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Walnuts and Heart Health

Published April 14, 2010 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

There is some new evidence provided by a Yale University study linking walnuts to improved cardiovascular health. The findings show an improvement to the endothelial function in individuals with type II diabetes when study participants consumed a daily serving of 2 ounces of walnuts.

The study also found the addition of walnuts promoted increased fasting serum glucose levels, lower cholesterol levels, and lower LDL cholesterol.

Walnuts provide poly-unsaturated fatty acid omega 3’s, particularly alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). This fatty acid has been linked to many heart health benefits, such as decreased lipoprotein(a), lower triglycerides, and improved heart rhythm.

Here are a few ways to add walnuts to your diet:

Mix walnuts with dried fruit for a nutritious snack
Add toasted walnuts to a salad or pasta dish
Sprinkle chopped walnuts on oatmeal or breakfast cereal

Keep in mind calories and portion control! A 1.5 ounce serving of walnuts provides ~278 calories. There are approximately 20 walnut halves in a 1.5 ounce serving.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps
http://www.lowercholesterolwithlisa.com

Image courtesy of Aleksa D / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in Heart Health, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged cholesterol, heart health, increase hdl cholesterol, lower cholesterol, lower ldl cholesterol, lower triglycerides, omega 3, walnuts

Heart Health – Eat Walnuts for Healthier Blood Vessels

Published April 14, 2010 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

A recent study found walnuts linked to improved cardiovascular health due to improved function of the endothelium (inner lining of blood vessels) in those with type II diabetes.

Not only was the walnut addition linked to improved endothelial function, but participants also experienced increased fasting serum glucose levels, reduced LDL cholesterol, and lower total cholesterol.

Back in 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a label claim for walnut packages:

“Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet, and not resulting in increased caloric intake may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.”

One thing to keep in mind when it comes to walnuts (and nuts in general) is calories! Nuts are not low in calories, so you must watch your portion size. Going overboard can lead to weight gain and counteract the heart health benefit of adding walnuts to your daily diet. A 1.5 ounce serving of walnuts provides ~278 calories. There are approximately 20 walnut halves in a 1.5 ounce serving.

Here are a few simple ways to add walnuts to your daily diet:

Sprinkle chopped walnuts on oatmeal or breakfast cereal
Mix walnuts with dried fruit for a nutritious snack
Add toasted walnuts to a salad or pasta dish

Do you eat walnuts regularly?

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps
http://www.lowercholesterolwithlisa.com

Image courtesy of Aleksa D / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted in Heart Health, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged calories, cholesterol, endothelium, FDA, heart health, lower cholesterol, nuts, ounce, portion size

FREE Teleclass – Get Your Questions Answered!

Published April 13, 2010 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Are you ready to get answers to your top health, nutrition, and weight loss questions?

Join myself and dietitian Ursula Ridens for this free call.

Your Questions Answered: What You Need to Know About Health, Nutrition, and Weight Loss!

This call will be focused on your questions, sorting out fact from fiction, and getting you the answers you need to move forward to optimal health! You’ll receive answers to your top questions and have the opportunity to ask for clarification on any issue that may still be confusing.

In this information packed call, you’ll discover:

The TRUTH about targeting specific parts of your body for weight loss,
The RIGHT BALANCE of carbs and protein to reach your weight loss goals,
SIMPLE STRATEGIES to conquer cravings,
EXACTLY how many calories you have to burn to lose weight, and
FILL-IN-THE-BLANK, insert your question here!

This interactive call will be completely centered around your needs, so come ready to participate! You’ll leave the call knowing what works and what doesn’t when it comes to achieving your health, nutrition, and weight loss goals!

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD

Posted in Heart Health, Lose Weight, Lower Blood Pressure, Lower Cholesterol

How to Prepare Healthy Meals Quickly

Published April 8, 2010 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

I am not a fan of spending hours in the kitchen to prepare a meal. I like my meals to be quick and easy to prepare. Here are a few tips to get in and out of the kitchen quickly with a well-balanced nutritious (and good tasting!) meal.

There are 3 core principles you need to have in place to prepare meals efficiently:

Keep it simple – Gourmet meals can be saved for special occasions. If you want to prepare a meal quickly opt for recipes with fewer ingredients that do not require elaborate preparations.

Make it a habit – Prepare the same meals on a fairly regular basis and you’ll be able to throw ingredients together without thought.

Multi-task – Now this is usually frowned upon, but when it comes to preparing a meal it’s good to juggle more than one task at a time, such as boiling water while you prepare the meat and veggies.

