To keep your heart healthy, you need to choose the right foods. Statistics show that heart disease is one of the major killer diseases in the US and UK, with more than 2500 people dying of heart disease each day in the US alone.
Though the scenario is equally alarming in UK, where coronary heart disease kills well over 100,000 a year, the encouraging news is that simply by making the right lifestyle and diet choices you can protect yourself against heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases. Following a heart healthy diet can also help you lose weight, and helps maintain your weight at optimum level.
How can a heart healthy diet protect my heart?
To help prevent all the cardiovascular diseases – coronary heart disease, heart attack, angina, stroke - you should pay attention to your blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol, a fatty substance made by the liver, does have various uses in the body, but if its level in your blood is too high then the cholesterol can create plaque deposits on the inner walls of arteries, which then narrow and harden. This hinders the flow of blood, and if an artery becomes completely blocked, preventing blood from flowing to part of the heart, you could end up the victim of a heart attack. High blood cholesterol can also lead to raised blood pressure, as the heart has to work harder to pump the blood through the narrowed arteries.
A heart-healthy diet can help protect your heart by:
* Lowering your cholesterol.
* Keeping your arteries in good shape, free of deposits and flexible.
* Maintaining your blood pressure within the normal range.
* Helping you to lose weight if you need to, and then maintain your weight loss.
* Being good for your general wellbeing, and also protecting you against other cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and some forms of cancer.
What constitutes a heart healthy diet?
Here are some guidelines to help you choose a diet that's good for your heart.
* Cut down on saturated fats (from animal products like meat and dairy foods) and trans fats (found in many processed foods). Substitute with vegetable oils such as olive, canola and sunflower.
* Cut down as far on red meat and high-fat animal-derived foods. Get more of your daily proteins from fish, lentils, beans and lower fat meats, such as skinned chicken breast.
* Reduce the amount of high-sugar, high-fat junk foods you eat. Cut them out completely if possible.
* Choose whole grains foods whenever you can. Look for wholewheat pasta, wholemeal bread, whole grain unsweetened breakfast cereals.
* Make sure you get at least five portions a day of fruits and vegetables. Pick a range of colours to get a good variety of nutrients, and try to eat more veg than fruit overall.
* Snack on a handful of nuts and seeds (especially, walnuts, almonds, flaxseeds) daily – they contain a special kind of heart-healthy fats called omega-3 fatty acids, also found in fatty fish and olive oil.
* Sodium is a mineral found in salt, and eating too much of it can raise your blood pressure. The Recommended Daily Amount of sodium in the US is under 2400mg, the amount found in one teaspoon of salt. The RDA of sodium in the UK is lower, at 1600mg. Yet processed foods are often high in salt/sodium, and can easily increase your intake up to four or five teaspoons a day. Read labels for sodium content. A low-sodium food should contain no more than 0.1g sodium per 100g. Avoid high-sodium foods, which could have 0.5g of sodium per 100g or more. Don't add extra salt in cooking, or at the table.
* Cut down on alcohol. Limited intake of red wine is considered healthy.
* Alongside your heart healthy diet, aim to take more exercise, and quit smoking altogether.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Super Foods - the 10 Healthiest Foods
The 10 Healthiest Foods
- 1 Berries
Berries are extremely rich in antioxidants which help protect the cells in our bodies from diseases like cancer. They are also an excellent source of Vitamin C and soluble fiber. - 2 Broccoli
Broccoli (and other cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and cabbage) helps fight cancer, especially affecting the breast, colon and lung. It boosts the immune system. - 3 Citrus Fruits
The citrus bioflavanoids in oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit have anti-cancer - 4 Garlic
Numerous studies have shown that garlic can lower blood pressure and decrease LDL cholesterol (the "bad" one) while increasing the good HDL cholesterol. - 5 Nuts
Walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids that protect us against heart disease. Almonds can also help lower LDL cholesterol levels. - 6 Oats
Oats help reduce cholesterol. Oats are also an excellent grain for diabetics as they have less impact on blood sugar levels than some other grains. - 7 Salmon
The Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon and other fatty fish may help prevent heart disease and stroke. - 8 Spinach
Spinach's secret weapon, lutein, makes it one of the best foods in the world to prevent cataracts, as well as age related macular degeneration, the primary cause of preventable blindness in the elderly. - 9 Tomatoes
Tomatoes contain high levels of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps to protect against cancer, particular cancer of the prostate. - 10 Turkey
Turkey is especially lean and low in calories, making it an excellent healthy food choice. Turkey also contains selenium which has been shown to inhibit cancer development, improve the immune system, and aid in the metabolism of our thyroid hormone.
The top 10 healthiest foods, or "super foods", are easy to fit into a healthy diet. By consuming these super foods on a regular basis you can easily gain many health benefits.
