Tag Archives: heart

Sneak Peek: Weight Management PowerPoint Show

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It’s time for an exclusive look at of the most popular new presentations in the Nutrition Education Store. The Just Lose 10% PowerPoint presentation covers ways to live a healthful lifestyle while successfully managing your weight. Emphasizing the latest health and nutrition research, this life-changing presentation has been a hit for many dietitians and other health educators.

Today this blog will feature 2 of the sections in this show, just for you, for free. The full rundown includes…

  • Assess Your Weight
  • Set Your Goal
  • Benefits of 10% Loss
  • Weight Control 101

This post features the Set Your Goal and Benefits of 10% Loss sections. Are you ready for this?

Why Choose 10%

Speaker’s Notes: Okay, first things first. Why choose 10%? Why is this the goal of the show? Well, the answer is twofold. One, if you’re overweight or obese, losing only 5-7% of your current body weight can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. And two, losing 10% of your body weight can decrease your heart disease risk. Both of these are key for a long and healthy life. Improve your health with a little weight management!

The First Attainable Goal

Speaker’s Notes: Another reason to set “lose 10% of your body weight” as a weight management goal is that successful weight loss requires a sustained effort over time. Quick fixes are often hard to keep up and make it easy to backslide into less healthful habits. That’s why setting a goal is so important – it gives you something to strive for. And losing 10% of your body weight is attainable and will make a significant difference to your health.

Benefits of Weight Management

Speaker’s Notes: Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of managing your weight well.

What's In It for You?

Speaker’s Notes: So, what’s in it for you? Why is it so important to reduce your weight if you’re overweight or obese? The short answer is that it’s key for your health. When you get your weight into a healthy zone, you reduce your risk of heart diseases like hypertension or even a heart attack. You also reduce your risk of stroke, certain cancers, and type 2 diabetes. This in turn means that you are more likely to live longer, while being less likely to have to take medications to combat these chronic conditions. Getting to skip those medications further improves your quality of life.

Even More Health Benefits

Speaker’s Notes: These are all benefits that accompany a healthful lifestyle and gradual weight loss. When you adopt a healthful lifestyle in your quest to manage your weight, you are more likely to sleep better, have more stamina, have more energy, improve your flexibility, and find it easier to do the things you love.

Do you like what you see? There’s a lot more in the show — over 35 slides of the latest research about weight management, health, and wellness. Check out the full presentation!

And here’s a PDF copy of the slides we featured today…

Just Lose 10%

 

Remember, we’re here to help you look your very best, right now. Don’t miss these other great weight management resources…

12 Lessons of Wellness and Weight Loss

Weight Control Poster Value Set

PowerPoint: Exercise to Lose and Control Weight

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Where Does the Information Come From?

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How does Food and Health get the information it offers?

I’ve been asked that question a lot lately, and since I’m so proud of the answer, I want to share it with you. After all, it’s important to get your information from sources that are trustworthy and accurate. How else are you going to have confidence in what you offer your clients?

Dietry Guidelines for Americans

So, let’s start with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The Dietary Guidelines are our gold standard and the base for many of our materials and articles. To make the guidelines, a committee of university professors go through the latest peer-reviewed journals and distill the most important information into a document for the public. These guidelines are updated every five years, and a new update is just around the corner!

MyPlate is also a key player on our stage. Put forward by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), MyPlate is based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and offers a guide to what people should eat each day, along with descriptions of the health impact of various foods. MyPlate is key to the health and nutrition policies of many government agencies and public schools.

MyPlate in Schools

Of course, we don’t stop there! We constantly monitor government agencies and associations for news updates and scientific information. Here are the heavy hitters…

Checking in with the American Heart Association

Now let’s talk about our team. After all, what we do with the information is almost as important as where we get it, right?

Our professionally-accredited editors and advisory board members evaluate the data, looking for practical information, updates, and opinions from private and public practices. Then they put everything into plain language that highlights the key points.

 

After that, we arrange everything into aesthetically-pleasing and engaging handouts and blog posts with the help of our artists and web team. Our chef often creates related materials to help make sticking to these health recommendations easier. After all, it’s more fun to eat healthfully when the food also looks delicious and tastes good, right?

But the bottom line is that we stick to peer-reviewed science that you can trust.