There is nothing worse than being in the middle of putting a meal on the table and realizing you are missing an essential ingredient. This is where menu planning comes into play. A little preparation one day a week can drastically save you time later!

Here are 5 tips for making quick yet healthy meals:

Purchase vegetables, such as baby carrots and salad greens, prewashed and ready-to-eat.
Select fruit packaged and pre-sliced.
Use the microwave to cook vegetables quickly.
Find recipes that require minimal cleaning and preparation of ingredients.
Choose meats at the store with low levels of visible marbling (white, fatty streaks) to decrease time spent removing the fat.

If you have a good tip that works for you please share it below!

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Healthy Tips
http://www.hearthealthmadeeasy.com

Posted in Heart Health | Tagged efficienct, healthy, meal, plan, quick, tips

Lower Cholesterol – How Quickly Will a Cheeseburger Impact My Cholesterol Labs

Published April 6, 2010 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

A subscriber to The Heart of Health submitted the following question.

Question: “Hello ma’am, I need some information. My cholesterol level is finally down to a reasonable level, but do you know how sensitive are cholesterol readings? I ask because I’m worried if I eat a cheeseburger or a KFC meal that my cholesterol level will sky rocket back up to over 200.”

Answer: If you revert back to unhealthy fast food on a regular basis your cholesterol levels will elevate quickly.

However, if you follow a heart healthy diet and occasionally treat yourself to a cheeseburger or other high fat/high cholesterol meal your cholesterol levels for the long-term will not be negatively impacted.

That being said it is important to discuss the need to fast prior to lab work with your physician. If you have a high fat/high cholesterol meal within 12-24 hours prior to your cholesterol lab work, the results may be skewed due to your diet choices.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Health Made Easy
http://www.hearthealthmadeeasy.com

Posted in Heart Health, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged cheeseburger, cholesterol, food choice, food intake, high fat meal, lab work, labwork, lower cholesterol

Dr. Houston Answers Your Top Heart Health Questions – Part 2

Published April 1, 2010 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Here are more of the questions and answers from my interview with Dr. Mark Houston in February 2010.

Lisa Nelson RD: Is there a connection between blood pressure and heart rate?

Dr. Houston: If blood pressure increases, normally the heart rate should decrease. However, in some patient with dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system the heart rate may increase with the blood pressure.

Lisa Nelson RD: Blood pressure fluctuation – What causes blood pressure to fluctuate drastically throughout the day? Is it something to worry about?

Dr. Houston: Most people have fluctuations during the day due to the normal circadian rhythm (high in AM and low in PM). Stress, anger, eating, exercise, rest, meditation, coffee are some of the things that will alter blood pressure. About 60 % of patients that drink coffee have increase blood pressure for several hours after consumption.

Lisa Nelson RD: What is the risk of not treating high blood pressure? For example, someone has a blood pressure of 160/100, but they feel perfectly fine. Why should they be concerned and seek treatment?

Dr. Houston: Heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney failure, loss of vision, aortic rupture, valve dysfunction, atherosclerosis. Hypertension is the silent killer. At this level the arteries will be damaged over time and all of these complications will occur. At that high level of blood pressure one will decrease life expectancy by about 15 years or more.

Lisa Nelson RD: Do blood pressure recommendations change with age?

Dr. Houston: A normal blood pressure is 120/80 regardless of age. If it goes up with age it means the arteries are not healthy, but very stiff.

Lisa Nelson RD: What is a normal blood pressure response post exercise? How quickly should heart rate return to normal post exercise?

Dr. Houston: Blood pressure will fall for several hours after exercise depending on hydration status and severity and length of exercise. Usually systolic (top number) blood pressure falls about 10-15 mm Hg and diastolic (bottom number) 5-10 mm Hg. Heart rate should return to normal within 2 minutes post exercise.

Part 1 – Top Heart Health Questions Answered By Dr. Houston

I’ll be posting more of the Q&A with Dr. Houston over the next few weeks. Sign-up for the e-course 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure and you’ll also be notified when the new blog posts are added.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
http://www.lowerbloodpressurewithlisa.com

Posted in Heart Health, Lower Blood Pressure | Tagged blood pressure, blood pressure fluctuation, exercise, heart rate, lisa nelson, mark houston, natural ways to lower blood pressure, post exercise

Walnuts and Heart Health

Heart Health – Eat Walnuts for Healthier Blood Vessels

FREE Teleclass – Get Your Questions Answered!

How to Prepare Healthy Meals Quickly

Lower Cholesterol – How Quickly Will a Cheeseburger Impact My Cholesterol Labs

Dr. Houston Answers Your Top Heart Health Questions – Part 2

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