If you’ve been feeling sad, blue or down for more than a few days at a time, it’s important to seek professional help. Depression can be effectively treated and managed in a number of ways, including with therapy or medication.]]>
You probably already know that a cornerstone of a healthy, balanced meal plan is plenty of plant foods. Fresh, frozen, and even canned vegetables, fruit, grains, beans and nuts provide important nutrients to help you avoid serious illnesses. A new study from researchers at Imperial College London in the UK has found what many health experts have long suspected: Eating more plants than animals is better for your heart. This was a very big study. The team looked at over 450,000 European men and women, and asked them detailed questions about their meal plans and other lifestyle factors, like physical activity. They were all between the ages of 35 and 70. At the end of the study, it was found that those who ate more plant than animal foods had a 20% lower risk of heart disease and stroke than the subjects who ate more meat, milk, and eggs. A few recent studies have also shown the benefits of eating more: Whole grains Beans and legumes Fruits Vegetables Nuts and seeds However, the researchers wrote that this type of study can’t prove that the plant foods were the biggest factor in the lowered heart disease risk. People who eat mostly [...]]]>
As part of a heart healthy lifestyle, you may be told to lower your sodium (salt) intake in order to reduce your risk of high blood pressure. However, salt may be bad for your heart health in ways you have never thought of before. A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that high salt intake may actually affect the structure and function of your heart and kidneys over time. Researchers at the University of Delaware found that a high-salt meal plan may, over time, lead to problems with your immune system. This can make you more likely to get sick. It may also lead to lowered blood clotting and increased artery stiffness, which can put you at a high risk for heart attack and stroke. Even if you do not have high blood pressure, the researchers of this study say that high salt intake over time can lead to serious health problems.?So talk to your healthcare provider about lowering your sodium intake to about 2300 milligrams a day, as suggested by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines. One of the best ways to eat less salt is to lower your intake [...]]]>
Folic acid is a nutrient most commonly known for helping to prevent brain defects in infants. Therefore, it may not be too surprising to find out that this nutrient can also help prevent strokes, which occur when blood flow to the brain is cut off. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that those with high blood pressure may be able to lower their stroke risk with folic acid. Researchers from the Peking University First Hospital in Beijing, China, looked at over 20,000 adults with high blood pressure who had never had a stroke. The subjects were asked to take either a blood pressure medicine alone, or with folic acid. After about 4.5 years, it was found that those who took the blood pressure medicine with folic acid were about one-fifth less likely to have a first stroke than those who took the blood pressure medicine alone. Those in the folic acid group were also one-fifth less likely to have a heart attack, or die early from any heart-related event or stroke. The researchers believe that eating foods rich in folic acid can help lower your stroke risk. These foods include: Dark leafy greens [...]]]>
You might be familiar with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are developed by nutrition experts and approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The first edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans was issued back in 1980. Since then, a new version has been published every five years. It’s time for a new edition this year. What will be different? What will be new? And how might these guidelines affect people who have diabetes?]]>
Do you know how much sugar you eat and drink every day? You may be getting a lot more than you think. Sugar is often added to sauces, dressings and soups, in addition to baked goods, candies, sodas, ice cream and alcoholic drinks. According to the World Health Organization’s new nutrition guidelines, you should have no more than 12 teaspoons of added sugar each day to avoid obesity and tooth decay. On average, the researchers at the WHO say that you should not get more than 10% of your daily calories from added sugar. For most Americans and Europeans, this means slashing sugar intake by about two thirds. In a 2,000 calorie meal plan, you should aim for less than 200 calories from added sugar. However, the experts say that sugars from whole, unprocessed foods don’t count. These foods include: Milk Fruits (whole, not juice) Vegetables Starches like potatoes Whole grains When making changes to your meal plan, however, the researchers warn that going too low may not be best for your health. In an earlier version of the new guidelines, the WHO thought about making the target 5% instead of 10%. But, they said, there is no good evidence [...]]]>
If you have children, you may be tempted to try and lower their heart disease and diabetes risk by cutting out as much fat and sugar as possible from their meal plans. However, a recent report from the American Academy of Pediatrics, published in the journal Pediatrics, has shown that a little fat and sugar may actually help improve the overall quality of your children’s diet. The researchers suggest not telling children that foods containing fat and sugar are “bad,” since a little bit of these foods benefit your child’s health. In addition, sugar can be a good thing in small doses; a teaspoon of brown sugar, for example, may get your child to eat high-fiber oatmeal instead of sugary cereal for breakfast. Therefore, it is suggested that parents loosen up on their restrictions of fat and sugar, and start getting children more involved in grocery shopping for the fruits and veggies they enjoy. Allowing children to help prepare meals and healthy snacks can make them more likely to try a wide variety of healthy foods. Parents are encouraged to provide children with a few different healthy choices during meal and snack time, and to not get upset if [...]]]>
According to health and environmental scientists, POPs (persistent organic pollutants) are a serious public health problem. POPs are a group of substances that can stay in the environment for a long time, especially in the food we eat. This puts human health at risk in a variety of ways, even after the substances are no longer used. With this in mind, researchers at the University of Granada in Spain wanted to find out if there is a link between POPs, obesity, and other major metabolic problems. In this study, which was published in the journal Environmental Pollution, researchers measured the levels of pollutants in the fat tissue of almost 300 men and women. In particular, they looked for the following POPs: DDE: A main ingredient in DDT, an insecticide popular in America the 1980s. Though dangerous to human and environmental health, some countries still use it to fight malaria. PCBs: Another dangerous group of chemicals, used mostly in industrial equipment. Even though the use of these POPs is restricted, the researchers found them in the bodies of all of the study subjects. But they were more likely to be found in high amounts in those who were obese, or [...]]]>
