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
Heart Disease – How to Avoid a Triple Bypass
Is bypass surgery in your future? What if it doesn’t have to be? I had the pleasure of interviewing 61 year-old Don Carrier. Six years ago he was facing triple bypass surgery, but by making necessary diet and lifestyle changes he has changed his future. No bypass surgery and no more medications.
Lisa Nelson RD: Please share details about your health prior to making diet and lifestyle changes, such as your weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, as well as your quality of life.
Don Carrier: The best way for me to start out is when I entered Dr. McDougall’s 10-day program back in 2003. At that time I weighed over 230 pounds. The main reason I went to his clinic is because I facing a triple bypass and hoped to find an alternative option to the surgery. I was very sluggish with no energy and overweight. Please keep in mind that I was a life long vegetarian. My cholesterol was well over 200, high blood pressure (in the 160’s) and basic quality of life was very poor. I was having all the typical cluster of health problems.
Lisa Nelson RD: What finally pushed you “over the edge” and gave you the motivation to make changes?
Don Carrier: I had tried many diets and even though I was a vegetarian I still gained a lot of weight. I had stopped eating potatoes, carrots, beets and other veggies because most of the popular diets claimed that carbohydrates were bad. At the McDougall clinic I was eating potatoes, carrots, beets, and lots of veggies and my energy level cam back after just 3 days and I began to lose weight. Dairy and oil were two foods I was not eating during the 10-day plan. I was a big dairy eater and used olive oil regularly. I learned they were the culprit of my weight gain and poor quality of life. Halfway through the 10-day plan my whole attitude changed. I was learning how our bodies work and how to fuel our bodies correctly. This motivated me to lead a vegan life, no diary and no oil. I never thought I would ever give up cheese, but I did and to this day I have not had even a slice of cheese since. Triple bypass surgery scared the “H” out of me and the 10-day program was the alternative solution I needed.
Lisa Nelson RD: What was keeping you from living a heart healthy life “before”?
Don Carrier: What kept me from leading a healthy lifestyle earlier was listening to what I thought was good healthy information from the media. Listening to the positive information about the Atkins diet, the Zone diet, South Beach Diet and all the diets that the media exploited was very confusing to me and it is to others. I honestly thought I was eating healthy yet wearing size 42-inch waist pants.
Lisa Nelson RD: How did you stay motivated, change your habits, and continue to stick with the changes?
Don Carrier: How do I stay motivated? It’s really quit easy, the vegan diet works. Triple bypass canceled, all the medications eliminated, arthritis gone, energy level maxed and over all health excellent.
Lisa Nelson RD: Do you follow a set diet plan?
Don Carrier: Breakfast is almost the same every morning. I have organic Heritage cereal or oatmeal with berries or fruit and almond milk. Lunches during the work week consist of Thai, East Indian or Whole Foods buffets. I have trained the restaurants I like to cook without oil or dairy. The dishes are very low in fat and sodium. Dinner is mostly at home, I like pasta, soups and sweet potatoes, brown rice dishes and lentils.
Lisa Nelson RD: How much physical activity do you typically include each week now?
Don Carrier: I have to admit I have never been a gym bunny. Before I was a total couch potato, today I get out and walk or use my treadmill at home. I usually spend 30 minutes every other day on the treadmill. At my office there is a lot of physical work I do in my warehouse.
Lisa Nelson RD: What advice would you give to someone struggling to live a heart healthy lifestyle while at high risk for a heart attack or bypass surgery?
Don Carrier: I don’t care how bent a person is on not eating vegetables, I found out your taste buds and cravings all change. What you thought you could not live without, soon become unimportant. You learn to substitute those food cravings with other foods. What every heart patient has to realize is that heart surgery is NO walk in the park. The medical institution makes billions of dollars every year opening up patient chests with a saw. I had it in my mind that I was not going to support the medical institution by having my chest cut wide open. Changing your diet is the safest way to continue to live a healthy life. It makes sense, it’s less expensive, and it’s less intrusive. There is no recovery process, no meds, and you get to enjoy life. If a heart patient decides changing their diet is too drastic, ask the surgeon to show you the tools and procedure they will use to operate. THAT IS DRASTIC!
Lisa, I could go on and on about the benefits of the right food and how it effects our body. So many people think being sick is in their genes and they have no control over their future health, they are totally misinformed. Good resources I recommend for potential heart patients are books by Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Fuhrman and the China Study by Dr. Campbell.
Lisa Nelson RD: Thank you Don for sharing your experience. I appreciate your time and I know many will benefit from hearing your story!
Be sure to sign up for The Heart of Health and receive the free report Stop Wasting Money – Take Control of Your Health at https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/hearthealth.html.
Heart Health – How to Eat Heart Healthy During the Holidays
One major holiday down, one to go! So, how did you do sticking with your plan to be heart healthy and lose weight? Not so good, well don’t worry it’s not too late to redeem yourself.
Most people gain an average of 1 pound every holiday season. Now, what’s one pound? Doesn’t seem like that big of an issue, but the problem is most do not lose this extra weight. The pounds simply continue to add up year after year. It may take several years before you look at yourself and wonder “what happened?”
To prevent this (or reverse past events!), you must take steps to counteract all the extra calories that go along with the holidays. How? Increase your physical activity these next 4-6 weeks. Extra walks, longer workouts, increased intensity levels.
Adding an extra 120 minutes of activity each week (that’s less than 20 additional minutes/day), will burn an extra ~600 calories/week. That’s an extra 3600 calories burned over six weeks to compensate for the pecan pie, cookies, and alcohol. Of course, 3600 calories only goes so far. You must make wise decisions with the holiday meals, so you’re not consuming 3000-5000 calories in one day
The holidays can be a big hurdle in a weight loss and heart health plan. Holidays don’t mean you can’t enjoy the good food and desserts, but do so wisely!
Be sure to sign up for The Heart of Health and receive the FREE report Stop Wasting Money – Take Control of Your Health today at http://www.hearthealthmadeeasy.com.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
