Healthier eating and your heart

There is now overwhelming evidence that healthy eating is important not only for preventing heart attacks but also for good general health. In the UK we should eat less fat (especially loss saturated fat), more fibre, less sugar and less salt.

Healthier eating means:

Eating more: Bread (especially wholemeal), potatoes, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, beans, fish.


Eating less: High-fat dairy products, salt, sugar, cakes, biscuits and sweets.


Using: Skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, low fat spread or a margarine ‘high in polyunsaturates’,
lean meat, poultry or fish, unsweetened fruit juice.


Instead of: Full-fat milk, butter or hard margarine, fatty meats and meat products, fizzy drinks

It is particularly important to cut down on saturated fats and to increase the proportion of polyunsaturated fat in the fat you do eat. Eating too much-saturated fat encourages the body to make too much blood cholesterol which then circulates in the blood.

This blood cholesterol gets laid down in the walls of the arteries causing them to fur up. This furring-up process leads to coronary heart disease.

Polyunsaturated fats are essential for the growth and maintenance of the brain and nerves. They tend to lower blood cholesterol levels and also make the blood less likely to clot and block an artery resulting in a heart attack or stroke.

Saturated fats are found in meat (beef, lamb, pork, suet, lard, dripping, meat pies) and in dairy products like milk, cheese and butter. They are also found in coconut oil, palm oil and some cheaper vegetable oils, in cakes, biscuits, sweets and snacks. These fats may be listed in the ingredients like hydrogenated vegetable fat oil.

Polyunsaturated fats are found in some vegetable oils such as sunflower, corn or soya oils, in soft margarine’s labelled ‘high in polyunsaturates’, in nuts and in oily fish such as herring and mackerel, white fish, e.g. cod and trout.

You may have heard about two other types of fat: monounsaturated fats and trans fats. Monounsaturated fats are usually considered to have a neutral effect on blood cholesterol levels but there is growing evidence that they might be beneficial.

Olive oil is high in monounsaturates. Trans fats, found in hard margarine’s, are polyunsaturated fats that have been chemically hardened. Recent studies suggest that the intake of trans fats may also be associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. Remember to cut down on the total amount of fat you eat and when you do eat fats, choose ones high in polyunsaturates.

Cholesterol


Your blood cholesterol level is largely determined by the amount of saturated fat you eat, but it can be affected by too much cholesterol in your diet. Egg yolks, shellfish and offal are quite rich in cholesterol so it’s best not to eat large quantities of these foods very often.Overweight
Eating too much fat is the quickest way of putting on too much weight. Too much body fat puts extra strain on your heart and can lead to high blood pressure.

Eat less sugar


Eating too much sugar doesn’t help to maintain your correct weight. Sugar gives you calories but no other nutrients: no vitamins, no minerals, no fibre and no protein. Eating too much sugar promotes tooth decay as well. Try to cut down on sweets, soft drinks, biscuits and cakes. Try adding less sugar to drinks and food, or better still, don’t add any at all. Watch out for sucrose, glucose, dextrose, fructose and maltose on the ingredients lists of packaged foods. They are all forms of sugar.

Eat more fibre


If you’re trying to cut down on saturated fats in your diet it’s a good idea to replace them with fibre-rich foods which fill you up without giving too many calories. Fibre is found in foods like cereals (wheat, rice and corn), pulses (baked beans, peas, kidney beans), vegetables, fruits, nuts, wholemeal bread and pasta.Fibre-rich foods may also have beneficial effects on blood cholesterol levels, help to prevent constipation, protect against bowl problems including cancer of the bowl – one of the most common cancers in the UK.


Eat less salt


In countries where a lot of salt is eaten, high blood pressure is common. Researchers are not sure if high blood pressure is caused by too much salt, too little potassium, too few essential polyunsaturated fats or some other factor. Until there is more certain evidence, it is wise to reduce the amount of salt you eat, especially if you already have high blood pressure. Table and cooking salt account for only about a quarter of the salt eaten in the UK. The rest comes from manufactured foods such as crisps, salted meats and fish, and other processed foods, so try to cut down your consumption of these.

Children


It is important to encourage healthy eating habits in young children. Even from the age of 2 years, children can be encouraged to eat low-fat dairy products. (Children under 2 should have full-fat rather than skimmed or semi-skimmed milk). Try to discourage children from eating too many sweets and biscuits, squashes and fizzy drinks.

How does diet affect heart disease?  

For many people, eating a poor diet leads to fatty deposits developing inside the walls of arteries. Over the years, these fatty deposits can build up narrowing the arteries, obstructing blood supply. If the vital arteries of the heart become narrowed or blocked, the result can be a heart attack. 

These fatty deposits contain large amounts of a substance called blood cholesterol. Everyone has cholesterol in their blood, but people who have heart disease usually have a higher level than others. 