Healthy Breakfasts
It’s never a good idea to skip breakfast, because you’ll start the day with low blood sugar. Half-way through the morning, your energy and concentration will start to flag – and that’s the moment when you’re most likely to grab a sweet and unhealthy snack to tide you over. So make it a priority, to fix a good breakfast for kids, and for yourself.
For sustaining and healthy breakfasts, choose a combination of protein and carbohydrates, that will help to keep blood sugar consistent until lunchtime. Porridge made with milk is a good choice, but there are lots of other possibilities.
For sustaining and healthy breakfasts, choose a combination of protein and carbohydrates, that will help to keep blood sugar consistent until lunchtime. Porridge made with milk is a good choice, but there are lots of other possibilities.
Fresh fruit
It’s easy to include a couple of portions of your five a day at breakfast. A glass of fruit juice, or a shake or smoothie made with fruit is one. For another, add chopped fruit to cereal, or enjoy it by itself. Fruit salad is refreshing, especially in summer, or try a dried fruit compote.
Cereals
Many of us turn to cereal out of habit – but always check the pack, and choose a healthy breakfast cereal. Many varieties are laden with sugar and salt, and have very little nutritional value. Try mixing your own muesli blend with oatmeal, whole grains, seeds, nuts and dried fruit, then add fresh fruit. Serve cereal with milk or soy milk, or try pouring on fruit juice, instead. Especially good with muesli.
Porridge
If you’ve 5-10 minutes to spare, make yourself a bowl of creamy porridge. Oats are high in fiber and contain vitamin E and some B vitamins, as well as iron, calcium and other minerals. Using milk in porridge adds more calcium, a mineral that’s vital for women, who often don’t have a high enough intake. Make your porridge even better, by stirring in grated apple, raisins or nuts while it’s cooking.
Dairy
Use skimmed or semi-skimmed milk in drinks or on cereal. Soy or oat milk substitutes have a creamy texture which is very pleasant with cereal. They do have a tendency to separate in hot drinks, so let your coffee or tea cool before adding. Live yogurt is a good breakfast food. Choose a low fat variety and top with nuts, seeds or fresh fruit.
Bread and bakery
Wholegrain bread often tastes even better toasted, and is perfect for an easy breakfast. Its rougher texture makes for crisper, tastier toast. Spread with low fat spread and a little jam, honey or peanut or other nut butter. Muffins and pastries are a no-no if you buy them from snack bars or cafes, where they are usually very high in sugar and saturated fat, and quite possibly packed with hydrogenated veg oils into the bargain.
Drinks
Coffee and tea are the traditional choice, and hard to give up if you love them. Stick to decaffeinated if you can. Wean yourself off, by gradually cut down on the number of cups you have during the day. For a zippy start to the day, reach for herb teas or dandelion coffee, or try a slice of lemon in hot water before breakfast to really wake you up.
HEALTHY BREAKFASTS: COOKED
There’s no need to give up on cooked breakfast just because you want to eat healthily. Ok, the traditional fry-up is heavy on fat and salt, but it’s very possible to cut down and still have a hearty breakfast. Try these suggestions:
- Choose low-fat and low-salt sausages and bacon, and grill. Trim most of the fat from bacon.
- Poach, coddle or scramble eggs rather than frying, or try an omelette.
- Toast that slice of bread, rather than frying it, and spread with low-fat spread. Use wholegrain bread rather than white.Slice and poach button mushrooms in milk or a little water. For a crispier finish, buy portabella or flat cap mushrooms, slice, brush with a little oil and bake in the oven or grill. Just gotta fry something? Use olive or sunflower oil rather than butter or lard, and drain foods on kitchen paper to soak up surplus fat before serving.
- Add healthy ingredients to a cooked breakfast – tomatoes, baked beans. Or try fish for brekkie: smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.
ESSENTIAL FAST FOOD FACTS
Fast food, junk food, processed food, ready-meals.
Whatever label you give it, it all comes down to the same thing – food that's been through the factory and had much of its goodness removed. Here are the essential fast food facts you need to know.
Fast Food Facts: 1 – laden with additives
A quick look at any food label will show you a long, long list of ingredients. But what are those food additives, which so often we eat without questioning? Learning to understand and interpret food labels is vital for clued-up shopping, and will help you make informed choices.
Fast Food Facts: 2 – unhealthy ingredients
Processed foods are heavy on horribly unhealthy ingredients, and more often than not are loaded with
fats
sugar
salt
artificial additives
Many of these food additives, can have serious effects on long term health. The fact that many children have diets high in processed foods underlies the massive increase in childhood obesity.
