Olive oil should be a go-to good fat for any heart patient. Plus it can taste great, I use it not only on salads but on grilled veggies and a host of other dishes, just check my recipe page.
And now there’s more good news, a study has found it can cut the risk of developing dementia.
“Scientists examined data collected over almost three decades on about 93,000 middle-aged adults. At the start of the study, participants were 56 years old on average and had no history of cardiovascular disease, a major risk factor for dementia.
“Every four years, participants completed dietary questionnaires detailing what foods they typically ate and indicating how often they consumed olive oil: no more than once a month; up to 4.5 grams (g), or 1 teaspoon (tsp) daily; between 4.5 and 7 g (1.5 tsp) daily; or more than 7 g daily.
“Compared with people who rarely if ever consumed olive oil, those who got at least 7 g a day were 28 percent less likely to die of dementia-related causes by the end of the study, according to results published in JAMA Network Open.
Britain has been much more active that the United States in acknowledging, and trying to curb, the daily intake of salt. But this report on FoodNavigator.com notes what I see as a disturbing trend there.
Rather than eliminate sodium completely from food items, the article touches on the substitution of potassium chloride for sodium chloride by food processors.
I’ve tried so-called potassium salt. It tasted a bit different. But that’s not the major issue. The danger is that too much potassium can have its own dire consequences.
“If you have too much potassium in your body, your kidneys may not be able to remove all of it, and it can build up in your blood. Too much potassium in your blood can damage your heart, make you feel palpitations and even cause a heart attack. You can’t always tell when your potassium levels are high,” notes the Cleveland Clinic.
The Food Navigator article notes Britain has cut salt consumption and seen positive health results for its population. But my advice for individuals would be simply cut salt, don’t use a substitute that could cause you more harm than good.
Eating a seafood feast at a restaurant? Check nutritional content online first.
One eating-out trend that developed during Covid was the disappearance of physical menus. In those Covid years of ‘don’t touch anything anyone else touches’ restaurants decided to use QR codes customers could scan to see menus.
How have people reacted? Not well, according to a survey by US Foods, a major foodservice distributor. A survey of 1,000 people recently found 89% prefer physical menus. Roughly one in six don’t know how to scan a QR code to get to a menu.
And 51% say QR code menus slow down ordering.
It will be interesting to see if restaurants keep the codes or go OG with real menus again.
On the healthy eating front, the survey found 53% would prefer to see calorie counts on menus and 17% have asked for additional nutritional information not listed on menus.
That’s a good practice for anyone who cares about eating heart-healthy. My advice, check menus online before going anywhere to eat. You’re likely to find more nutrition information than will be available in a restaurant and so you can make smarter choices.
I recently heard a doctor speak very enthusiastically about Ozempic use by heart patients such as myself. Ozempic and similar drugs now on the market cut your appetite (to put it very simply) and you drop pounds. That in turn helps heart health.
Would I stop loving Italian food if I took Ozempic?
Being able to take a pill (or an injection in Ozempic’s case) while still eating whatever you want sounds like the American dream doesn’t it? There are side-effects. A friend taking it for her diabetes tells me she throws up from it but finds it a small price to pay for dropping pounds.
And what about the price — more than $1,000 a month? Medicare won’t pay for it, although lobbying is underway to change that. Private insurance may or may not, enjoy the fight (that will probably make you nauseous too).
So should I ask my doctor to prescribe it (wonder if he would)? This all comes at a time when I’m feeling particularly frustrated by my weight.
After my first stent in 2012, I lost 30 pounds in about a year because I stopped eating everything I liked. But I could only stay hungry for so long and, after needing a second stent in 2017, I began wondering how much losing weight really impacted my arteries which seem determined to clog every few years.
Fast-forward to 2020 and Covid. Worrying about what I was eating went out the window at a time when a new virus could kill me in a matter of days.
I ate whatever we could buy in depleted stores or from restaurant takeout windows. And I started getting deliveries from a local bakery which had never delivered before.
The result — I’m now 14 pounds heavier than when Covid hit four years ago and 31 pounds heavier than my lightest in 2013. And I feel it every day. Exercise? I walk and ride an exercise bike. And for the past year and a half I’ve been taking a weekly boxing class. Punching the big bag is a great way to face my weight-loss frustration. But it hasn’t helped me lose any weight.
So is an Ozempic injection the answer? The idea of having medicine take away my appetite seems a bit big brotherish to me, a little too controlling. But am I just looking for an excuse? What would you do?
Heart patients like me get pretty straightforward advice about eating — less meat, more vegetables.
Ok, but are all veggies created equal when it come to heart health? Not exactly, says Certified Nutritionist Amy Fox, founder of Food and Mood Lab.
Amy’s top heart-healthy vegetables and her comments about them:
Broccoli anyone? It makes the heart-healthy list.
1. Leafy Greens such as spinach, kale, and collard greens are packed with essential vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants that help lower inflammation and blood pressure and may improve heart health. Add a handful of greens to your breakfast smoothie or incorporate them into your lunchtime salad.
2. Cruciferous Vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts contain a compound called sulforaphane that has been shown to reduce inflammation and improve blood pressure. Roast them in olive oil and seasonings for a tasty side dish or add them to stir-fries.
3. Beets get their vibrant color from powerful compounds called betalains, which may help improve heart health by reducing inflammation and protecting against oxidative stress. Roasting beets in the oven with other veggies or slicing them thinly and adding them to sandwiches are great ways to incorporate them into your diet.
4. Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene, an antioxidant that may help protect the heart by reducing inflammation and lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels. Roast them in the oven, add them to your soups and stews, or create a tasty homemade salsa.
5. Sweet Potatoes contain high levels of beta-carotene, which acts as an antioxidant and can reduce inflammation in the body. Bake this delicious and versatile vegetable in the oven and sprinkle with cinnamon and a drizzle of honey for a sweet treat.
6. Bell Peppers are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber to support heart health. They also contain capsaicin, which offers anti-inflammatory benefits to the body. Slice them up and add them to your veggie wraps or salads for added crunch and flavor.
7. Garlic contains allicin, a compound that can help lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation. Roasting garlic to spread on bread or adding minced garlic to your favorite marinades is a great way to incorporate this heart-healthy ingredient into your diet.
8. Okra is an excellent source of fiber, magnesium, and folate — all crucial nutrients for regulating blood pressure and preventing blood clots — and helps lower cholesterol levels, further protecting your heart. Roast okra pods with spices for a crispy snack, or add them to stews, curries, and stir-fries for a unique, heart-healthy twist.
9. Swiss Chard is loaded with potassium and magnesium, minerals that naturally regulate blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke. Its vibrant green leaves are brimming with beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A, essential for maintaining healthy heart tissue. Try sautéing Swiss chard with garlic and olive oil for a flavorful side dish, or add it to soups, stews, and even sneak into baked goods like brownies.
How many of those do you eat regularly? I eat six of the nine regularly, let me know if you can beat that.
2 tablespoons wine vinegar or a combination of vinegar and lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and/or salad oil, such as grapeseed oil
1 1/2 teaspoons minced shallot or scallions and/or ¼ teaspoon dried herbs, such as tarragon or basil
Big pinch of freshly ground pepper
I’d omit the salt and stick with olive oil. But even if you use the salt, it’s still a relatively small amount given the amount of dressing you’re creating.
A listeria-related recall that started with cheese products has spread to salad kits including those cheeses, various media report.
“Salad products sold at Walmart, Costco and Winco were recalled Thursday amid a nationwide outbreak of listeria that has sickened at least 26 people and left two people dead,” reports Patch.com
“Ready Pac Foods voluntarily recalled a limited number of casesof four salad kits as a result of an expanded recall by Rizo-López Foods, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. The kits contain cheese that could be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause serious — and sometimes deadly — infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and people with weak immune systems. Additionally, a listeria infection can cause women to miscarry or lead to stillbirths,” the report says.
Some of the recalled products are sold at Costco, Walmart and Cinco. Products sold at Trader Joe’s also ahve been impacted.
To read more details in the Food and drug Administration recall announcement, simply click here.
Fortunately for many of us in the United States, we aren’t worried about eating enough to survive. We are in a unique position, historically, in that were have access to many, many more calories than we need to survive — hence the obesity epidemic.
So at the start of every year, we’ve developed a new food ritual — people searching out new diets to drop some pounds after their massive end-of-year holiday eating binges.
Why do we, as a relatively affluent society, have such a love-hate relationship with food? I’ve recently heard from three experts delving into this question in their own ways.
“What’s the right amount of food that satisfies our nutrition and fuel needs but satisfies us psychologically, too?” Robertson asks in a recent interview. “When we’re eating, we’re feeding our soul; we’re feeding our emotions; but it’s really all about balance and finding that right balance for us.”
Robertson’s public relations person has sent me a review copy of her book, so expect to read more about it here shortly.
Schauster writes from her nearly 30 years of experience treating clients with disordered eating, her own experience as a recovered person, and as a parent of two young adults.
“In a culture that has such narrow parameters for what makes a ‘good’ or ‘attractive’ body, it is important that we don’t put too much importance on what the body looks like,” says Shauster. “Accepting and feeling neutral about the inevitable body changes of aging is something that we can teach our kids at a young age and through our example.”
One area that often escapes notice when we’re watching calorie intake is what we drink, especially if we’re at a party drinking something alcoholic. Depending on the drink, you could be taking in quite a few calories, not to mentioned sugar.
Calorie-tracking app LoseIt recently took a look at calorie content for various alcohols, wines and beers.
On the alcoholic beverage front, vodka and tequila are the lowest in calories, 96 for an ounce and a half, followed closely by rum at 97. Gin at 110 is there highest on the list.
Spirits are “not only a popular pick for those looking to lose weight, but also for those following a carb-conscious diet like keto. And the perks of choosing spirits go beyond being low-calorie — they are also virtually carb- and sugar-free,” writes dietitian Anna Smith, MS, RDN, LDN.
Since McDonald’s dropped its salads, there’s nothing healthy on its daytime menu.
The list shows just how hard it is to find low-sodium foods at these places (I’m sitting at a McDonald’s as I write this, ironically, after having some unhealthy free fries, a Friday give-away).
What’s listed for Chick-fil-A, for example? A yogurt, not any of its salt-laden chicken offerings.
A salad is listed at Burger King, but with no dressing because those are all high in salt and fat. Bring your own oil and vinegar like I do with portable, small bottles.
Americans are hooked on salt and fat until they start demanding alternatives, which doesn’t appear likely anytime soon. Happy New Year!
The No Salt, No Fat, No Sugar Journal 