Your Health
CLICK ON A LINK BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION:Maximize the fruits and vegetables in your diet. Include fruits and vegetables with every meal.
Minimize intake of "empty calories"... foods high in sugar and fat with little to no nutritional benefit.
Not all fats are bad. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are preferred over saturated and trans fats. Saturated and trans fats are proven to increase bad cholesterol levels and lead to "hardening of the arteries." Replacing these with mono and polyunsaturated fats has proven to decrease bad cholesterol levels. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to be very beneficial in decreasing health problems related to coronary artery disease. In fact the American Heart Association recommends taking in at least 1 gram of these fatty acids per day if you have coronary heart disease.
Not all carbohydrates are bad. Some carbohydrates such as simple sugars are absorbed quickly and make blood sugar levels rise rapidly. This leads to elevated insulin levels, which among other things tells your body to store this energy as fat. Complex carbohydrates are absorbed more slowly. Carbohydrates are important components of our diet, most dietary experts recommend at least 50% of all calories coming from carbohydrates. People with diabetes, pre-diabetes and obesity can benefit from limiting simple sugars which cause elevations in blood sugar and insulin levels. This is one of the principles behind popular diets such as the Atkins, Zone and American Diabetes Association diets.
Snacks: Substitute fruits, vegetables and nuts & whole grain products for foods high in sugar and fat.
Eat a variety of grain products, including whole grains. Choose 6 or more servings per day.
When eating meat, choose lean beef and poultry, not to exceed 6 ounces per day. Trim all obvious fat off meat before cooking.
Eat fish >3x per week, especially fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, tuna, sardines, herring, lake trout and mackerel.
Steam, boil, broil or bake. Avoid deep fried foods as much as possible.
Limit egg yolks to 3 per week. Substitute with "egg beaters" or other egg substitutes.
Limit foods high in saturated fat, trans fat and/or cholesterol, such as full-fat milk products, fatty meats, tropical oils, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and egg yolks.
Use skim milk products including ice milk and fat-free yogurt.
Use cholesterol free oils, especially those such as canola and olive oil, which have proven health benefits.
Instead of stick butter (high saturated fat) and stick margarines (often high in trans fats), choose liquid and tub margarines that have at least twice as much polyunsaturated fat as saturated fat.
Many products advertised as low in fat have increased sugar. Sugars are a main source of "empty calories"- foods with no nutritional benefit. The perfect example is soda. Minimize soda intake; drink diet soda if you must drink soda. Also minimize intake of other sugars such as candy, concentrated fruit drinks and most desserts.
Eat less than 4-6 grams of salt (sodium chloride) per day (2,400 milligrams of sodium).
Keep cold water in your fridge and try to drink water when thirsty instead of high calorie drinks like soda and juice. 8 glasses of water per day has been advocated.
Be careful not to use food as a reward or comfort. Motivate yourself with other rewards such as a new outfit if you attain your goal weight loss.
Limit eating out when possible, especially fast foods, deep fried foods and foods high in sugar and fat. When eating out, choose heart healthy foods such as lean meats, fish, salads, yogurts, fruits and vegetables. There are many delicious, healthy recipes that can be found in a variety of sources including the American Heart Association website.
Modern culture requires less physical activity and encourages the consumption of large amounts of calories. Because of sedentary lifestyle and the abundance of high calorie foods, the prevalence of overweight adults in North America has increased by >50% in the past decade. 66% of US adults are now overweight and 30% are obese. Severe obesity may reduce life expectancy by as much as 22%. The number of deaths due to poor diet and physical inactivity rose 33% during the last decade and will soon overtake tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death. Obesity is often associated with hypertension, cholesterol problems & increased blood glucose all of which can be improved with proper diet, exercise and weight loss.
Not everyone can be thin. But you can reach and maintain your best weight! Your genes may affect your susceptibility to obesity, but often people simply eat too many calories and burn too few. "Battling the bulge" requires a plan that includes developing and maintaining a healthy diet and active lifestyle.
Here is a plan that may work for you:- Invest in yourself.
- We spend most of our time worrying about our jobs, money, family, friends and material possessions. You need to make a decision to invest some time and effort in your own health.
- Learn about a heart healthy diet and healthy, active lifestyle.
- Assess your current lifestyle.
- Take a week to estimate your current calorie consumption / day and amount of time you devote to exercise each week.
- Compare your current lifestyle with what you have learned about healthy diet and physical activity.
- Identify some of the unhealthy choices you are making.
- Examples: eating fast food and deep fried foods frequently, taking little/no time for exercise.
- Identify your goals:
- Time devoted to exercise.