Discussing New Findings

In fact, we don’t accept any industry advertising whatsoever. That way, we never feel compelled to protect our sponsors or present any information in a different light that might be less harmful to foods that aren’t good for our health. Since we don’t receive advertising dollars, we don’t have to appease our advertisers. Instead, we can focus on you.

So there you have it. A closer look at our information, how we present it and where we get it. I hope you enjoyed it!

Want to see how we put that information to good use? Here are some of our favorite heath and nutrition educational materials…

Dietary Guidelines for Americans Poster Set

6 Lessons of Heart Health PowerPoint and Handout Set

Premium Diabetes Education Kit

Oh, and as a special bonus, I’ve included a copy of the handout that comes with the Freedom from Chronic Disease poster. Want a PDF version that’s all your own? Get your copy right here!Freedom from Chronic Disease

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Be the One

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I’m sure you’ve noticed that healthful options are rather limited at most pot luck meals. These events tend to bring out the fat, sugar, sodium, and calorie-laden foods from everyone’s recipe boxes.

Shared Meal My husband and I were recently invited to such a party and he asked “will there be anything there I can eat?” (If you’ve been following my posts, then you know that my husband had a heart attack a year ago and is trying very hard to maintain a heart-healthy diet and lose some weight).

I was glad he asked. It shows that he’s thinking ahead.

Planning is always one of the suggestions offered to folks who are trying to maintain a special diet at social events. When in doubt, take something that you know you can eat.

With this thought in mind — and the holiday party season approaching quickly — I asked the participants in my heart-healthy cooking class what they would take to a pot luck party. Here are their ideas…

  • Chocolate angel food cake (no egg yolk and no frosting)
  • Apple squares (made with fresh apples, using apple sauce to replace any fat)
  • Quinoa salad with fresh spinach and a lemon dressing
  • Fresh greens tossed with strawberries, almonds, and homemade vinaigrette
  • Baked spinach balls
  • Baked tortilla chips with homemade salsa
  • Low-salt potato chips*
  • Swedish meatballs made with ground chicken and low-sodium gravy
  • Slices of Honeycrisp apples

I added a few suggestions of my own as well:

  • Veggie sticks and hummus
  • Dried fruit and nuts
  • Fresh fruit with a yogurt dip

I think my class members get it. They understand the need to be the ones to bring the healthful stuff. However, this doesn’t mean that they don’t have reservations and concerns. I heard comments like  “we’ve done this before and no one ate the healthy foods,” “no one else will eat it,” and “I’ll end up taking it home.”

That’s okay. In fact, it may actually be a bonus. Take it home and you’ll have something for tomorrow. At least you were the one that took something healthful. Yes, I know it’s hard to eat apple slices when there’s a gooey dessert available. But eating a few apple slices means that you’ll be more full and have less room when you slice yourself a bit of that gooey dessert.

Start a trend. Be the one.

By Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

Want to encourage your clients to be the one? Here are 10 great (and free!) recipes for healthful pot luck options…

And, as always, there’s more right here in the Nutrition Education Store. Here are some great holiday survival materials…

Holiday Secrets: Healthy Holiday Recipes

Holiday Challenge: Strategies to Help People Stay on Track During the Holidays

Poster: Holiday Survival Tips

*I have a little problem with this response, since there is still a lot of fat in this product. At least she was thinking about the sodium!

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Heart Attack Prevention: Are Statins or Eating Habits More Important?

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Medication or Diet?If elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were the only source of cholesterol deposited in the artery wall, then high doses of potent statins should be reversing (rather than reducing) the build-up of atherosclerotic plaques, largely eliminating deaths from coronary heart disease (CAD). Sadly, the number one cause of death in Americans taking statins to lower their elevated LDL-C to prevent heart attacks is still heart attacks?

