Don't Eat Your Heart Out

An article from the Northfield News

By: Susan K. White, RD
Minneapolis Heart Institute®

Don’t Eat Your Heart Out


Thinking About Eating

The mind is a great tool in the battle against the bulge. By knowing more about the foods we eat, and then subtly sidestepping the problem foods, we start to see progress. It starts with reading between the lines of fad diets and seeing there is no magic way to eat as much as we like with no consequences.

No one needs reminding that obesity is a growing problem for our nation and other developed nations. We all know portion control is an issue that we need to stay on top of, but it’s also important that we watch which foods we eat. For instance, a healthy diet is one that gets no more than 25-35% of total calories from fats.

There’s good reason for thinking through food choices: higher intakes of saturated fats leads to higher incidences of coronary artery disease – a leading cause of heart attack. According to the National Women’s Health Information Center, heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the US (with more than 350.000 deaths per year in 2000), taking more than the next three leading causes of death in the US:

• Cancer (more than 260,000 deaths per year in 2000)
• Stroke (more than 100,000 deaths per year in 2000)
• Chronic lower respiratory disease (more than 62,000 deaths per year in 2000)

Parse the Fat, Please

It pays to know more about the foods we eat. One reason is that what we eat contributes to our blood levels of cholesterol. Our bodies need cholesterol to function, but too much can cause serious problems. But did you know that some fats are worse for our cholesterol level than others?

You can divide the fat in our foods into three types: polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and saturated fat. The goal is to eat less fat and particularly less saturated fat as it is the primary villain of a heart healthy diet. Saturated fats can actually raise the cholesterol level in your blood, in fact for every one percent increase in calories from saturated fat, the serum LDL-C (the so-called “bad cholesterol”) rises about two percent.

Major sources of saturated fats include animal fats like dairy products (butter, whole milk, ice cream, and cheese), beef, pork, and poultry. And plant oils like coconut oil, palm kernel oil, palm oil, and cocoa butter. So, depending on how many calories you are trying to take in every day, here is a general guideline of daily saturated fat grams allowed for a healthy diet:

Here’s an idea of the amount of saturated fats in everyday foods:

Another fat you’ve heard of that is also bad news: trans fat. Trans fat is produced by hydrogenation of vegetable oils. Like saturated fat, they raise cholesterol. Major sources of trans fat include baked products like crackers, cookies, doughnuts and foods fried in shortening. Trans fats are not classified as saturated fats and are not required to be listed on food labels until 2006. Until then, look for products that are “trans-free” and avoid foods with hydrogenated fat on the ingredient label.

Unhealthy fat grams can add up quickly, so choose wisely. A better choice for fat is small amounts of monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats instead of saturated fat. Food sources of monounsaturated fat include olive and canola oil, avocados, nuts or seeds.

Make Yourself a New Promise

Smart eating is only one part of a healthy lifestyle. We all know that watching what we eat is most effective when we combine it with actions that use up more calories. Thirty minutes of daily physical activity partnered with low cholesterol, low saturated fat diet is a wise investment in protecting your heart. You’ll look better, feel better and have the good health you deserve.

Susan K. White, RD, is a registered dietitian with the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital.