few points only when it replaces animal protein. The data also reveals that this occurs mainly in individuals who already have high cholesterol, and only affects the LDL-cholesterol and does not affect HDL, triglycerides, or blood pressure.
In the end, the AHA recommended to the FDA, that the soy and heart disease health claim be reevaluated, especially since the current data is less conclusive than what is once was.
Many people tell me that people in China or Japan eats a lot of soy and suffer very little from heart disease. While this may be true, I don’t know statistics myself, I remind people that we in the United States cannot take bits and pieces of peoples diet and/or lifestyle from another country and apply it to ourselves. If we wish to do that, we need to go to the beginning of our life and start over – or embrace the entire lifestyle: walk to market, work in a field, take on the entire lifestyle and genetic history of the country we wish to emulate. It just doesn’t cross over to the U.S.
Bottom line on soy and heart health: it isn’t as great as we once thought it was a helping to lower LDL-cholesterol. You can continue to eat/drink your soy, but it may not be helping your heart as much.
Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well - and enjoy your soy.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
For Your Heart - Plant Sterols/Stanols
The fourth installment of my “American Hearth Month” theme for February I continue with heart disease issues on this and my other blog NewMexicoWellness.blogspot.com. Here continues the discussion of heart healthy foods.
Plant sterols and stanols are forms of phytosterols. These are components in plants that are similar to cholesterol in animals in their form and function. Many people don’t realize that cholesterol found in animals, we make our own cholesterol in our liver, and not found in plants or foods that come from plants at all. (Peanut butter never had cholesterol since it comes from a plant!)
We get plant sterols and stanols in our diet primarily from plants (fruits, vegetables, beans, grains) and in some foods that have been fortified with them. But why do we care about plant sterols and stanols, and why are foods being fortified with them?
For over 50 years now, researchers have looked at the effects of plant sterols and stanols on our blood cholesterol, more specifically how it helps lower LDL-cholesterol (the one we want to be low).
We do consume plant sterols and stanols regularly, assuming that we are consuming plant foods…ahem… However, the amount needed to have a difference in our cholesterol levels is higher than what we can reasonably consume through diet.
So, innovations in food manufacturing in the past five to ten years have included plant sterols and stanols in foods such as margarine, salad dressing, yogurt, and orange juice. There are also dietary supplements that contain plant sterols to help lower cholesterol.
Even if you consume these foods with the plant sterols and stanols – generally need 1.3 grams/day of plant sterols or 3.4 grams/day of plant stanols – you still need to consume a low saturated fat diet and watch the dietary cholesterol. Just as when you are taking prescriptions to help lower cholesterol, it does not mean you can still eat an unhealthy diet.
So, eat a variety of plant foods, and if you have high cholesterol or want to keep it healthy, consider integrating additional plant sterols and stanols into your regular diet.
Plant sterols and stanols are forms of phytosterols. These are components in plants that are similar to cholesterol in animals in their form and function. Many people don’t realize that cholesterol found in animals, we make our own cholesterol in our liver, and not found in plants or foods that come from plants at all. (Peanut butter never had cholesterol since it comes from a plant!)
We get plant sterols and stanols in our diet primarily from plants (fruits, vegetables, beans, grains) and in some foods that have been fortified with them. But why do we care about plant sterols and stanols, and why are foods being fortified with them?
For over 50 years now, researchers have looked at the effects of plant sterols and stanols on our blood cholesterol, more specifically how it helps lower LDL-cholesterol (the one we want to be low).
We do consume plant sterols and stanols regularly, assuming that we are consuming plant foods…ahem… However, the amount needed to have a difference in our cholesterol levels is higher than what we can reasonably consume through diet.
So, innovations in food manufacturing in the past five to ten years have included plant sterols and stanols in foods such as margarine, salad dressing, yogurt, and orange juice. There are also dietary supplements that contain plant sterols to help lower cholesterol.
Even if you consume these foods with the plant sterols and stanols – generally need 1.3 grams/day of plant sterols or 3.4 grams/day of plant stanols – you still need to consume a low saturated fat diet and watch the dietary cholesterol. Just as when you are taking prescriptions to help lower cholesterol, it does not mean you can still eat an unhealthy diet.
So, eat a variety of plant foods, and if you have high cholesterol or want to keep it healthy, consider integrating additional plant sterols and stanols into your regular diet.
Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well - and toast to the plant sterols.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
For Your Heart - Fish
Continuing with the “American Hearth Month” theme for February I continue with heart disease issues on this and my other blog NewMexicoWellness.blogspot.com. Here continues the discussion of heart healthy foods.
Fish is the next thing on the list of heart healthy foods. Now this list is in no particular order, but I tend to start with the oatmeal and nuts, since it is easier to start the day with those items. But because fish is the third item or food category I mention does not mean it isn’t more important than the next foods I mentions, or less important than the previous foods mentioned.
What makes fish so special?
Certain fish (and I’ll tell you soon which ones) contain omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fats are good for us, and have particular benefit to those who are at risk for heart disease, regardless of where that risk comes from.
Fish is a great source of protein, but doesn’t contain a lot of the saturated fat that some of the other animal products can contain. It does contain fat though, but the good ones as already mentioned. Which can
Omega-3 fats are both eicosapentaenic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and have been shown to help reduce inflammation in the body.
This is what makes fish so special…
What fish is special?
Not all fish falls into the category of being high in omega-3’s and therefore being beneficial to you and your risk of heart disease. Fish like salmon, herring, mackerel, albacore tuna, anchovies, and lake trout are the ones you need to shoot for. The good news here is that if you come from a land locked area/state, like say, New Mexico, with the exception of the trout, these are are all the fish you can commonly find in a can!
