Eating Your Way to Heart Health
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Your cardiovascular health greatly depends on what you eat. Which foods can harm you, and which ones are best to maintain a healthy heart?
By Eleanor Roberts, PhD
Medically reviewed by Philip Green, MDThe American Heart Association recommends eating a heart-healthy diet containing fruit, vegetables, fiber, low-fat dairy, lean meat, and foods with low amounts of salt and sugar. Getting into the habit of looking at food labels is a great way to see what’s going into your body.
Vegetables as Part of a Healthy Diet
The closer you get to the daily recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables, the more you improve your cardiovascular health.
Eat at least two servings of vegetables a day for the fiber and nutrients ideally including something from each of these five groups every week: dark greens, orange veggies, legumes (dried beans and peas), and starchy vegetables.
One serving equals:
One cup of cabbage, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, eggplant, or zucchini
One-half cup of sweeter, starchier vegetables like carrots, potatoes, or sweet potato
One-half cup of vegetable juice (but check the salt content, which can be high)Fruit as Part of a Healthy Diet
You should also have at least five servings of fruit a day. They can be canned (but not in syrup) or frozen, but the ideal choice is fresh fruit of many different colors — try a mixed fruit salad with yogurt. Dried fruit is great as a snack and fruit juice is easy to drink, but the sugar content may be high.
One serving equals:
One medium fruit
One-half cup frozen or canned fruit
One-quarter cup of dried fruitDairy as Part of a Healthy Diet
Dairy products include milk, butter, cheese, and yogurt; low-fat or fat-free is best. You need two to three servings a day.
One serving equals:
One cup of fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt
One-and-a-half ounce cup of fat-free or low-fat cheeseWhole Grains as Part of a Healthy Diet
Grains give you the fiber you need to digest your food. Although white bread, white pasta, and white rice count as grains, they are refined, meaning a lot of the fiber has been taken out; so look for the more healthy whole-grains. Six to eight servings a day is ideal, with a wide variety being the best.
One serving equals:
One slice of bread (preferably whole grain)
One ounce of cereal (preferably whole grain)
One half-cup cooked pasta, rice, or cereal (preferably brown)Nuts, Seeds, and Legumes
Nuts, seeds, and legumes (such as beans), contain fats — but they are the good fats your body needs. You don’t need them daily, but you should consume three to five servings per week.
One serving equals:
One-half cup of beans or peas (dry)
One-third cup of nuts
Two tablespoons of peanut butter
One-half ounce of seedsMeat, Poultry, and Fish
Seafood, and meats like pork, beef, and poultry, can all be part of a healthy diet. If you eat meat every day, go for lean cuts, and a good variety — avoid eating red meat every day. Try oily fish, like tuna, because it's high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that can lower the risk of heart disease by decreasing levels of triglycerides (a component of fat) in the blood. Two servings of meat per day are the most you should have.
One serving equals either three ounces of cooked meat — about the size of a computer mouse — or three ounces of grilled fish.
Fats in a Healthy Diet
There are healthy fats (mostly those in non-meat sources) and unhealthy ones (mostly from red meat). Many body components, including cell membranes, contain fats, so cutting out every single ounce of fat from the diet is not recommended. Fat should comprise between 20 percent to 35 percent of the calories in your diet — stick to two servings a day.
Trans fats — made by chemically treating vegetable fat — have been linked to the development of cardiovascular disease. They're found in some margarine, oils, cakes and other processed baked goods, and shortening. Trans fats increase the levels of “bad” low-density lipoproteins (LDL), which help build up cholesterol in the arteries, and decrease levels of “good” high-density lipoproteins (HDL), which can remove cholesterol. Many products list their trans fat content on the label. You should avoid it completely whenever possible.
One serving of fat equals:
One teaspoon of vegetable oil
One tablespoon of mayonnaise
One teaspoon of margarine
One tablespoon of regular salad dressing, or two tablespoons of low-fat salad dressingSugar and a Healthy Diet
If you are not an active person, you should eat very little sugar. Even if you are active, you should only have up to five servings of sugary foods per week. Check the labels for sugar contained in processed foods; while you may be getting a healthy amount of fiber in a can of baked beans, those beans could contain a lot of extra sugar as well.
