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Heart Healthy
Cook at Home for Leaner Kids
Parents who eat out at fast food restaurants and buffets often weigh more and are more likely to develop insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes)… Not good for you, but did you know these behaviors can also be harmful for your kids? A recent study has connected many common health problems in adolescents with eating out or having meals prepared outside of the home.
When adolescents eat meals NOT prepared at home (i.e. fast food, sit-down, take out, delivery), they are much more likely to be overweight and develop insulin resistance (a precursor to type 2 diabetes). In this study, the leanest kids had more meals cooked at home with very little risk for type 2 diabetes.
Why are meals not prepared at home resulting in obesity? There are several potential culprits:
- the portion sizes are much larger
- food preparation is often less healthy (fried!)
- more unhealthy food options to choose from
Based on this study of almost 400 adolescents, meals shouldn’t just be eaten at home – they should be PREPARED at home too. Even home delivery or take-out foods were linked to excess weight and increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
Three cheers for home-cooked meals!!! More delicious and good for you, too! Here are the simple ingredients for oven-roasted fries: olive oil and Mrs. Dash no-salt seasoning. Who needs to go out for fries?
Oven-Roasted Fries
SUPER Super Bowl Munchies
Okay, is is Super Bowl weekend! And here are some interesting food stats….Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest food consumption day of the year behind Thanksgiving Day! There will be 1.25 billion chicken wings and 30 million pounds of snacks and goodies eaten, and well, safe to say, thousands of calories consumed. Here are some lightened-up food ideas for Super Bowl Sunday.
For guacamole & other creamy dips - use light mayonnaise, sour cream and Greek yogurt to replace the higher fat sour cream or cream cheese. Add in calorie-free and sodium-free flavor with thinly diced green onions, garlic, herbs and spices.
Other dipping ideas - hummus, salsa, bean dip, bean & corn salsa. Now, these are best made at home from scratch because the sodium and fat content can be controlled by using healthy ingredients. And for great dippers: bell peppers and other raw veggies, whole wheat pita chunks, and baked chips.
Other munchie ideas -
- turkey breast burger sliders
- chili made with ground turkey breast and beans
- spiced, steamed shrimp
- buffalo chicken salad made with rotisserie chicken, blue cheese crumbles, and avocado slices or homemade
- Stromboli made with homemade pizza dough and stuffed with turkey sausage, onions, bell peppers and mozzarella cheese
Yum, yum, yum!
Here is an assembly of healthy ingredients to make your own Party Mix. Assorted high-fiber cereals, no-salt-added pretzels, plain nuts like almond slivers; toss with herbs combined with a little canola oil. Bake on baking sheet in 325-degree oven for about 30 minutes, turning with spatula. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Super Bowl Party Mix done healthy!
Ditch the Meat to be Leaner
A big tip for a leaner body: Lose the meat, especially beef, veal and lamb. Yup, that’s what a 7-year study of 1,700 middle-aged men showed.
It’s the MEAT! This study found that eating more animal protein was correlated with a higher body weight. So, for a trimmer waistline, try adding some vegetarian meals to your menu.
Those men who ate the most animal protein also had higher total dietary fat … and .more saturated fat! Not good for the arteries…
On the other hand, men who eat more vegetable proteins are typically the leanest. Ideas for vegetable-based protein: dried beans & legumes, soy foods (edamame, tofu, veggie burgers), nuts, seeds and nut butters.
Easy vegetable protein meal ideas….veggie burger on multi-grain bun, bean or minestrone soup, peanut butter sandwich, vegetable-barley soup, garden vegetable pizza, lentil spinach soup, hummus stuffed in pita pocket, baked potato stuffed with broccoli and reduced-fat cheese……
This easy-to-make lentil-spinach soup uses meatless ingredients, is hearty and tasty and if you make extra, the leftovers are delicious!
Lower LDL (Bad) Cholesterol
High cholesterol? A recent study shows that certain foods can reduce artery-clogging LDL-cholesterol by flushing out fat and cholesterol.
Knock down your LDL-cholesterol with
- a handful of nuts every day – any kind of nuts will do
- soy foods – try tofu, soy nuts, veggie burgers, edamame and soy milk
- “sticky” fibers such as oats and barley… For oats: oatmeal, homemade granola, oatmeal muffins, oats in meatballs and meatloaf… For barley: cooked barley cereal, barley soup, cold barley salad with celery, onions and spinach, and hot barley (instead of rice) as a side dish.