Every month, a lot of research is published about the best foods to eat for type 2 diabetes. A balanced meal plan should include enough vitamins and minerals, protein, healthy fats and fiber to help you control your blood glucose levels and avoid diabetes complications. But did you now that how and when you eat can also impact your health? ?A new study from the Wolfson Medical Center at Tel Aviv University in Israel has shown that eating a heavy breakfast but a light dinner may help people with diabetes avoid dangerous blood glucose spikes. This was a small study. The researchers looked at 8 men and 10 women with type 2 diabetes. Each subject was being treated with either metformin (a common glucose-lowering medicine) or a controlled meal plan. They divided the subjects into two groups and gave them separate meal plans to follow: Breakfast Diet: People in this group ate 704 calories at breakfast, 607 calories at lunch, and 205 calories at dinner. Dinner Diet: People in this group ate 205 calories at breakfast, 607 calories at lunch, and 704 calories at dinner (the reverse of B). After 2 weeks on these meal plans, the researchers measured [...]]]>
New dietary guidelines put out by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) state that Americans should no longer be worried about eating high-cholesterol foods like egg yolks and shellfish. However, some experts in the nutrition field, such the chairman of cardiovascular medicine at Cleveland Clinic and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, are afraid that this new guideline is sending a mixed message about how people should view fats in their daily eating. Experts make it clear that although it is okay to eat high-cholesterol foods, it is important that they have low amounts of saturated fat. When saturated fat is digested in the body, it is moved to the liver where it is changed into “bad” LDL cholesterol, which can raise your heart disease risk. Foods that are high in saturated fat that should be limited as part of a heart healthy eating plan include: Margarines Fatty meats, especially if they are processed Fried foods Processed baked goods Candies with hydrogenated oils Instead, try to focus on including more heart healthy unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, and fatty fish. A moderate amount of healthy fats each day, along with plenty of [...]]]>
The number of obese children in the United States is growing every day. Obesity puts children at a high risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that over two-thirds of obese children have at least one risk factor for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high triglycerides (another type of blood fat). A study recently published in?The Journal of Pediatrics?found that a plant-based meal plan may help lower the risk of heart disease in obese children.?Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio looked at a group of obese children who had high cholesterol levels. The children were asked to follow either a plant-based eating plan or the American Heart Association’s (AHA) plan, which is low in fat, sodium (salt), sugar, red meats, and processed foods. The children on the plant-based meal plan ate plenty of plants and whole grains, no animal products, and limited amounts of avocado and nuts. Both groups had weekly, two-hour long nutrition sessions. At the end of the four-week study, the children in the plant-based group had lower body mass index (BMI) and weight, smaller waist and arm measurements, lower blood pressure, and lower [...]]]>
Recently, healthcare providers and health researchers have suggested a few big changes to the eating guidelines they give to Americans. For decades, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have suggested limiting foods with a lot of cholesterol, including: Egg yolks Red meat Butter, lard, and tallow (beef fat) Shellfish, like shrimp and lobster Cheese, cream, and whole milk But now, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which meets once every five years, believe it’s better to cut back on sugar than to avoid cholesterol-rich foods. They say there is very little research to support the idea that cholesterol from food raises LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in the blood. Instead, they think that too much saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium (salt) leads to heart disease. While some members of the committee did not agree that there is evidence to blame salt and saturated fat for heart disease, every member was happy to see new limits set on added sugars. In particular, they support the FDA’s idea to label added sugars on processed food and drink products, like soda, juice, candies, and baked goods. The committee wants to encourage Americans to focus on the overall quality of their meal plans, instead of small [...]]]>
If you keep up with health news, you may know that inflammation is often at the root of metabolic problems, like high blood pressure, obesity, high triglycerides, high blood glucose, and type 2 diabetes. Inflammation is a process in your body that helps you heal from wounds and other urgent issues, but too much of it can lead to serious chronic health conditions. This is why researchers are always looking for new ways to lower inflammation and prevent it from leading to bigger problems. A recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine has shown that fasting, or limiting your food intake in other ways, is linked to lower levels of inflammation. Researchers at the Section of Comparative Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine looked at mice and human immune system cells in a lab. They found that fasting, or restricting calories, causes the body to make a substance called BHB. This substance blocks the kind of inflammation–called NLRP3–responsible for diseases like Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. The study also showed that you can make BHB with high-intensity exercise and a very low-carb meal plan (sometimes called a ketogenic diet). However, more long-term research would be needed [...]]]>
Protein is an important nutrient in any heart healthy, balanced meal plan. Not only does it help you maintain lean muscle mass and keep you full between meals, it also supports many other important processes in your body. People with diabetes know that they must keep track of how many carbohydrates they eat each day, but protein may become lost in the carb counting. A recent study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition has found that those with diabetes may not be getting enough protein each day.]]>