Yes, statin drugs are very effective for reducing high LDL-C levels, and they do slow the progression of cholesterol-filled plaques. However, they rarely reverse the build-up of cholesterol in the artery wall. More importantly, statin drugs alone do not come close to eliminating the risk of heart attacks and most strokes despite impressive reductions in LDL-C levels. Research now shows that other lipoproteins besides LDL particles can and do carry cholesterol from the blood into the artery wall, promoting the growth of cholesterol-filled plaques and CAD. These lipoproteins are neither LDL-C or high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), but rather consist of the cholesterol-rich remnants of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins produced by the liver (VLDL) and the small intestine (chylomicrons)(1). Both genetic factors and dietary factors influence the amount of these triglyceride-rich lipoproteins produced and also the amount of cholesterol-rich remnant particles derived from each of them in the blood. Fat and cholesterol-rich meals can dramatically increase the production of chylomicrons and lead to greater amounts of cholesterol-rich chlyomicron remnants in the blood for several hours after each fat-rich meal (2).

Dr. Borge Nordestgaard’s recent study followed nearly 12,000 people with established CAD in Denmark and found that each 1 mmol (38.7 mg/dl) increase in non-fasting remnant cholesterol caused 2.8 times greater risk of a CAD event that was independent of HDL-C levels. The increased causal risk of CAD from elevated cholesterol remnant particles appeared much stronger than for changes in either LDL-C or HDL-C levels (3). Most doctors (MDs) now check only fasting blood lipids and focus largely on LDL-C and HDL-C to assess their patient’s future CAD risk. This was based on the simplistic notion that it was only the LDL-C particles delivering cholesterol to the artery wall, making it the “bad” cholesterol, while the HDL-C particles were removing the cholesterol from the artery wall and bringing it back to the liver, making their cholesterol content “good”. Of course, we now know HDL-C particles can actually become proinflammatory and proatherogenic “bad” HDL particles, perhaps partly in response to biochemical changes in the HDL particles triggered in part by chylomicrons and other remnant cholesterol particles in the blood.

Chylomicrons and their cholesterol-rich remnants remain in the blood for several hours after each fat-rich meal and likely play a major role in promoting inflammation (by increasing IL-6 & CRP), thrombosis (by activating clotting factor VII), and atherosclerosis (by delivering more cholesterol-rich remnant particles to the artery wall). The fact that damage to the endothelium (inside “skin” of the artery wall) as evidenced by reduced flow mediated dilation (FMD) occurs to a much greater extent after a single fat-rich meal than after a meal high in carbohydrate points to the fact that pathological changes must be occurring in the artery wall in response to fat and cholesterol-rich particles coming from the intestines (4). Indeed, this reduced FMD is likely the main reason why many people with angina tend to experience far more chest pain after a large, fat-rich meal than they do after a meal high in carbohydrate-rich plant foods. The only legitimate debate is not whether LDL-C or other cholesterol-rich remnant particles promote atherosclerosis and increase the risk of CAD, but rather which is more atherogenic. Clearly both LDL-C and other remnant lipoprotein particles deliver cholesterol to the artery wall and promote foam cell formation and atherosclerosis. Unlike LDL-C particles (which must first be oxidized), remnant cholesterol particles are readily taken up by scavenger receptors of macrophages in the cell wall to form foam cells (5,6). Increasing evidence suggests that damage to the artery wall from cholesterol-rich remnant particles appears to be at least as important as either fasting LDL-C or HDL-C levels for predicting future CAD events.

It should be noted that diets high in refined carbohydrates (particularly large amounts of refined sugars) combined with inactivity can contribute to a marked increase in the liver’s production of VLDL particles because the liver converts some of the excess carbohydrate (especially fructose) into triglyceride. This leads to more triglyceride-rich VLDL particles being released into the blood, which then degrade into cholesterol-rich remnant particles and eventually also LDL particles. This is particularly true in people who are genetically prone to develop insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes and who experience significant increases in fasting triglyceride levels as visceral fat stores accumulate.

Bottom Line: Reducing LDL-C levels with statin drugs alone is insufficient for stopping and reversing CAD and preventing most heart attacks and strokes. A diet low in fat, salt, cholesterol, and refined carbohydrates coupled with increased activity and loss of excess weight may also be necessary to stop and reverse CAD in part by reducing remnant cholesterol levels in the blood.

