Bless Your Heart: Heart Healthy Foods

February is National Heart Awareness Month, which is why you may have noticed these red dresses all around campus and Charlotte, that is if you haven’t been in a daze due to your seasonal depression…

If you were like me and were wondering why we should only go red for women and not men, it is because heart disease is the number one killer of women in the U.S., not because men don’t have hearts.

What is heart disease?
The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common type is coronary heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack, angina (chest pain), heart failure, and death. The only good thing about heart disease is that it is both preventable and controllable. I guess maybe the second good thing is that heart disease, unlike ebola, it is not contagious so don’t sweat it the next time the person on the bus next to you coughs on you; you will be fine…in terms of not catching heart disease anyways.

How can I prevent heart disease?
I am sure that is the burning question on your mind right now…well unless you are a fellow Kardashian fan such as myself.  Anyways, I can only help you out with the heart disease question. Now prepare yourself for this “groundbreaking” news on how you can prevent heart disease. Are you ready for it?!? Here goes…eat healthy, exercise, and avoiding tobacco products! Mind blown?

Ok so probably not, but you may be wondering what foods you can eat to help out the old ticker. Well, it is your lucky day!

Heart Healthy Foods…
Contrary to popular belief, there is more to this than just eating your fruits and vegetables. Some of the qualities that make food heart healthy include: low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and salt/sodium. Also, foods high in fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3s are good for the heart as well.

…In Lay Terms

Now I don’t expect most people to automatically know what foods to eat based on the above paragraph so let me lay it out for you.

• Salmon and Tuna: Good source of omega-3s and lower in saturated fat than red meat. 
• Chicken: If you are going to have meat and are not fond of seafood, you could swap out red meat for chicken. Chicken is leaner, containing less fat than red meat.
• Legumes (aka beans):If you wanted to really take it to heart (yes, corny pun I know) you could swap meat for legumes, which contain no fat and are high in fiber. 
• Whole Grains: Oatmeal, whole wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa, etc. Whole grains are a good source of fiber, which helps the old ticker deal with cholesterol.
• Fruits & Vegetables: This shouldn’t be much of a shocker to you. Fruits and vegetables are a good source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. With the exception of the avocado, they contain no fat. . Yes avocados do contain fat, but it is the good type of fat and packs some omega-3s.
• Nuts & Seeds: Nuts, especially walnuts and almonds, are a good source of fiber, protein, and omega-3s. Side bar: Flax seeds do contain omega-3s but your body cannot digest the seed (read: you do not absorb any of the omega-3s) so make sure you grind them.

Foods to Avoid

• Salty Foods: Processed foods, deli meats, canned vegetables and soups, frozen meals, and pizza are just a few of the usual suspects that contain a lot of sodium, which can increase your blood pressure.
• Red Meat: Red meat is higher in saturated fat and cholesterol so opt for seafood or poultry. Perhaps you could even be a “hippy” for a meal and skip the meat!
• Alcohol: Not only can alcohol lead to poor food (and life) decisions, but can also increase your blood pressure, which makes your heart work a little harder
• Caffeine: Have you ever downed one too many cups of coffee, espresso, or energy drinks and started having chest pains, making you feel like your heart is going to beat out of your chest? Yeah, that’s not good. Needless to say lots of caffeine is not the best thing for your heart.

“I read that chocolate is good for your heart”
Before you dig into that chocolate cake or candy bar, let me enlighten you. While there have been some recent studies that have shown benefits to eating chocolate and heart health, it is not that simple. To start with, it is not just any type of chocolate, but dark chocolate with about 70% cocoa content. The cocoa adds more antioxidants, which are the main players in chocolate that benefits the heart. You know what else is high in antioxidants? Fruits and vegetables. Anyways, chocolate, even dark chocolate, does contain sugar and fat so it is best to consume in moderation.

“What about olive oil?”
Olive oil is good for your heart in that it contains the good type of fat and omega-3s. Does that mean you should add a ton of it to whatever dish you are making? No! Along those same lines, just because olive oil is added to something does not make that product any better/healthier. Case in point (see below): Yes, this mayonnaise has olive oil in it but it is still mayonnaise, which is high in fat (not the good kind of fat either).

Until next time! Oh and…

Keep it Fresh,
Keep it Green,

Beth

Don't Be Salty: Sodium

I have a confession to make to all of you. When I was a child I LOVED salt. Why? I am not really sure. I loved salt so much as I child that I would lick peanut shells and occasionally eat playdough. Does this qualify me as weird, probably but hey it was better than eating paint chips right?!? Just to clear up any questions you may have about this, no I did not have a preference for what color it was and no I did not shape it into any particular food before I ate it.

