Originally Published October 28,
2003 -- Your Wellness Guide
Simple
Heart Healthy Eating Tips
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Healthy eating is talked about a lot these days. Starting tomorrow
even KFC will make a marketing stab at selling you on the benefits
of chicken over ground beef.
This
is just one more fast-food chain to jump on the “eating better”
bandwagon, along with McDonald’s and Wendy’s salads, as they respond
to an overall mainstream rejection of super fatty foods.
As
the general population takes interest and follows through in curbing
obesity and improving overall health, one of the benefits is a
healthier heart. |
“70 percent
of people are worried about their heart health,” says TV Food Network’s
“Cooking Thin” Host Kathleen Daelemans. “But over half of them do not
have their cholesterol checked annually. And, a quarter of them have
never had their cholesterol checked.”
Kathleen,
who herself once struggled with being heavily overweight, told me that she
doesn’t think it is true and is a “cop out” for people to say they don’t
have the time to make the effort needed to eat healthy -- even if it is
for the benefit of a healthier heart.
|
Photo Courtesy: Ketchum PR
Food Network’s Kathleen Daelemans goes
into people’s homes on her show “Cooking Thin”
to teach them how to eat healthy. |
“I’m
just as busy as the next person. You don’t have time to ignore your
health. If you don’t take care of your health, your health will
eventually eat up every waking moment of your life.”
Indeed, by eating a diet high in saturated fats, cholesterol, and
sodium, you increase your risk of heart disease. Without a healthy
heart, not only does your lifestyle degrade but also your life
expectancy. And, heart disease is the #1 killer of both men and
women in the United States.
For
healthy heart eating, Kathleen recommends a lifestyle that everyone
should follow, which is building your menu around five key foods:
1. Fish
-- such as trout and salmon
2. Legumes
-- like peas, black beans, lentils, soy beans |
3.
Whole grains
-- for example, oatmeal and brown rice
(a bowl of oatmeal a day is a great start)
4. Soy
-- such as fresh soy beans and soy milk
5.
Olive oil
San
Francisco Bay area Registered Dietician Toni Bloom told me that she
sees three common mistakes made by people who have new,
healthy eating goals:
1.
Focusing too much on cholesterol.
“They should look more at saturated fat,” says Toni, who recommends,
instead, a focus on eating lower saturated fat foods. “Research shows
that the lower we can get your saturated fat then the better we’re going
to be for your cholesterol level.”
2.
Thinking that you need to eat less fat. The truth is,
says Toni, that you need to eat less saturated fats not just less of all
fats. For example, avocados, nuts, and olive oil are low in “bad”
saturated fat but high “good fats” (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated).
3. Not
being aware of trans fats.
Besides looking on the label for saturated fat, you also need to read the
ingredients and look for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.
These are trans fats, which increase product shelf life but decrease human
life. Avoid trans fats.
La Costa
Resort and Spa Chef Cary Neff, also author of the fabulous cookbook
Conscious Cuisine, told me that making the conscious effort to eat
fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables is one of his top, easy healthy
eating tips.
“By
gravitating and enjoying these fruits and vegetables in season, you can
enjoy the flavor of them, and they are fresher.”
Cary, who
also works with Dr. Deepak Chopra in creating Chopra Cuisine, told me his
emphasis is not on creating a meal based on the protein (such as your
chicken or beef) but rather the fruit or vegetable.
A believer
in teaching everyone to increase their repertoire of foods, especially
fruits and vegetables, Cary encourages his spa visitors to not only reduce
their portions but also see the protein as the complement instead of the
main meal.
For example,
on his menu he will have Beet Couscous with Grilled Vegetables and Sea
Bass. The idea, he says, is that the couscous and the vegetables come
with the sea bass on the side and that the beet is the most important
ingredient.
Although
there are many things we can do to eat more heart healthy, start by
choosing just one area to make a change. Your body will thank you.
Terra
Wellington
is a
national authority on creating a wellness lifestyle.
www.terrawellington.com
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Wellington