By James J. Kenney, PhD, FACN

Sources:

  1. Mark Nordestgradd BG, Freiberg JJ. Clinical relevance of nonfasting and postprandial hypertriglyceride and remnant cholesterol. Curr Vasc Pharm. 2011;9:281-6
  2. Mark Cesar TB, et al. High cholesterol intake modifies chylomicron metabolism in normolipidemic young men. J Nutr 2006;136:971-6
  3. Mark Varbo A, et al. Remnant cholesterol as a causal risk factor for ischemic heart disease. J Am Col Cardiol. 2013;61:427-36
  4. Mark Tomaino RM, Decker EA. High-fat meals and endothelial function. Nutr Rev. 1998;56:182-5
  5. Mark Zilversmit DB. A proposal linking atherogenesis to the interaction of endothelial lipoprotein and triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. Circ Res.1973;33:633-8
  6. Mark Nakajima K, Nakano T, Tnaka A. The oxidative modification hypotheis of atherosclerosis: the comparison of atherogenic effects of oxidized LDL and remnant lipoproteins in plasma. Clin Chim Acta. 2006;367:534-42

Looking for fun ways to improve your clients’ understanding of cholesterol and its health risks? Check out this free handout: Cholesterol Puzzle.

Cholesterol Puzzle Handout

And, as you well know, there are tons of other heart health education materials available in the Nutrition Education Store. Pay special attention to the posters, which have been flying off the shelves lately!

LDL Cholesterol Poster

Premium Heart Health Education Kit

Heart Health Brochure: Lower Your Heart Attack Risk

Blood Pressure Poster

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Food Police

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I imagine that everyone who teaches people about healthful eating has at least one problem in common.

Their families.

My husband had a heart attack last September.  He had that heart attack after we were already eating a reasonably healthful diet. (We mostly eat according to the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension diet). We were watching the levels of saturated fats, calories, sodium, and fiber in all the foods we were eating.  We were both losing weight, and his last blood tests were significantly better.

The week after his heart attack, I started teaching a (previously-scheduled) weight loss and healthful eating class. Now our sessions are almost over. As the class began to draw to a close, one of the ladies said to me “I wish I could take you home so you could guide and coach me.”

My husband has me at home. What does he call me?

I’ll give you a hint. It’s not “coach.”

He calls me “The Food Police.”

I went with him to his cardiac rehab class when they talked about diet. The instructor did a great job. He said things that I know I have also told my classes… almost exactly word for word. But, it’s easier to hear this information from someone else, not your wife.

Eating, be it healthful or not so healthful, is such a personal thing. As we all know, it’s hard to change an eating habit, even when you’re super motivated. I can’t make my husband change his habits.

It’s hard not to be the food police. I have a sign in my office that quotes, “A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.” I’m trying to remember that and not police my husband’s meals at home. He says it’s hard to enjoy a meal with someone watching so closely.

But what can I do?

I’m trying to be a good role model. I’m trying to have good food in the refrigerator. I’m trying to modify recipes to make them even more healthful. I’m trying to take healthful foods when we go to parties or events. I’m trying not to suggest restaurants that would require us to make difficult decisions. I’m trying not to eat things in front of him that would be tempting.

Most of all… I’m trying to keep my mouth shut when I see him eat something that I don’t think he should eat.

It’s not fun being the “food police”

By Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS
Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

Looking for ways to help your clients improve their eating and protect their hearts? Try these top-selling nutrition education materials…

Surprise! Here’s a free handout that you can use to help people evaluate whether their diets are good for their hearts. Get your copy of Eat Right for Your Heart today!

Are You Eating Right for Your Heart?Check out these new materials for a healthy diet that are so fun you won’t be seen as the Food Police:

Nutrition Education Store exclusive plastic MyPlate Plate (NEW!):

Heart Brochure set, heart posters, heart-healthy cooking instruction and more:

 

 

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Sodium Samples

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The author Janet Evanovich calls it the “Senior Buffet”.  Other folks call them the “sample ladies.”  I bet you know what I’m talking about. The folks who offer food samples at the big box stores.  Just wander the aisles of the store while shopping and graze along the way.I have noted that most of the time, the foods being sampled are the higher in calories, more processed and easy to prepare items.

It’s easy to eat eight to ten samples during one lap of the store. These sample ladies (and men) are very popular.  Samples are gobbled up by almost everyone.  Have you ever calculated how much food you’re eating on one of these shopping trips?  Or more specifically, have you looked at the sodium counts of the foods?