I like to think that I was very stealth about it and hid in the corner of the basement while doing so. One could venture to say that I had a salt addiction. Even today, I often crave salty foods over sweet ones, which brings me to the topic of today’s blog: Salt.

What is salt?

I am going to go out on a limb here and assume that all of you know what salt is. To get a little dorky on you, the chemical name of salt is sodium chloride. The main component of salt that warrants our attention is sodium, which is what appears on a food label, not salt.

Often salt and sodium are used interchangeably, but now you know that they do not mean the same thing.

Blah, blah, blah Beth, what does it matter?

Why I am so glad that you asked! Sodium is one of the most over consumed nutrients in America. Sodium causes your body to retain water, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but over time can cause some health issues. Over consumption of sodium can lead to high blood pressure, heart diseases, kidney disease, and stroke. 

What is sodium used for?

Sodium is mostly used for flavor to make not so great foods more palatable. Think of saltine crackers for example. Would they taste good if they didn’t contain sodium? My guess would be no. This is why it is considered an insult to a chef if you add salt to their food. It is also used as a way to preserve foods and for anti-caking (mostly in processed foods).

Sources of sodium

Now sodium is a sneaky guy, who hides in unsuspecting foods, kind of like in this creepy ad…

People tend to think that the majority of the sodium that they eat comes from either yourselves or whoever is preparing your food simply taking the saltshaker and sprinkling it on whatever it is you are eating. Another popular commonly cited source of sodium is canned vegetables. While they do contain quite a bit of sodium, they are not the largest contributor to sodium in our diets either. Think about it, how often do you eat canned vegetables? My guess is not that often.  The largest contributor of sodium in the diet is refined grains (sandwiches, breads, pasta, rice, mixed dishes, pizza, desserts, sweet snacks, crackers and chips). Note: mixed dishes include: Burgers and sandwiches, grain dishes pizza, meat & poultry, and soups. Surprised? If you think about it, it makes sense. While none of these items alone are staggering in sodium content, you probably eat these multiple of these items on a daily basis. 

How much sodium should I eat?

The American Heart Association advises to consume no more than 2,300 mg/day of sodium for healthy individuals and 1,500 mg/day for people are more sensitive to the effects of sodium (If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease, if you are African American, or if you are 51 years of age or older).

Now I know what you are probably thinking, “ How much is 2,300mg or how much is 1,500mg?” Luckily your favorite Dietitian has got your back yet again! 2,300mg equates to about 1 teaspoon and 1,500mg equates to ¾ teaspoon. Since most of the sodium in our diet does not come from us sprinkling it on, rather it is already in the foods we eat, a simple guide to use when looking at the food label is…

·     5%DV (120 mg) or less of sodium per serving is low

·     20%DV (480 mg) or more of sodium per serving is high

What about those fancy salts like pink salt and sea salt?

Take a trip down the grocery store aisle and you can find all kinds of fancy salts from Kosher salt, Himalayan pink salt, sea salt, and the ever so fancy fleur de sal. I commonly get asked which one is better. Well, you might just want to hold on Iggy Azalea, 

 I hate to break it to you, but from a health perspective salt is salt no matter what type it is. Sea salt and all of those other salts contain just as much sodium as regular table salt (iodized salt). Granted some may have a few more minerals in them, but they are not worth the price unless you are purchasing them for the culinary aspect (taste) of them.  

Sodium labeling

Ever walk through the canned food aisle and see stuff labeled as low sodium, reduced sodium, or no salt added and wondered what it actually means? Well, leave it to your favorite Dietitian yet again to help you out on this one.

·       Salt/Sodium-Free → Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving

·       Very Low Sodium → 35 mg of sodium or less per serving

·       Low Sodium → 140 mg of sodium or less per serving

·       Reduced Sodium → At least 25% less sodium than in the original product

·       Light in Sodium or Lightly Salted → At least 50% less sodium than the regular product

·       No-Salt-Added or Unsalted → No salt is added during processing, but not necessarily sodium-free. Check the Nutrition Facts Label to be sure!

Breaking it down

Just throwing away your saltshaker isn’t going to help if you are trying to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet; you need to cut back on refined grains and processed foods. Now, I love pizza just as much as the next guy, but I don't eat it on a daily basis. Along those lines, you know what naturally doesn’t contain any salt? Fruits and (non-canned) vegetables! Just saying. Again, I just want to reiterate, no need to splurge on sea salt or Himalayan pink salt unless you are buying them for the flavor. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go make myself a playdough salad. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth