From the Co-op : Simple dietary changes can help you have a healthy heart
Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Chances are you or someone you know has been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, which is caused by narrowing of the arteries that feed the heart. When arteries become narrowed or clogged by fat and cholesterol, they cannot supply enough blood to the heart. This can result in chest pain and, if totally blocked, a heart attack. A person with coronary heart disease has a much higher risk of having a heart attack than someone without heart disease.
Your blood cholesterol level has a lot to do with your chances of getting heart disease. It is important to know what your blood cholesterol numbers are because lowering cholesterol levels reduces the risk of developing heart disease.
You can find out your cholesterol numbers by having a lipoprotein profile test through your doctor. This blood test is done after a 9- to 12-hour fast and will give information about your total cholesterol, LDL (lousy / bad ) cholesterol, HDL (happy / good ) cholesterol and triglycerides. Your total cholesterol reading should be below 200 mg / dL.
A good HDL cholesterol level protects against heart disease. HDL levels of 60 mg / dL or more help lower your risk for heart disease. A level of less than 40 mg / dL is considered a major risk factor for heart disease.
If your doctor tells you that your triglycerides are high, what does that mean ? Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood. When you eat, your body uses the calories it needs for quick energy. Any extra calories are turned into triglycerides and stored in fat cells to be used later. The excess calories are stored as fat regardless of what kind of food you eat — fat, carbohydrate, or protein. If you regularly eat more calories than you burn, you may have high triglycerides.
High levels of triglycerides in your blood can also raise heart disease risk. Levels that are borderline high (150-199 mg / dL ) or high (200 mg / dL or more ) may need treatment. Your doctor can assist you with this. Diet is one of the things that effects blood cholesterol. Saturated fat and cholesterol in the food you eat can make your blood cholesterol go up. Saturated fat has the biggest effect, but dietary cholesterol also matters. Changing the diet is usually the first step in treating high cholesterol. Other strategies include quitting smoking if you smoke, losing weight if you are overweight, getting regular physical activity (30 to 60 minutes on most, if not all, days ) and medication. Whether you have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease or are interested in preventing it, there are simple dietary changes you can make to follow a heart-healthy diet.
You have heard this many times, but it continues to be true. Choose foods low in saturated fat. Saturated fats are found mainly in animal foods and tropical oils.
Choose foods low in total fat. Lower-fat foods are found closer to the bottom of each food group on the Food Guide Pyramid.
Select foods low in cholesterol. Remember that cholesterol is only found in animal foods such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and dairy foods.
Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are low in fat, cholesterolfree, high in several vitamins and minerals and they provide fiber.
Choose low-fat or fat-free (skim ) milk and yogurt and reduced-fat cheeses. These foods provide important nutrients, including the same amount of calcium as whole fat varieties, but contain less fat and saturated fat than higher-fat dairy foods.
Use nonstick cooking utensils and spray. Foods can be browned just like when frying but without the fat.
Choose lean cuts of meat such as: beef round, loin, sirloin chuck arm; pork tenderloin, center loin, ham; lamb leg, loin, fore shanks; and veal.
Trim fat from meat and skin from poultry before cooking (or at least before eating ). This significantly lowers the total amount of fat in the food.
Drain fat from ground meat. For an even greater fat reduction, quickly rinse under hot running water.
Chill broth and skim the layer of fat that rises to the top.
Bake, roast, boil, broil rather than fry. These methods do not add fat to the food.
Choose fats and oils with high percentages of mono- and poly-unsaturated fats such as olive, canola, safflower, soybean and sunflower. Use margarines with liquid oil listed first in the ingredient list.
Use fat-free or reduced-fat salad dressings and sandwich spreads.
Use less salt and sodium. Too much sodium can effect blood pressure in some people. Season foods with herbs, spices and other flavorings such as lemon or lime juice and wine.
Read food labels. Look for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium content. Select foods with low Daily Value (DV ) percentages for these nutrients. Look for foods with high percentages of DV for fiber.
Start with simple changes to reduce your risk of coronary heart disease. These changes can make a difference in your cholesterol and triglycerides levels.
For more information on stretching your food dollars contact Janet Perkins at the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Benton County 1204 S. W. 14 th St., Bentonville, at 271-1060 or e-mail jperkins @ uaex. edu.
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