Since my husband has been on a healthier diet due to his heart disease he has really been watching the nutrition labels more closely.  One of the things he’s specifically checking out is the sodium content of the food.    I was proud of him last week when I heard him say “no, thank you” to several of the sample ladies.  The discussion in the car on the way home was interesting.  He asked me “did you know how much sodium was that French onion soup they were sampling”.  SMILE

Yes, I did notice.  One cup of soup had about 800 milligrams of sodium.  They were offering generous samples, I’m guessing they were  ¼ cup each.  If you’re counting that’s 200 milligrams.  Add to that:

  • 178 mg in a barbecued chicken wing
  • 172 mg from a 1-ounce sample of frozen pizza
  • 58 mg in an 1-ounce serving of prepared chicken Alfredo
  • 75 mg in a ¼ ounce sample of Romano cheese on a whole grain cracker

I admit those little bits don’t really seem like much. But if you add them up the total was 683 milligrams of sodium. And that’s just a few of the items they were sampling that day.  If I asked someone what they had to eat throughout the day, they would probably not mention the “senior buffet.”   This is sometimes called distracted eating—people eat because it’s there and then don’t even realize they’ve done it.

If you finished off your visit to the store in the food court with one of their inexpensive hot dogs (1750 mg) and a fountain diet soda (76 mg in 16 ounces) your whole shopping trip could have you consuming a whopping 2509 mg of sodium.

How much sodium should a person have in a day?  The 2010 Dietary Guidelines say that younger, healthy people without high risk for hypertension should reduce sodium to less than 2300 mg. It is recommended that some folks keep the sodium to less than 1500 mg/day.  This is a fairly large group of people (including my husband and my self). You fit into this lower group if:

  • you are over 51 years old, or
  • you have high blood pressure or hypertension, or
  • you have diabetes, or who have ever been told you are diabetic, or
  • you have chronic kidney disease, or
  • if you are African American.
Just a few samples and a hot dog and you’re well over the 2300 recommendation and way over the 1500 mg recommeded for this special group.

How can you thwart this sodium overload?

  • Avoid shopping during sample hours—it’s usually mid-day (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
  • Avoid shopping when you’re really hungry.
  • Read the nutrition label before you bite or buy.
  • Set a limit for yourself in numbers of samples you’ll eat before you enter the store.
  • Avoid purchasing prepared and processed foods.

What do we do?  Now, I’m not saying we’re perfect on this, it’s hard. These foods are tempting, most of the time they taste great and make food preparation easy.  It’s just another hurdle we’re trying to jump over.  But I think we’re getting there, one shopping trip at a time.

By Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS
Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

Check out the sodium education supplies in the Nutrition Education Store! They include include sodium education posters, sodium PowerPoint shows, sodium education displays, sodium brochures, and sodium handouts.

But wait, there’s more! Because we love you, we’ve set up a free sodium infographic for you to download. Get your copy today!

SodiumInfographicWhy

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No Kale?

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Kale seems to be one of those foods that you either like or you don’t.  For my husband, it’s a definite dislike.  According to him, one of the only good things about his recent heart attack is that he isn’t allowed to eat kale.

OK…perhaps this is “selective hearing” on his part.  All he heard was don’t eat kale or other leafy greens because it will interfere with your drugs.  Yes, he is now taking Warfarin (also known as Coumadin) prescribed to prevent blood clots due to his heart disease.   He also has to go to his doctor’s office frequently to have the Warfarin levels in his blood tested (INR).  In the beginning these levels varied greatly and the he wanted to get it balanced, so he avoided kale (this was not a big sacrifice) along with all other green vegetables.

Why the avoidance? Vitamin K.  This vitamin plays an important role in blood coagulation—which when you are on Warfarin you don’t want to happen.  It is found mainly in green vegetables.  What foods are the highest in Vitamin K?  Kale, spinach, collard greens, mustard greens and cooked broccoli.

The doctors and the folks at cardiac rehab were quick to tell him, “no, don’t avoid these vegetables completely—just balance them out”.  The key is to eat the same amounts of Vitamin K foods every week.  Yes, it does affect the working of the drugs, but the levels can be adjusted for the amounts of Vitamin K foods you eat on a regular basis—the key word here is consistent.

So did he do this?  No. He avoided all vegetables that were even close to green—including iceberg lettuce.  Why, I don’t know, perhaps it is one way he can to be “in control” and also to make sure that the levels of the drug in his system were constant. I can understand this. 