One serving of sugar equals:
One cup of sweetened lemonade
One tablespoon of sugar, jam, or jelly
One-half cup of sorbet or icesSalt and a Healthy Diet
Many studies directly link high salt intake to high blood pressure and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, regardless of a person’s weight.. As with sugar, look for hidden salt in processed food by checking food labels. The recommended limit is 2,300 mg, about one teaspoon a day. Older adults and those with high blood pressure should have only 1,500 mg, about two-thirds of a teaspoon.
Making heart-smart dietary choices is a lot simpler than it may sound, especially once you get in the habit of healthy eating.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/heart-health/eat-healthy-foods.aspx?xid=aol_rss
This article contains many live links within the text in the original post.[/b
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Choose Whole Grains, Protect Your Heart
Whole grains are the heart-healthy choice because they're a great source of fiber, which boasts many health benefits. Here's what you should know about choosing whole grains.
By Kristen Stewart
Medically reviewed by Niya Jones, MD, MPHIt’s no secret that whole grains are one of the best sources of fiber. And every time you go to the bread or cereal aisle at the grocery store, you can find a myriad of products touting “whole-wheat,” “whole-grain,” or “12-grain,” to name a few. But what do these labels really mean, and which grains should you be buying and eating to help protect your heart?
What Are Whole Grains?
Whole grains are made up of three different parts: The bran, which is the outer layer and full of fiber; the endosperm, or smooth middle area; and the germ, the inner nutrient-rich area.
“Whole grains are comprised of exactly that — the whole grain, with all three components of the grain and all of the fiber and nutrients intact,” explains Hannah El-Amin, RD, CDE, a nutritionist with Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and owner of Nutrition That Fits, a nutrition counseling service.
On the other hand, refined or processed grains separate the bran and germ, leaving just the endosperm. This results in a smoother texture, but a lot of the fiber and nutrients are lost in the process. Bread is an example: All bread is made from flour, but the flour for whole-wheat bread uses the whole grain, whereas the flour in white bread is comprised of just the endosperm. This means you won’t get the benefits of fiber from eating white bread.
How Whole Grains Protect Your Heart (and More)
A diet rich in fiber offers numerous benefits. Research shows that fiber protects your heart by lowering triglycerides and cholesterol, decreasing blood pressure, and helping regulate blood sugar levels. A study performed at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago found that adults between 20 and 59 years old with the highest fiber intake had significantly lower risk of heart disease over their lifetimes as opposed to those with the lowest fiber intake.
There are many digestive benefits to fiber as well. “Fiber helps provide a sensation of fullness following a meal,” El-Amin says. “This is great for weight management.” It also helps promote regular digestion and helps protect against some types of cancer.
This article contains many live links within the text in the original post.
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any opinions about atkins?
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the true
@leatherbear:Your cardiovascular health greatly depends on what you eat. Which foods can harm you, and which ones are best to maintain a healthy heart?
By Eleanor Roberts, PhD
Medically reviewed by Philip Green, MDThe American Heart Association recommends eating a heart-healthy diet containing fruit, vegetables, fiber, low-fat dairy, lean meat, and foods with low amounts of salt and sugar. Getting into the habit of looking at food labels is a great way to see what’s going into your body.
Vegetables as Part of a Healthy Diet
The closer you get to the daily recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables, the more you improve your cardiovascular health.
Eat at least two servings of vegetables a day for the fiber and nutrients ideally including something from each of these five groups every week: dark greens, orange veggies, legumes (dried beans and peas), and starchy vegetables.
One serving equals:
One cup of cabbage, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, eggplant, or zucchini
One-half cup of sweeter, starchier vegetables like carrots, potatoes, or sweet potato
One-half cup of vegetable juice (but check the salt content, which can be high)Fruit as Part of a Healthy Diet
You should also have at least five servings of fruit a day. They can be canned (but not in syrup) or frozen, but the ideal choice is fresh fruit of many different colors — try a mixed fruit salad with yogurt. Dried fruit is great as a snack and fruit juice is easy to drink, but the sugar content may be high.
One serving equals:
One medium fruit
One-half cup frozen or canned fruit
One-quarter cup of dried fruitDairy as Part of a Healthy Diet
Dairy products include milk, butter, cheese, and yogurt; low-fat or fat-free is best. You need two to three servings a day.
