Diet and Nutrition Guide
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Diet Principle #1: Choose the Right Fats
We need fat for regeneration of tissues, energy, brain function, etc., but we do not want to grow coronary plaque. Your diet should not be just low in fat but should include healthy fats.
The fats to avoid as much as possible are saturated and hydrogenated. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature like the fat on a Porterhouse steak or vegetable shortening. Saturated fats serve no good purpose whatsoever. Your goal should be as close to zero grams of saturated fat per day as possible. (<10 grams per day is an easily achievable goal.) This means minimizing, or even eliminating, fried foods, red meats, sausage, bacon, egg yolks, butter and other full-fat dairy products like cheese. Saturated fats raise LDL cholesterol and LDL particle number, are rich in empty calories, increase blood pressure, and increase risk of cancer.
Foods low in saturated fat include chicken (with the skin removed), fish, raw nuts, egg whites (or Egg Beaters), and low- or non-fat dairy products. Omega-3 eggs are another egg alternative low in saturated fat, and you can eat the yolks. If you wish to not entirely eliminate red meats, smaller portions (4 oz) of lean cuts with the oil drained off eaten once or twice per week still leaves you within safe bounds. Alternatively, game meat, like venison or buffalo, are low in saturated fat.
Hydrogenated fat is the other undesirable fat to avoid. This is crucial for success in the Track Your Plaque program. Hydrogenation is the process used to solidify liquid vegetable oils that adds hydrogen groups in an unnatural trans configuration ("trans fats"). Two examples are margarine and vegetable shortening. Manufacturers love to use hydrogenated oils in food processing. You'll find them in baked cookies and cakes, pies, pastries, snack chips, frozen foods, salad dressings and mayonnaise, and many convenience foods. Hydrogenated fats are worse than saturated fats. They not only raise LDL cholesterol but lower HDL cholesterol. They also increase the dreaded Lp(a). To see whether a product contains hydrogenated fats, refer to the ingredients. If "hydrogenated oil" or "partially hydrogenated" oil is listed on the label, avoid it.
Most vegetable oils are polyunsaturated and rich in omega-6 fatty acids. Corn, safflower, sunflower, palm, and soybean oils contain abundant omega-6 fatty acids. These oils are liquid at room temperature. Approximately 14% of the fatty acids in these oils are saturated, also. Polyunsaturates are "neutral", that is, neither terribly damaging nor terribly beneficial. These oils are best used sparingly. There are better forms of oils that you can use that provide benefit rather than a neutral effect but with the same calorie content. Remember that oils are very calorie-dense, with 9 calories per gram (compared to 4 calories per gram for both proteins and carbohydrates). One tablespoon of any oil, good or bad, contains 14 grams of fat, or 126 calories.
Monounsaturated Fats Are Winners!
Monounsaturated fatty acids (lacking one hydrogen) are getting more attention due to the success of the so-called Mediterranean diet in reducing risk of heart attack. The Lyon Heart Study examined the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, vegetables, and fish, similar to that eaten along the Mediterranean coast in Europe. People following this diet (as compared an American-like diet of red meat, fast and processed foods.) suffered 40% fewer heart attacks. The monounsaturates are better than the polyunsaturates. Using modest quantities of olive oil (extra virgin, cold-pressed) or canola oil, both of which are rich in mono-unsaturates, is safe and healthy. When you need oil for your salad dressing or cooking, reach for olive or canola, rather than corn or mixed vegetable oils.
Raw nuts are a good source of monounsaturates. People often shun nuts because of their high fat content. But much of the fat is monounsaturated. Raw nuts are filling, requiring hours to digest. In fact, eating a ¼ cup of raw almonds or walnuts every day can lower cholesterol by 20 points, perhaps due to the monounsaturated oils.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Crucial for Plaque Control Program
Omega-3 fatty acids (a subclass of the polyunsaturated group) are so beneficial that they can be used as a treatment, as well as a preventive strategy. Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, and eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, are the two primary omega-3 fatty acids. They are the component of diet in fish-eating cultures responsible for reducing heart attack.
Omega-3's lower blood pressure, lower triglycerides, raise HDL and make LDL particles bigger, in addition to lowering risk of heart attack and death. There is evidence that omega-3's can reverse atherosclerosis. When people who've suffered heart attacks eat a diet rich in omega-3's or take fish oil supplements, the risk of dying of heart attack is cut by 35-45%. Evidence suggests that omega-3's have cancer-preventing effects, inhibits Alzheimer's dementia, and help alleviate depression. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil are more than preventive agents. They can be used to treat specific lipoprotein abnormalities, as well. Triglycerides can be lowered (up to 50%). Higher doses may be needed for these purposes (usually around 6000-10,000 mg per day of a 30% preparation). Fish oil also lowers fibrinogen and lipoprotein (a). For these reasons, omega-3 sources are a crucial ingredient in your plaque-control program.
Fish are the source for omega-3 fatty acids: cod, halibut, trout, salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines. Eating two servings a month is enough to yield a sharp drop in risk of dying of heart attack, but the use of fish oil supplements is a means to ensure higher intakes of omega-3's.
Flaxseed, either as the whole seed or as flaxseed oil, is also a source of omega-3's. However, the omega-3's in flax seed don't occur as DHA or EPA, but as linolenic acid. The conversion of linolenic acid to the active DHA/EPA is inefficient. The quantity of EPA and DHA yielded from flaxseed oil is small, less than 1 part DHA/EPA for every 10 parts linolenic acid taken. Flaxseed oil does not yield the same benefits, particularly those on lipoproteins, as that provided by fish oil. Fish oil is the preferred source of omega-3's..
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