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5 Tips to Prepare Healthy Meals Quickly

Published March 31, 2010 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Do you need to get in and out of the kitchen fast? Here are 5 tips to speed up meal prep while still delivering a heart healthy meal:

Purchase vegetables, such as baby carrots and salad greens, pre-washed 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, feel free to share below!

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

Obesity Rates Have Stabilized

Published March 30, 2010 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Researchers periodically evaluate data from NHANES (National Healthy and Nutrition Examination Survey). Recently rates of obesity were compared over the past 50 years.

Between 1960-1980 the number of adults who were obese stayed relatively stable. Between 1976-1980 and 1988-1994 data the number of obese adults in the US increased 8 percentage points. Then between 1999-2000 data reported further increases in the number of U.S. obese adults.

Well, the latest research has been analyzed again and the good news is that the percentage of obese women did not significantly increase between 1999 and 2008.

If obesity is not longer increasing, that is great news; but the fact that 68% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese and 32% of U.S. school children are above the 85th percentile BMI-for-age leaves plenty of room for concern.

It’s still critical that individuals who are overweight or obese take steps to lose the extra pounds. Obesity is a major health risk increasing risk for many diseases, including heart disease and cancer.

Overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) between 25-29.9.
Obesity is defined as a body mass index above 30.0.

Don’t know where you fall? Here’s a how to calculate your BMI:

Weight divided by height divided by height x 703 = BMI

Here’s an example:

Height = 64 inches
Weight = 150 pounds

150 divided by 64 divided by 64 x 703 = 25.7 (overweight)

The first step is to evaluate your situation and outline a plan of action. A Mini Diet Makeover will complete this for you – https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/minidietmakeover.html.

Have you been successful losing weight? I’d love to hear your story. You can share your story as a comment below.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
1-A-Week Weight Loss Tips
http://www.weightlosswithlisa.com

Posted in Heart Health, Lose Weight | Tagged bmi, lose weight, mini diet makeover, obese, obesity, overweight, weight loss, weight loss tips

4 Benefits of a High Fiber Diet

Published March 25, 2010 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Current recommendations are to consume 25-35 grams of dietary fiber everyday. Here are 4 benefits you’ll receive from achieving the recommended intake.

1. Lower cholesterol and stabilized blood sugar/insulin levels.

2. Regularity to prevent constipation and diverticulosis (small out-pouchings from the large intestine).

3. Reduced risk of colon cancer.

4. Increased satiety – you’ll feel full when eating less calories and fat to promote weight loss.

Some of the best fiber sources include fruits and vegetables!

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

Posted in Heart Health, Lose Weight, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged cholesterol, constipation, dietary fiber, fiber, fruits, satiety, vegetables, weight loss

4 Diet Mistakes That Lead to Weight Gain

Published March 18, 2010 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Aging throws some hurdles into your heart health and weight loss plans. For one your metabolism drops every decade as you age. Here are some mistakes to avoid if you want to see success:

1. Eating the same way you did 10-20 years ago.

Your metabolism (the rate you burn calories) decreases about 2% every 10 years beginning at age 30. If you continue to eat the same amount year after year you will gain weight.

2. Skipping meals.

May temporarily “save calories”, but you’ll quickly replace the calories as hunger leads you to overindulge at the next meal. Skipping meals can also cause your metabolism to slow down.

3. Jumping from fad diet to fad diet.

Fad diet should be synonymous with “bad diet”. There’s no research to back up the claims that eliminating this food or adding that one will cause you to lose weight. Nor will eating at only certain times of the day give you the long term results you seek.

4. Keeping unhealthy snacks within reach.

If you only have potato chips and sweets in your cupboards you are not setting yourself up for success. You must keep fruits and vegetables and healthy high fiber snacks on hand if you are to be expected to include more in your diet.

What are some of your habits that are sabotaging your success? I’d love to hear them. Share as a comment below.

Here’s a link to 1-A-Week Weight Loss Tips – http://www.weightlosswithlisa.com.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Best Weight Loss Plan
http://www.bestweightlossplan.org

Posted in Heart Health, Lose Weight | Tagged best weight loss plan, diet, healthy, lose weight, metabolism, mistakes, snacks, weight loss, weight loss tips

Dr. Houston Answers Your Top Heart Health Questions – Part 1

Published March 17, 2010 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

I had the opportunity to interview hypertension expert Dr. Mark Houston last month (February 2010). Here are three of the questions he answered.

Lisa Nelson RD: It is typically recommended that cholesterol medications be taken prior to bed. Would you explain the reason why? Also, is there a best time of day to take blood pressure medication?

Dr. Houston: Statins work best at night to inhibit an enzyme in the liver when cholesterol production is the highest. Blood pressure medications are best taken at night to reduce the early morning increase in blood pressure which is highest between 3 AM and 10AM.

Lisa Nelson RD: If you discontinue a blood pressure medication how long does it stay in your system?

Dr. Houston: It depends on the duration of action of the medication. Some of the longer acting medications may last for 24 to 72 hours. However most are gone in 24 hours or less. Never stop any blood pressure medication abruptly especially beta blockers and clonidine, as withdrawal may occur with rapid increases in blood pressure, heart rate, headache, chest pain, palpitations and even heart attack or stroke.

Lisa Nelson RD: When someone has uncontrolled systolic blood pressure (diastolic tends to be within normal) what are steps they can take to promote control of systolic blood pressure?

Dr. Houston: Low salt, high magnesium intake, high potassium intake, fruits and vegetables, exercise, weight loss. The best medications for Systolic blood pressure are ACEI, ARB and CCB. Diuretics and beta blockers are less effective. High systolic usually means stiff arteries.

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, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged blood pressure, cholesterol medication, houston, hypertension, interview, lisa nelson, mark, statins, systolic blood pressure

Cholesterol Medication, Grapefruit, and Fungi

Published March 16, 2010 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Currently there are cholesterol medications that interact with grapefruit meaning individuals that are prescribed these medications need to avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice. There’s a component in grapefruit called furanocomarins (FCs) that interfere with the enzyme activity that metabolizes (breaksdown) certain medications. Therefore grapefruit can inhibit the medication from entering the bloodstream.

The USDA Agricultural Research Service found a fungus (Aspergillus niger) that will bind with FCs causing the component to be inactive. This may mean avoiding grapefruit may not be necessary in the future for individuals taking certain medications.

I’m curious to know your thoughts. I’m not so sure I like the idea of altering the FCs in grapefruit. Who knows if there is a benefit we haven’t learned yet related to FCs? Also, what if inhibiting FCs causing a new problem? Share your thoughts below!

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

Posted in Heart Health, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged blood pressure, cholesterol, fungi, fungus, grapefruit, medication

5 Tips to Prepare Healthy Meals Quickly

Obesity Rates Have Stabilized

4 Benefits of a High Fiber Diet

4 Diet Mistakes That Lead to Weight Gain

Dr. Houston Answers Your Top Heart Health Questions – Part 1

Cholesterol Medication, Grapefruit, and Fungi

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