New dietary recommendations released by the American Heart Association in October encourage common sense instead of the more confusing rules of planning your diet based on percentages of fat and other nutrients.
“The guidelines focus on the overall pattern of food choices, based on the types of foods and amounts,” said Dr. Ronald Krauss, lead author of the guidelines and a member of the AHA Nutrition Committee.
Preventing weight gain in the first place is a new emphasis. “Shedding pounds and keeping them off is so difficult that more attention needs to be given to preventing weight gain to begin with,” Krauss said.
Don’t worry so much about making every meal conform to the guidelines, but your diet over several days should fall in line. Here are some practical tips for putting the new AHA dietary recommendations into practice.
– “Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Choose five or more servings per day.”
Research shows that eating a diet with five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day can help lower cholesterol levels more effectively than a low-fat diet alone. Does five servings a day sound impossible? It’s not as hard as you may think. A glass of orange juice and a banana on your cereal at breakfast, along with one-half cup of grapes for lunch gets you to three servings. Add green beans to your dinner and a baked apple for dessert and you’ve reached your goal. Try some of these other tips for squeezing in fruits and veggies:
Blend fresh, frozen or canned fruit with low-fat vanilla yogurt for a fruit smoothie.
Chop or grate fresh vegetables like carrots, zucchini, tomatoes and red or green peppers into soups and pasta sauces.
“Try one new fruit, vegetable, or produce-based recipe a week,” said Margo Sipiora, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Illinois Dietetic Association. It adds variety to menus and can introduce you to new favorites.
– “Eat a variety of grain products, including whole grains. Choose six or more servings per day.”
Diets high in grain products are associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases. The fiber in these foods, as well as in fruits and vegetables, may also make diners feel full, keeping them from loading up on calories. Aim for 25 grams or more of fiber each day. Any food that has 2.5 grams or more per serving is a good source, Sipiora said.
At least three of these servings should be whole grain, yet only 7 percent of Americans manage this. Look for the words “whole” or “whole grain” on the label and before the name of the grain in the ingredient list; it should be listed first. Some foods may also sport a whole-grain health claim.
“Just because a food is dark or brown in color does not necessarily mean it’s whole grain,” Sipiora said. Conversely, some whole grain foods, like oat cereals, may be light in color.
Finally, choose the number of servings appropriate to your body’s size and calorie expenditure. Six servings is appropriate for most women, but men may need up to 11 servings a day. What’s a grain serving? One slice of bread or half of an English muffin or bun; a half-cup of rice, cooked cereal, or pasta; 1 ounce of dry cereal; one small tortilla; one small bagel (about the size of a to-go coffee cup lid–bakery bagels can count for up to four bread servings); or a 4-inch-diameter pancake or waffle.
– “Include fat-free and low-fat milk products, fish, legumes, skinless poultry and lean meats.”
“Fish has always been recommended in the AHA diet, but for the first time the guidelines recommend two weekly servings of fatty fish, such as tuna or salmon,” Krauss said. The omega-3 fatty acids in some fish are thought to protect against coronary artery disease. Canned tuna and salmon fulfill the requirements as well as fresh or frozen. Just watch the amount of mayonnaise that you add.
Beans and other legumes are some of the best sources around of cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber. Some studies have found that eating just 1/2 cup of beans a day can significantly lower total cholesterol and LDLs. Toss black beans into chili, lentils or navy beans into soups, sprinkle garbanzo beans on salads, or try pinto beans in burritos.
– “Limit foods high in saturated fat, trans fat and/or cholesterol.”
Saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol are associated with increased risk of heart disease. Saturated fat is the worst of the lot, being the main dietary contributor to high LDL cholesterol levels. Full-fat dairy products, fatty meats, and tropical oils found in commercial baked goods and snack foods are the main sources of saturated fat.
More recent research shows that trans fats can also increase LDL cholesterol and at the same time, decrease HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels. Trans fats are found in foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, like cookies, crackers and other baked goods, fried foods in fast food restaurants, and some margarines.
Dietary cholesterol, often thought to be the main villain in raising blood cholesterol levels, does not raise blood cholesterol levels as much as saturated fat. But many foods that are high in saturated fat are also high in dietary cholesterol. Some cholesterol-rich foods, like eggs and shellfish, are high in cholesterol but low in saturated fat, and therefore elevate LDL cholesterol less than foods that are high in both.
– “Choose fats with 2 grams or less saturated fat per serving, such as liquid and tub margarines, canola oil and olive oil.”
This will help keep your overall intake of saturated fat in check. As a guideline, the American Heart Association recommends using no more than 5 to 8 teaspoons of fats and oils a day in cooking, salad dressings and spreads, depending on your caloric needs, and no more than 5 teaspoons if you’re trying to lose weight. Cooking sprays are a great option.
New spreads on the market containing plant sterol or stanol esters tout their cholesterol-lowering abilities. “These products can be very effective in helping to lower cholesterol levels,” Krauss said, but they are advisable for people with elevated cholesterol levels, not the entire family.
– “Balance the number of calories you eat with the number you use each day.”
It’s a simple fact: If you eat more calories than you burn, you’ll gain weight. Most Americans don’t heed this guideline, which is why over a whopping 61 percent of them are overweight. “Weight gain invariably accompanies aging,” Krauss said, “and since weight gain is independently associated with heart disease and stroke, it’s very important for people currently at a healthy weight to stay there.”
Your activities should keep you fit and use up the calories you take in; a good daily goal is 30 minutes of walking or other exercise. To lose weight, you’ll likely have to do more.
Being physically active is one of the most important things you can do for heart health, Krauss said. You can even get your 30 minutes of activity in 10-minute increments. So jump off the bus a stop early, take the stairs instead of the escalator, or walk around your building–inside or out–during lunch.
– “Limit your intake of foods high in calories or low in nutrition, including foods like soft drinks and candy that have a lot of sugars.”
It’s not that candy and chips are awful. But they crowd out better foods, like fruits and vegetables.
– “Eat less than 6 grams of salt per day.”
This is equal to about 1 teaspoon of salt (2,400 milligrams of sodium) a day. That’s not much at all, especially when you consider that most processed foods contain substantial amounts of sodium. To help cut back, choose fresh foods when possible and look for reduced or low sodium versions of packaged and canned foods and beverages. Watch the number of salty snacks like chips, pretzels, and nuts. Try herbs for adding flavor instead.
– “Have no more than one alcoholic drink per day if you’re a woman and no more than two if you’re a man.”
“Although many studies have shown that alcohol can decrease risk of heart disease, it’s a matter of moderation,” Sipiora said. If you don’t drink, don’t start.
Go to the source
A copy of the American Heart Association diet, “An Eating Plan for Healthy Americans: The New 2000 Food Guidelines,” is available online at www.americanheart.org, by calling the American Heart Association at 800-AHA-USA1, or by contacting your local AHA office.