I bet he’s not the only heart patient that has done this.

But this avoidance of vitamin K foods puts a real crimp in our menu planning. He’s now trying to eat more healthful, follow the DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) diet and lose some weight.  We all know one of the most important things we all should be doing is eating more vegetables.  Hard to do when you’ve taken many out of the running.

This goes counter to everything I’m used to regarding  shopping and eating.  No broccoli, no salads, no spinach…no kale.  We’ve been eating lots of tomatoes, celery, winter squash, zucchini, yellow squash, spaghetti squash and have even expanded to pumpkin and eggplant.   We’re always teaching variety in vegetables…this isn’t the way to go.

Now that we’re almost five months into this adventure he has begin to add these vegetables back in to his (our) diet.  I’m glad.  But I’m not sure I’ll ever get kale onto his plate.

Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS
Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

Here are tips for people who are timid about eating and trying new vegetables.

  • Focus on the presentation. Chances are, if the vegetables are fresh, cut in small pieces, and served with a sauce, people will try them just because they are sitting in front of them. One favorite idea is to place vegetable sticks in a glass with a little light Ranch Dressing on the bottom.
  • Carrots, yams, and winter squash are sweet and they have a bright orange color so they are a great place to start.
  • Cook items perfectly so they are not overcooked or discolored will help. Steam items for 2 minutes to start and then check doneness.
  • Focus on a favorite dressing or sauce.
  • Grilling vegetables can be a fun and delicious way to get people to eat them.
  • Chopping vegetables finely and adding them to salads and pasta sauce can bring success.
  • Chili is also a great place to add more veggies.

Check out our Fruit and Vegetable Promotion Items:

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Invisible Eggs

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In the process of my husband’s recovery from a heart attack, he has been working hard at improving his diet and exercise habits. He’s also been going to Cardiac Rehab three days a week.  Near the end of the program, they sent him home with a survey to complete so that he and his instructors could see how his diet has changed.

Before the heart attack, my husband was eating a fairly healthful diet. Needless to say, I was curious to see how his survey would be “graded.” As he was completing the survey, one of the questions stood out to us both. It asked, “How many visible eggs have you eaten in the last week?”

This got him joking about “invisible eggs.” How could he eat an egg that he couldn’t see?

After some thought (and a few laughs), we realized that the questionnaire was really asking about the number of whole eggs he was eating.  These would be eggs eaten as scrambled eggs, over-easy, or even deviled eggs. This type of egg is easy to see and easy to count.

The other type of eggs, “invisible eggs,” must be the ones that are combined with other foods. You know, the eggs in cakes, cookies, meat loaf, crab cakes and combination foods. These are the eggs that you don’t see, and that makes them more difficult to count.

The American Heart Association recommends cutting back on foods that are high in dietary cholesterol. They say to eat less than 300 milligrams (mg) of dietary cholesterol each day. That’s been the recommendation for all Americans with normal blood cholesterol levels for at least 20 years. That’s nothing really new.

Research is still showing that diets high in dietary cholesterol do have an effect on blood cholesterol levels, especially LDL (a.k.a. “bad”) cholesterol. I have seen some recommendations for people with heart disease to try to keep this number to 200 mg a day — but no one has made that recommendation to us.

What does 200-300 mg of cholesterol per day look like? Not a lot.

A medium-sized egg has about 185 mg of cholesterol. A large egg has about 215 mg. Two eggs for breakfast would quickly wipe out the recommendation of less than 300 mg a day.

All the cholesterol in eggs is in the yolks.  Egg whites without the yolks are a heart-healthy protein.  We’ve gone to substituting liquid egg whites for most of the eggs we eat. In most recipes, two whites will equal a whole egg. Replacing an egg with egg whites also helps reduce total fat and total calories in the diet.

Baked goods and other foods often contain “invisible” eggs. Those “invisible” eggs count toward that 300 mg a day limit too.

Keep in mind that two eggs spread over 12 muffins or a whole cake don’t add up as quickly as those two eggs eaten sunny-side up.*

Remember, eggs are only part of the cholesterol equation. It’s also recommended for people with high blood cholesterol levels to reduce not only the amount of dietary cholesterol they eat but also reduce their saturated fat and trans fat consumption.  In addition to helping with the cholesterol levels, reducing saturated and trans fats can help with overall calories, getting people closer to meeting their weight loss goals. Family history and genetics also play a big role in blood cholesterol levels.

