鈥淲hat diet do you follow?鈥� is a question I鈥檓 often asked when writing about cardiovascular disease. So I was interested to read a report from the Mayo Clinic recommending ways to have a heart-healthy diet. How did mine stack up?
I couldn鈥檛 agree more with Mayo鈥檚. For years, I have stressed that calories do count and the larger the portion on the plate the greater the number of calories. But our eyes are often larger than our stomachs and we ignore portion size. Moreover, in some restaurants, the only way to obtain a small portion is to threaten the waiter. Remember, you can have the most nutritious heart-healthy meal available on the plate, but if it鈥檚 a large portion, you still get a ton of calories, which means weight gain and听 increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. And people with diabetes have a 50 per cent chance of dying from a heart attack.
To avoid this error, use a small plate and learn more about serving size. For instance, one serving size of pasta is half a cup 鈥� about the size of a hockey puck. A serving of three ounces of meat or chicken is the size and thickness of a pack of cards. Serving size is as vital as the size of the plate.
Consume more fruits and vegetables
This is always a sound move as they鈥檙e a good source of minerals and vitamins. They鈥檙e low in calories and rich in dietary fibre. The typical North American eats 15 grams of fibre daily, but it should be 35 grams. Fibre has 鈥渇illing volume,鈥� which means it fills the stomach and sends a message to the brain to stop eating. Eat one apple full of fibre and you rarely need a second one. A can of soda has little filling volume. In addition to being heart healthy, fibre is a prime way to fight obesity. It also makes stools soft as toothpaste and fights constipation.
Increase the consumption of whole grains
Whole grains are also a great source of fibre and, according to the Mayo Clinic, they also help to regulate blood pressure. So choose wholewheat flour,
100 per cent wholewheat bread, wholewheat pasta and a high-fibre cereal that contains at least 10 grams of fibre.
I start every morning with a bowl full of Fiber One or Fiber First along with a banana or some other fruit to make fibre more palatable.
Limit unhealthy fats
Use olive and canola oil, along with the polyunsaturated fats found in fish, nuts and seeds. Mayo experts also suggest margarine. I hate to disagree, as they may be right, but I use butter. Why? I trust the farmers more than I trust manufactured foods.
Choose low-fat protein sources
This means lean meat, fish, poultry, low-fat dairy products and eggs, which are prime sources of protein. So I also use skim milk and eat skinless chicken breasts. And don鈥檛 forget that omega 3 fats in fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring are heart-healthy.
Decrease sodium intake
The Mayo Clinic states that increased amounts of sodium are related to high blood pressure, which is not health friendly. It recommends that adults should not have more than 2,300 milligrams daily.
Have an occasional treat
I, too, follow this advice. I like French fries, ice cream and cookies. But like Mayo, I only do it now and then.
Any problem with Mayo鈥檚 advice?
The Mayo clinic makes no mention that to have a heart-healthy diet you need high doses of vitamin C and lysine. This combination in powder or pill form prevents and reverses hardening of arteries, a major cause of heart attack. You can see photos on my website, which show the dramatic changes in arteries after taking C and lysine.
Check on the various brands containing C and lysine at your local health food store. It is tragic that the medical establishment is ignoring this research, which could save thousands of lives.
History shows it鈥檚 not the first time this has happened.
