Lower Blood Pressure – More Benefits Linked to the DASH Diet
I have shared in the past how the DASH Diet is one of the best tools you can use to lower and control high blood pressure. A new study found that the DASH Diet not only promotes improved blood pressure levels it also fights kidney stones.
Three large studies including over 240,000 men and women participants were evaluated and individuals whose diets most closely followed the DASH Diet plan had a 40-45% reduced likelihood of developing kidney stones compared to individuals following diets in direct contrast to the DASH Diet.
Researchers also took into account calcium intake. Calcium is involved in the formation of a common type of kidney stone – calcium oxalate kidney stones. Regardless of calcium intake those who followed the DASH Diet were less likely to develop kidney stones.
For individuals who have developed kidney stones or at risk of developing kidney stones a common dietary recommendation is to avoid foods high in oxalate, such as spinach and almonds. This more recent review of research indicates this may not be necessary. The DASH Diet strongly emphasizes a diet high in fruits and vegetables. Researchers point out that a diet high in fruits and vegetables increases urinary citrate production which inhibits the formation of kidney stones containing calcium.
To learn more about the DASH Diet – DASH Diet Plan.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure
http://www.lowerbloodpressurewithlisa.com
Heart Health Tips for Flavonoids
Flavonoids are a type of antioxidant found in fruits, vegetables, and certain beverages. Flavonoids are a hot topic because of their reported antiviral, anti-allergy, antiplatelet (blood clotting), anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor (cancer), and antioxidants health benefits. Many of the beneficial effects of fruits, vegetables, tea, and red wine are linked to flavonoids versus known nutrients and vitamins.
Antioxidants protect cells against damage caused by free radicals, which lead to oxidative stress and cell damage. Oxidative stress is linked with cancer, aging, atherosclerosis, ischemic injury, inflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases. For example, the oxidation of LDL cholesterol plays a critical role in the development of heart disease.
Flavonoid Sources:
High Flavonoid Content (>50 mg/100 g of food)
Onion, kale, green beans, broccoli, endive, celery, cranberry, orange juice
Medium Flavonoid Content (1-5 mg/100 g of food)
Salad, tomato, bell pepper, strawberry, broad bean, apple, grape, red wine, tea, tomato juice
Low Flavonoid Content (<1 mg/100 g of food) Cabbage, carrot, mushroom, pea, spinach, peach, white wine, coffee If you struggle to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables everyday consider supplementing your diet with Juice Plus to boost your daily antioxidant intake.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Healthy Tips
Lower Cholesterol – Modified Atkins Diet May Lower Cholesterol
The Atkins diet has helped many individuals lose weight, but at the same time it’s been harmful to cholesterol levels. However, a researcher has modified the Atkins diet and replaced the animal protein with vegetable protein sources to compare the results.
The modified Atkins diet includes vegetables proteins from soy, gluten, nuts, vegetables, fruits, and cereals in combination with a low carbohydrate diet. This modified Atkins diet was evaluated on 25 participants for 4 weeks. This group was compared to a control group of 25 participants following a high carbohydrate, vegetarian diet for four weeks. The modified Atkins diet provided 26% of calories from carbohydrates, 31% from protein, and 43% from fat, while the control group received 58% of calories from carbohydrates, 16% from protein, and 26% from fat. After the four week period, weight loss between the two groups was similar at 8.8 pounds. However, reduction on LDL cholesterol was greatest in the modified Atkins diet group, dropping 20.4% versus 12.3% for the control group. A larger improvement in total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol was seen in the modified Atkins diet group, along with improved levels of apolipoproteins and blood pressure.
More research is needed to solidify the benefits of a low carbohydrate, vegetarian diet, but the combination may be promising for both weight loss and heart health.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Top 5 Key Strategies to Lose Weight Permanently
http://www.hearthealthmadeeasy.com
Weight Loss – 4 Steps to Make a New Behavior a Habit
Do you want to lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and lose weight but you’re struggling to change you “bad” habits? If so, here are the four necessary steps needed to change a new behavior into a habit. I’ve used eating more fruit as an example.
1. Decide the habit – Eating 2 pieces of fruit everyday.
2. Set up triggers – Reminders to eat the fruit, such as fruit on the counter, large note on the front of the fridge, or reminder from wife.