High blood cholesterol levels are caused mainly by the amount and type of fat inthe diets we eat – rather than cholesterol in food (dietary cholesterol), as is commonly thought. 

There are four different types of fats to consider… 

Saturated and Trans Fats – A diet high in saturated and trans fats increases the level of blood cholesterol which in time increases the risk of heart disease so we should try and reduce the amount of saturated and trans fats we cat. 

Saturated fats are found in high quantities in animal products like fatty cuts of beef, lamb and pork, as well as in hard margarine and lard. They are also in dairy products like full-fat milk, cheese and butter. Surprisingly, a cheddar cheese sandwich can contain as much as a third of the average daily saturated fat intake! Most cakes, biscuits, pies and pastries also contain a tot of “hidden” saturated and trans fats. 

Monounsaturated Fats – are found in high proportions in olive oil and avocado pears. They do not increase blood cholesterol levels and some experts believe that they may helpto reduce them. 

Polyunsaturated Fats – These can help lower excess blood cholesterol. Polyunsaturates are found in vegetable oils like sunflower, soya, cornand sunflower and inproducts made from them, like spreads labelled ‘high in polyunsaturates”. Oily fish like mackerel, sardines and pilchards are an excellent source of another type of polyunsaturates which help prevent blood from becoming too “sticky” and forming clots. 

Polyunsaturates contain “essential fatty acids” which are vital to health. It is important to try and cat much less fat altogether and to replace sonic saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats. 

What choices can I make?  

The next time you reach for an item on the supermarket shelf STOP and check the label ingredients are listed in the order of quantities. Ask yourself “Is this a healthier alternative to what I normally buy?”Try to buy foods low in saturates and high in fibre. Watch out for those foods high in fat (especially saturated fat) , sugar and salt – like many fast and processed foods. 

Choose these: 

  1. Cottage cheese, low-fat cheese or cheese alternatives which are made with sunflower oil
  2. Skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, low-fat natural yoghurt or low-fat fromage frais
  3. Sunflower spreads, low fat spreads, oils and fats which are high in polyunsaturates and low in saturates
  4. Lean meat, poultry and fish
  5. Grilled, poached or steamed foods
  6. High-fibre whole grain varieties of bread, breakfast cereals, rice, oats. pasta, beans and pulses
  7. Fresh vegetables, fruit or canned fruit in natural juices
  8. Mayonnaise alternatives and salad dressings which are low in fat, particularly saturated fat

In preference to these: 

  1. Cheddar cheese, Stilton and other full fat cheeses
  2. Whole milk and cream
  3. Butter, hard margarine and fats, lard or suet
  4. Fatty meat and meat products (pies, sausages, pates) 
  5. Fried foods
  6. White bread and pre-sweetened breakfast cereals
  7. Canned fruit in syrup, cakes, biscuits and sweets
  8. Traditional in mayonnaise and oily shad dressings

Starting Young  

It’s never too soon to start healthy eating. habits formed in childhood can last a lifetime. Encourage your children to cat plenty of fresh and home cooked foods rather than convenience meals, fatty snacks and chips with everything. But remember – don’t make Your kid’s diet too rigid as growing children need lots of energy. So make sure they fill up on lots of wholemeal bread, cereals, fruit and vegetables. 

Food for thought 

The traditional British diet has surrendered! After years of attack by health professionals in magazines, newspapers, books and TV programmes old eating habits are finally being swept away. It’s now clearly understood that good diet is linked to good health. 

Eating a poor diet has been linked to a battery of illnesses. Obesity, heart disease, digestive problems, even some cancers can all follow bad eating habits. But ill health doesn’t happen overnight. It can take many years to develop, often with no outward signs. But the good news is that changing to a healthier diet and lifestyle can help prevent these, and many other diseases. 

And opting for a healthy diet need not be hard work, a few simple changes can soon put you on the right road: 

  • Reduce the total amount of fat you cat, especially saturated fats, and partially replace with polyunsaturated fats. Eat more fresh fish, lean meat and poultry, rather than high saturated fat foods such as sausages and burgers.
  • Increase your intake of fibre rich starchy foods, such as wholemeal bread and pasta, baked jacket potatoes, high fibre breakfast cereals, oats and pulses.
  • Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables – at least five portions a day.
  • Cut down your sugar by opting for unsweetened fruit juices or low caloric soft drinks and eating fewer sugary foods such as cakes, puddings, sweets and biscuits.
  • Limit the quantity of salt you take by using less in cooking and at the table and by eating fresh fruit instead of salty crisps and nuts -which are also high in fat.

Risk Factors – the big 6  

Remember that making the wrong food choices is one of several factors causing heart disease – there are five others to bear in mind. 

Help your heart by making healthier food choices

Excess weight puts a strain on your heart

Avoid a high blood pressure

Relax and reduce your stress levels

Take regular exercise

You should try to give up smoking