Like many folks with heart disease, my husband is also on a cholesterol-lowering drug.  His cardiac doctor is recommending them for at least a year for overall artery health.

Thinking that drugs are not the only answer, we’re being aware of all eggs — visible or invisible — for the long haul.

By Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS
Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

Are you looking for ways to reduce cholesterol, saturated fat, or trans fat consumption? Check out these great resources!

How Much Fat is in That? Poster

Cholesterol 101 Education Bundle

Make the DASH: Heart Health Brochure

* The fat and sugar and other ingredients in that cake or muffins is another story for another day.

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Suddenly It’s Real

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It’s different when it happens to you.

I’ve been teaching fitness and wellness topics for many years. I’ve taught heart-healthy cooking, strong bone nutrition, dining with diabetes, and lots of general healthful eating strategies. I’ve seen people get frustrated as they try to understand conflicting dietary recommendations. I’ve seen people struggle to make major lifestyle changes as a result of a medical diagnosis. Nothing seems to make people more serious about a dietary change than a sudden health event. But nothing you can teach makes this more real than when it’s your family.

Last September, when I was on my way home from a conference, I got a phone call. My husband had had a heart attack.

He survived.

We were lucky. Statistics show that 1 in 4 deaths in the United States are a result of heart disease. After four nights in the hospital, three ambulance rides, two stents, and one drug reaction, my husband was finally released from the hospital. Ultimately, we were sent home with little fanfare. There were some packets and informational materials, but that was it. We were on our own.

Included in the pile of computer printout packets were four pages titled “Cardiac Diet.” Now, I have been teaching this topic for years, so I didn’t feel like I was completely unknowledgeable. But I was sure that there was more to this. Maybe there was something I missed in all the classes I’ve taken.  After all, this wasn’t just “reducing risk factors” and other classroom subjects. This was the real thing. My husband had had a heart attack.

I was hoping that a registered dietitian could tell me more. I wanted specifics. I wanted calories, grams, and milligrams. I wanted more than a list of foods that were “allowed” and other foods to “avoid.” You can’t eat like that, I thought. So, I asked if we could talk with a dietitian.

Unfortunately, because we live in a small rural community, there was no dietitian on staff for that.

Suddenly, I’m looking at this from the inside out. I’m not blaming the hospital, the doctors, or the nurses; they have enough on their plate already. But, I don’t think I’m an exception to the rule. I think that there are lots of folks out there who want more than a piece of paper and they want a step by step lesson for what to do. If you think about what you teach in this manner you can make more effective materials.

Thank goodness for those of you who do have the time to teach cooking, do consultations, and offer classes on cardiac rehabilitation diets. Please keep up the good work. I’m joining the charge. In fact, I’m currently looking for a grant so that I can teach some heart-healthy cooking classes in my community.

So now it’s real. My husband and I are learning a lot about heart disease, and I’m looking at it from an entirely different perspective. Here are some very helpful cooking handouts that can help folks make healthier foods. And here is a free handout for an overview of a heart healthy diet: EatRightHeart

More tips to come!

By Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS
Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

From the Nutrition Education Store Staff:

You don’t have to create all the materials to communicate key heart health messages by yourself. Let us do it for you! Here are some of the most popular heart health educational materials…

Lower Your Heart Attack Risk Brochure

Heart Health Poster Value Set

Heart Healthy Cooking PowerPoint

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3 Questions for Heart Month

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Heart Month is right around the corner! What is your action plan?

We want to create some new materials that will help you teach the keys of Heart Month easily and effectively. Would you take the survey below and let us know what you need? The most engaging answer will win a Heart Month prize from the Nutrition Education Store! Plus, we’ll create the materials you request!

Psst… there’s also a coupon code for nutrition and health education resources. It will be revealed once you finish the survey…

[wpsqt name=”Heart Month Survey” type=”survey”]

Looking for more Heart Month inspiration? Check out these great tools!

Premium Heart Education Kit

Heart Health Brochure Set

Heart Health Poster Set

Heart Healthy Cooking PowerPoint

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