3. Motivation to stay on track – Remind yourself why you have set this as a goal. What’s the benefit to you if you eat more fruit? More fiber to promote weight loss, soluble fiber to promote a lower LDL cholesterol, antioxidants/phytonutrients to promote a lower blood pressure, low cal/nutritious snack to keep you on track with weight loss, etc.? Whatever rings true to you as the bottom line for why you need to increase fruit intake.
4. Develop repetition – Eat more fruit day after day. This may mean you need to change up your trigger. After awhile the bowl of fruit on the counter or note on the fridge will blend right in and won’t jump out to you as a reminder. You’ll need to change it up.
Another good resource for tips on changing habits is the free report Stop Wasting Money – Take Control of Yourself. If you haven’t read it yet, I recommend you take a moment to download the pdf version and review it.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Healthy Tips
http://www.weightlosswithlisa.com
Increasing Fiber to Lose Weight – Here's what you need to do!
I’ve been working with a retired gentleman the past few months and he’s been making fantastic progress to lose weight; however, this past week we focused on his fiber intake and learned his intake was much too low. He averaged around 15-20 grams of fiber daily. You should consume 25-35 grams of fiber everyday.
Eating a high fiber diet plan promotes weight loss by stabilizing blood sugars and increasing satiety (i.e. your sense of fullness). Fiber can actually act as a natural appetite suppressant. In addition to promoting weight loss, a diet high in fiber supports a lower LDL cholesterol/cholesterol levels, blood sugar control, promotes digestive health, and has the potential to decrease risk of colorectal cancer (studies are showing mixed results so far).
So, for your weight loss success and overall heart health, let’s take a moment and evaluate the fiber content of your food choices.
To determine your typical daily fiber intake grab a piece of paper and write down what you typically have for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any snacks in between. If you’ve been keeping a food journal, simply grab your journal and look at yesterday.
Let’s use the following day as an example:
Breakfast:
2 cups of Cheerios with skim milk
6 oz. OJ
Morning Snack:
6 oz. Yogurt
Lunch:
Grilled cheese sandwich on white bread
1 cup tomato soup
Afternoon Snack:
¼ cup Walnuts and Dried Fruit
Evening Meal:
3 oz. Baked Turkey Breast
½ cup baked potato
½ cup broccoli and cauliflower
Now, you’ll have to be in your kitchen, so you can look at the food label of different foods to add up your fiber intake. For example, Cheerios provides 3 grams of fiber per cup, so fiber intake at breakfast was 6 grams (2 cups x 3 grams) since OJ and skim milk provide 0 grams of fiber. Do this for all your foods and add up the total.
In this example, total fiber intake is around 16 grams, which is low. If your fiber intake is also below 25-35 grams, look for ways to boost your fiber intake. Using the above example, you could swap out the OJ for a piece of whole fruit to add ~4 grams of fiber, sprinkle 1 Tbsp of ground flaxseed on the yogurt to add 2 grams of fiber, select whole grain bread that provides 5 grams of more fiber per slice, swap the baked potato for a baked sweet potato, and increase your broccoli and cauliflower serving to 1 cup with your evening meal. These changes would increase total fiber intake to around 34 grams.
Now, something important worth mentioning! If you currently consume a low fiber diet, making a sudden drastic increase can result in unpleasant side effects (i.e. gas and diarrhea). Increase your fiber intake gradually to avoid side effects.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Healthy Tips
http://www.hearthealthmadeeasy.com
Heart Fitness Health – Can you walk 3-4 miles per hour without fatigue?
You already know your fitness level impacts your risk for heart disease. A Japanese study has set a minimum level of cardiovascular fitness to reduce heart disease risk. The minimum level of cardiovascular fitness needed to reduce the risk of heart disease is the ability of a 50 year-old to walk 3-4 miles per hour without feeling fatigue. If you have heart disease, cardiovascular fitness is often measured in supervised conditions with an exercise stress test. The study evaluated over 100,000 individuals and found the least fit participants had a 70% greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
The more fit you become the more you decrease your risk of heart disease.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Healthy Tips
http://www.hearthealthmadeeasy.com