- natural plant sterols - they’re found in nuts, veggies and fruits, and legumes. Hmm, sounds like a vegetarian diet to me…
The most commonly prescribed medications in this country are the statin drugs, such as Lipitor. In fact, millions of prescriptions have been written in 2011. Holy cow! For many folks, however, medications can be eliminated or reduced by simply making healthier food choices to lower cholesterol.
These high-fiber muffins have cooked two ingredients that can lower cholesterol – barley and chopped cashews:
Going Vegan
Former President Bill Clinton has learned something about heart disease: a fatty animal-based diet can clog arteries, and in 2004 he had quadruple-heart bypass surgery. He began eating healthier, but then in 2010 he had another fatty blockage resulting in a stent. What he did after that stent is somewhat drastic – he moved to a vegan diet and lost another 25 pounds.
A vegan diet contains NO animal products at all. So where would you get your protein?
- Soy products such as tofu, tempeh and veggie burgers
- Nuts and nut butters
- Legumes such as pinto, kidney, black and Great Northern beans
- Quinoa
With a vegan diet, it’s especially important to make sure you’re getting enough nutrients. A few to keep an eye on…
- Iron – nuts, beans, legumes, dried fruit, dark leafy greens and baked potatoes
- Calcium – dark leafy greens, bok choy and calcium-fortified drinks like soy milk or oj
- Omega-3 fatty acids – flaxseed and walnuts
- Vitamin B12 – fortified soy foods and nutritional yeast
Why join the 1% of Americans who are vegan? This eating approach may reduce your risk for heart disease and certain cancers (prostate and gastrointestinal). And with the usual weight loss that comes with a vegan diet, many folks with type 2 diabetes find improvement in insulin sensitivity.
Not sold on going vegan?? That’s okay. Even serving a few meatless meals each week is a great start toward healthier eating:
- A peanut butter and jelly sandwich with veggie soup is a favorite lunch.
- Grilled veggie burger on multi-grain bun with spinach leaves, tomato slices and roasted bell peppers.
And you will find some tasty recipes at www.vegetariantimes.com.
Healthy School Lunches
It’s back to school for kids across the country. Packing lunches is budget-friendly, and gives you total control of the nutrition that your child gets in the middle of the day. Be creative, too, so that lunch is enjoyed week after week.
Nutrition FIRST. Lunch should provide protein for growth, fluids for hydration, starch for energy, fruits & veggies for vitamins & minerals.
PROTEIN: nuts & nut butter, tofu cubes, reduced-fat cheese cubes or slices, cottage or ricotta cheese with fruit or veggies, tuna or salmon salad, hummus, black & kidney bean salad, leftover meatloaf or grilled chicken in a sandwich, hard cooked eggs, and leftover stew or chili.
FLUIDS: skim or 1% milk, water, vegetable or 100% fruit juice. The 2010 American Heart Association guidelines suggest no more than ½ -1 cup of 100% fruit juice per day for kids.
STARCHES: whole-grain bread, roll, tortilla, pita pocket or crackers; homemade muffins such as banana or carrot; potato or pasta salad, couscous or leftover rice stir fry.
FRUITS & VEGGIES: assorted raw veggies (peppers, cherry tomatoes, carrots & celery sticks, broccoli florets), avocado slices, coleslaw, 3-bean salad, veggie soup, fresh fruit in season, no- sugar-added fruit cups or fruit salad.
May is Stroke Awareness Month
Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. A stroke affects the arteries that lead to the brain, or the arteries that are in the brain. A blood vessel that transports vital oxygen is either blocked by a clot, so the blood flow is stopped, or the blood vessel bursts. Read the rest of this entry…
Life’s Simple 7, Part 5
And the final American Heart Association guidelines:
# 7 STOP Smoking. Need we say more? Read the rest of this entry…
Life’s Simple 7, Part 4
Continuing with the American Heart Association healthy lifestyle guidelines: Read the rest of this entry…
Life’s Simple 7, Part 3
Continuing with the American Heart Association Life’s Simple 7 Guidelines: Read the rest of this entry…