- Sticking to a heart healthy diet >90% of the time.
- Losing a certain number of pounds in a month.
- Replace your bad habits with new ones.
- Diet
- Develop a shopping list based on your knowledge of a heart healthy diet. Emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish, fat-free or low-fat dairy products and substituting liquid and tub margarines, canola and olive oil for butter, stick margarines and foods high in saturated and trans fats.
- Snacks: Substitute fruits, vegetables and nuts & whole grain products for foods high in sugar and fat.
- Minimize eating out. When you do: avoid deep fried foods & foods with high saturated fat and sugar.
- Substitute water or diet soda for full calorie sodas.
- Use the American Heart Association link to find delicious, healthy recipes.
- Exercise:
- Dedicate a certain amount of time each week to exercise, which can be as simple as walking. Recommended goal is >120 minutes / week. Would recommend trying to find at least four 30 minute blocks that you can dedicate to exercise each week.
- Find something that you enjoy (walking or exercising with a friend, playing a sport, watching TV while using a treadmill).
- Remember all the benefits of exercise and how much better you feel once you have been doing it.
- Monitor your progress
- Record your weekly exercise minutes and weights on the 3 month calendar provided.
- Get feedback from your doctor, whether this be a pat on the back or recommendation on how to do better.
- Embrace your healthy lifestyle.
- Be a positive influence on your friends and family. This type of lifestyle is beneficial for everyone, not just those of us with coronary heart disease.
Fish, Fish Oil and Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fish is a good source of protein, low in saturated fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids, especially fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, herring, lake trout and mackerel. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that all patients consume about 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) per day, preferably from fatty fish. If persons are unable to tolerate that much fish, supplements can be considered in consultation with a doctor. Higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids can be useful in lowering triglycerides, but should only be done in consultation with a provider as side effects such as excessive bleeding have been reported. Another omega-3 fatty acid (ALA) found in flaxseeds, canola, walnuts, soybeans and tofu may also have benefit, but likely a more modest benefit.
Coenzyme Q10: This is a vitamin-like substance found in every human cell involved in reactions that produce energy for cells. It is naturally present in a variety of foods. It has generated interest as a potential benefit in heart failure and angina. Some small studies have been done, some showing positive results and others not. In these studies coenzyme Q10 was given with traditional drug treatment, making it hard to tell what was causing the benefit. AHA’s official position is that the safety and effectiveness of coenzyme Q10 needs to be further evaluated. It is not currently recommended to take this for heart failure or angina. There is some data suggesting that taking Coenzyme Q-10 may allow patients to tolerate statin medications if they get muscle pain with statin treatment. The benefits of this are also inconclusive at this time.
Antioxidant Vitamins (E, C and beta carotene): There has been much enthusiasm for the possibility that supplementation with these vitamins would help people with cardiovascular disease, particular coronary heart disease. Unfortunately large trials using vitamin supplementation have been disappointing in that they have had no significant benefit for heart disease. Currently the AHA recommends eating a balanced, nutritious diet that limits calories, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and includes foods from each food group especially fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts instead of taking antioxidant supplements to reduce risk.
Folic acid, vitamin B6 & B12: These vitamins have been studied for benefit in coronary heart disease because of their known ability to break down homocysteine in the body. Higher levels of homocysteine have been shown to be correlated with the development of coronary heart disease. Unfortunately, although some small trials showed small benefits, the overall benefit of supplementation of these vitamins has been insignificant and it is not currently recommended for CHD patients. It is encouraged to eat a balanced diet including foods rich in folate such as fruits and green, leafy vegetables.
Phytochemicals (micronutrients found in fruits and vegetables):
Plant sterols: These are found in plants and have a chemical structure with some similarities to cholesterol. Some varieties of plant sterols have been proven to reduce cholesterol by as much as 10%. They can be found in vegetable oils and have been added to many soft margarines and other products. Unfortunately early studies on animals did not show a direct effect on atherosclerosis "hardening or the arteries." The effect on atherosclerosis in humans has not been established.
Flavonoids: These are various compounds within fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Higher intake of foods containing certain of these have been correlated with less coronary heart disease events. More work needs to be done in studying the effectiveness and potential harm of individual compounds in this class.
Sulfur-containing compounds: These are found in onions, but more prominently in garlic. Trials show promising small benefits in terms of improving cholesterol and blood clotting measures. There is little to no effect on blood pressure and glucose. There is some suggestion from observational studies that there may be an association with decreased levels of some forms of cancer. There are no large clinical trails convincingly proving any benefit in clinical end points such as reducing heart attack, stroke, cancer or death.