Fast Food Facts: 3 – Essential nutrients missing
It's not just what's in fast foods that's alarming. What fast foods leave out has just as bad an impact on your health. This is what you're missing out on, when you eat processed foods:
Fibre (fiber) Fibre is essential to keep the gut working properly, yet many processed foods are almost totally devoid of it. It was there in the original fresh ingredients, like grain or vegetables, and has been pulverised out of existence by processing methods. Low fibre intake can lead to serious health problems.
Vitamins and minerals Subjecting foods to processing and refining, often at high temperatures, is a very effective way of robbing them of nutritional value. Some processed foods have added vitamins and minerals - often because those that were there to start with have been lost in processing! Others don't even pretend to be worth eating, and have rock-bottom or even non-existent nutritional value.
Fast Food Facts: 4 – Bad for health
These are some of the dire effects on health of diets which rely too much on fast and processed foods:
* Lethal diseases – cancer, coronary heart disease, diabetes – are linked with poor diet and overweight.
* Obesity in children and adults is at record levels and continues to increase.
* The lack of certain essential nutrients can cause behavioural problems in children and affect their ability to learn.
* A diet heavy in processed foods can lead to numerous other problems – rotten teeth, dry or spotty skin, bad breath, constipation, digestive problems, headaches, poor concentration, depression, tiredness, anaemia – the list goes on, and on, and on.
Fast Food Facts: 5 – Lacking flavour and texture
Junk foods are bland because processing wipes out subtle differences in flavour, appetising fragrances, delicate aromas. Of course, manufacturers try to hoodwink you into thinking you have a well-flavoured meal in front of you, by adding artificial flavours, colours and aromas. Yet the flavours never taste like food freshly prepared, from fresh and simple ingredients. Does a ready-made curry ever have real depth and balance in the spicing, a pasta dish lift the tastebuds with a fresh, pure tomato sauce, a fruit pie waft the rich, full scent of ripe apricots around the kitchen? I don't think so.
Fast Food Facts: 6 – Not as fresh as they seem
Some processed foods masquerade as fresh – think of bagged salads, which are doused in chlorinated water before packing. But if food has been wrapped or packaged in some way to give it added value, if it's been coated, or marinaded, or in any way processed, then since it was truly fresh it's been through the production chain – factory, holding depot, transport, shelf. It's kept looking good, maybe for days and days on end, by preservatives.
Those are the shocking, but true Fast Food Facts. No wonder so many people want to rethink their diets, and learn more about healthy eating.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Healthy eating and fast food can't exist side by side. As you switch to a healthy diet, one by one the fast foods must go.
* Learn to understand food labels. If you're looking for healthy food, labels hold the key. Read them. Realise how much rubbish is in the foods peddled by supermarkets and fast food outlets. Start seeking out healthier alternatives.
* As you gradually eradicate unhealthy foods from your diet, replace them with simple, fresh, unadulterated foods.
* Invest a little time in your food. Start cooking fresh ingredients, using easy healthy recipes.
* Begin shopping differently, buying fresh foods more frequently, relying less on foods which have a long shelf life because they're full of artificial preservatives, and buying for just one or two meals at a time. Take the quick reference healthy food list with you when you shop. It takes time to adjust, but over a few months, and with planning, you'll find that it's not that time-consuming and, what's more, you're actually enjoying planning, preparing and eating meals far more than when you trudged round the supermarket and couldn't find anything you really wanted to eat.
* In time, processed foods that used to seem appetising will lose their appeal, as your palate becomes attuned to fresher, purer flavours, with less emphasis on sweet/saltiness, and less fattiness.
* Be realistic. Sometimes you'll still have a take-away, a burger, a ready-meal. Relax. Healthy eating is all about balance. As long as most of the time you're eating good, nutritious food, that's fine.
Live 3 years longer - eat more fruit and veg
Research in progress at Cambridge University has calculated that eating five portions of fruit and veg a day can increase life expectancy by up to 3 years. Couple that with giving up smoking and taking more exercise, and you could increase your life span by 11 years.Even small additional amount of fruit or veg can make a worthwhile difference, researchers discovered, in their study of 25,000 people aged 45-79 in Norfolk, discovered. People who don't exercise can still benefit, simply by adding an apple or pear to their daily diet.
Americans less healthy than Brits?
I fear this is disturbing news for my pals across the pond, but according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, Americans are a darned sight less healthy than Brits. Americans aged 55-64 are up to twice as likely to have diabetes, lung cancer and high blood pressure as their English counterparts, and even the healthiest Americans have disease rates similar to the least healthy groups over here. Oh dear. The cause? A mixture of different healthcare systems, unknown factors - and diet/exercise. This helps explain why my favourite search term 'healthy eating' is tapped into Google three times in the UK, for every one search in the US. Could it be time to check out my healthy eating site, and make some much-needed changes?
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