One serving equals:
One cup of fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt
One-and-a-half ounce cup of fat-free or low-fat cheeseWhole Grains as Part of a Healthy Diet
Grains give you the fiber you need to digest your food. Although white bread, white pasta, and white rice count as grains, they are refined, meaning a lot of the fiber has been taken out; so look for the more healthy whole-grains. Six to eight servings a day is ideal, with a wide variety being the best.
One serving equals:
One slice of bread (preferably whole grain)
One ounce of cereal (preferably whole grain)
One half-cup cooked pasta, rice, or cereal (preferably brown)Nuts, Seeds, and Legumes
Nuts, seeds, and legumes (such as beans), contain fats — but they are the good fats your body needs. You don’t need them daily, but you should consume three to five servings per week.
One serving equals:
One-half cup of beans or peas (dry)
One-third cup of nuts
Two tablespoons of peanut butter
One-half ounce of seedsMeat, Poultry, and Fish
Seafood, and meats like pork, beef, and poultry, can all be part of a healthy diet. If you eat meat every day, go for lean cuts, and a good variety — avoid eating red meat every day. Try oily fish, like tuna, because it's high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that can lower the risk of heart disease by decreasing levels of triglycerides (a component of fat) in the blood. Two servings of meat per day are the most you should have.
One serving equals either three ounces of cooked meat — about the size of a computer mouse — or three ounces of grilled fish.
Fats in a Healthy Diet
There are healthy fats (mostly those in non-meat sources) and unhealthy ones (mostly from red meat). Many body components, including cell membranes, contain fats, so cutting out every single ounce of fat from the diet is not recommended. Fat should comprise between 20 percent to 35 percent of the calories in your diet — stick to two servings a day.
Trans fats — made by chemically treating vegetable fat — have been linked to the development of cardiovascular disease. They're found in some margarine, oils, cakes and other processed baked goods, and shortening. Trans fats increase the levels of “bad” low-density lipoproteins (LDL), which help build up cholesterol in the arteries, and decrease levels of “good” high-density lipoproteins (HDL), which can remove cholesterol. Many products list their trans fat content on the label. You should avoid it completely whenever possible.
One serving of fat equals:
One teaspoon of vegetable oil
One tablespoon of mayonnaise
One teaspoon of margarine
One tablespoon of regular salad dressing, or two tablespoons of low-fat salad dressingSugar and a Healthy Diet
If you are not an active person, you should eat very little sugar. Even if you are active, you should only have up to five servings of sugary foods per week. Check the labels for sugar contained in processed foods; while you may be getting a healthy amount of fiber in a can of baked beans, those beans could contain a lot of extra sugar as well.
One serving of sugar equals:
One cup of sweetened lemonade
One tablespoon of sugar, jam, or jelly
One-half cup of sorbet or icesSalt and a Healthy Diet
Many studies directly link high salt intake to high blood pressure and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, regardless of a person’s weight.. As with sugar, look for hidden salt in processed food by checking food labels. The recommended limit is 2,300 mg, about one teaspoon a day. Older adults and those with high blood pressure should have only 1,500 mg, about two-thirds of a teaspoon.
Making heart-smart dietary choices is a lot simpler than it may sound, especially once you get in the habit of healthy eating.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/heart-health/eat-healthy-foods.aspx?xid=aol_rss
This article contains many live links within the text in the original post.[/b
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any opinions about atkins?
The "new" version of the Atkins diet is extremely similar to the zone diet. I would just refer to that, high protein diets are fine, there's many athletes and bodybuilders who rely on them.
It was discovered the original version of the Atkins diet was "unhealthy" over long durations of time, so the protein and fat goals were pushed down and carbs were scaled up.
I think some people misunderstood why the Atkins diet works so they took it to extremes and were completely avoiding carbs (this is an extremely bad idea, you need carbs.)
Note: High protein diets are generally not associated with good heart health, which was the point of the original post. The reason for this is likely to be over consumption of certain fats and cholesterol, which is avoidable by varying protein sources, which is generally a good idea on any diet. So if the calculator tells you that you need 185g of protein a day, it's not a great idea to get that all from steak, bacon, and eggs.