Unhealthy Fish!
The fish that I tell people to avoid – fried fish. That lake trout is only going to be good for you if you grill, bake or broil it. If you bread and fry any fish in oil – even canola or olive oil, this just isn’t going to be a healthy option.
Also, there are mercury warnings for some classes of fish, so if you are eating fish more than twice a week, check the Environmental Defense Fund Website for a great chart on safe fish choices.
How much?
Adults without heart disease the recommendation is to eat a wide variety of fatty fish (the ones mentioned above) at least twice a week. One serving is 3-6 ounces.
Eat Well, Live Well, and Be Well – and enjoy
Fish is the next thing on the list of heart healthy foods. Now this list is in no particular order, but I tend to start with the oatmeal and nuts, since it is easier to start the day with those items. But because fish is the third item or food category I mention does not mean it isn’t more important than the next foods I mentions, or less important than the previous foods mentioned.
What makes fish so special?
Certain fish (and I’ll tell you soon which ones) contain omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fats are good for us, and have particular benefit to those who are at risk for heart disease, regardless of where that risk comes from.
Fish is a great source of protein, but doesn’t contain a lot of the saturated fat that some of the other animal products can contain. It does contain fat though, but the good ones as already mentioned. Which can
Omega-3 fats are both eicosapentaenic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and have been shown to help reduce inflammation in the body.
This is what makes fish so special…
What fish is special?
Not all fish falls into the category of being high in omega-3’s and therefore being beneficial to you and your risk of heart disease. Fish like salmon, herring, mackerel, albacore tuna, anchovies, and lake trout are the ones you need to shoot for. The good news here is that if you come from a land locked area/state, like say, New Mexico, with the exception of the trout, these are are all the fish you can commonly find in a can!
Unhealthy Fish!
The fish that I tell people to avoid – fried fish. That lake trout is only going to be good for you if you grill, bake or broil it. If you bread and fry any fish in oil – even canola or olive oil, this just isn’t going to be a healthy option.
Also, there are mercury warnings for some classes of fish, so if you are eating fish more than twice a week, check the Environmental Defense Fund Website for a great chart on safe fish choices.
How much?
Adults without heart disease the recommendation is to eat a wide variety of fatty fish (the ones mentioned above) at least twice a week. One serving is 3-6 ounces.
Eat Well, Live Well, and Be Well – and enjoy
Monday, February 2, 2009
For Your Heart - Nuts
Continuing with the “American Hearth Month” theme for February I continue with heart disease issues on this and my other blog NewMexicoWellness.blogspot.com. Here continues the discussion of heart healthy foods.
Nuts tend to scare people off due to their high fat content. While nuts are high in fat (and in calories) the primary fat in most popular nuts is the healthy kind – unsaturated fat.
Unsaturated fats, the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, which have mostly positive benefits on your cholesterol (meaning lower LDL, and improved HDL) is a good thing.
What else is in nuts that are good for your heart? It is a plant, so it has fiber. A high fiber diet helps lower cholesterol and which reduces risk of heart disease. Nuts have vitamin E and selenium, which are antioxidants. Antioxidants can help prevent the aging of the arteries and keep them elastic as well as helping reduce the risk of blood clots.
And when referring to nuts, this includes walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans, pine nuts, hazelnuts (aka filberts) macadamias, and peanuts (even though it is technically a legume). You can also include seeds as well and get some health benefits from them, such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds.
Coconut is a nut, but is full of saturated fat, which is not good for your heart. It raises LDL cholesterol and can be truly unhealthy when consumed on a regular basis.
Now keep this in mind – when integrating nuts in your diet, make sure you are replacing them for something else in your diet and not adding them. One servings or one-ounce of nuts is about 180 calories (one small handful or about ¼ cup). So, if you started adding that every day without taking something away – could add 15-20 pounds over the course of a year! You have got to make sure you are adding them in after you take something out.
Oh yes, and if it is covered in chocolate or salt, it’s not so healthy for you, so go for the plain nuts! Save a chocolate covered nut for a special occasion and make sure it is dark chocolate too.
Eat Well, Live Well, and Be Well – with a handful of unsalted nuts.
Nuts tend to scare people off due to their high fat content. While nuts are high in fat (and in calories) the primary fat in most popular nuts is the healthy kind – unsaturated fat.
Unsaturated fats, the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, which have mostly positive benefits on your cholesterol (meaning lower LDL, and improved HDL) is a good thing.
What else is in nuts that are good for your heart? It is a plant, so it has fiber. A high fiber diet helps lower cholesterol and which reduces risk of heart disease. Nuts have vitamin E and selenium, which are antioxidants. Antioxidants can help prevent the aging of the arteries and keep them elastic as well as helping reduce the risk of blood clots.
And when referring to nuts, this includes walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans, pine nuts, hazelnuts (aka filberts) macadamias, and peanuts (even though it is technically a legume). You can also include seeds as well and get some health benefits from them, such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flax seeds.
Coconut is a nut, but is full of saturated fat, which is not good for your heart. It raises LDL cholesterol and can be truly unhealthy when consumed on a regular basis.
Now keep this in mind – when integrating nuts in your diet, make sure you are replacing them for something else in your diet and not adding them. One servings or one-ounce of nuts is about 180 calories (one small handful or about ¼ cup). So, if you started adding that every day without taking something away – could add 15-20 pounds over the course of a year! You have got to make sure you are adding them in after you take something out.
Oh yes, and if it is covered in chocolate or salt, it’s not so healthy for you, so go for the plain nuts! Save a chocolate covered nut for a special occasion and make sure it is dark chocolate too.
Eat Well, Live Well, and Be Well – with a handful of unsalted nuts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)