Tasty Bytes

Studying nutrition is great fun. We are learning about macronutrients now – Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats. The other night, a few friends and I discussed heart health over dinner of ironically hamburgers and fries. I decided to put together a short list of what makes for heart healthy eating… 
Heart Healthy Eating 
Nutrients found to reduce cholesterol and saturated fats in the blood and arteries. 
Lecithin – keeps cell membranes pliable; transports fat in and out of cells
Choline – lipotropic agent that controls fat metabolism, speeds metabolism of fat through the liver; constituent of Lecithin. Important for brain and nerve function
Vitamins E, C – Antioxidants; aids in fat metabolism and protects tissues from free radical damage, helps reduce inflammation
Niacin – a B-complex vitamin; helps reduce cholesterol and fats in blood
Bioflavonoids – bright pigments in fruits and vegetables work with vitamin C to strengthen blood vessel walls
Plant fiber – reduce fat in blood and prevent hardening of arteries
Omega 3 Fatty Acids – of note types EPA and DHA are two important ones. All types help cardio health – cleans circulatory system of cholesterol and fat deposits; decreases stickiness of platelets, reduce blood viscosity, lower lipid levels, lowers cholesterol levels, reduce clotting, lower blood pressure, encourage blood flow to tissues damaged by poor circulation, reduce irregular heart beats 
Foods
Lecithin – beans, especially soybeans; cauliflower, grapes, peanuts, liver
Choline – peas, sprouted beans
Niacin and Vitamin E – whole grains
Vitamin C – sprouts, cabbage, parsley, bell peppers, citrus
Bioflavonoids – citrus peel, cherries, blueberries, grapes, green tea, ginko
Plant fiber – whole grains: especially rye, quinoa, amaranth, oats; fruits and vegetables
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
· Fish – salmon, anchovies, sardines, mackerel, butterfish, tuna, halibut, herring (7-10 oz/week). Or cod liver oil.
· Plant – flax (2-4 T ground seed or 1 T oil/day), hemp, chia seed, pumpkin seed, soy, tempeh, walnut
· Dark Green Vegetables – kale, collards, chard, parsley, cereal grasses (wheat and barley grass)
· Meat – grass fed beef; lamb, bison
· Dairy – raw milk or cheese from grass fed cows, goat, sheep
· Microalgae – spirulina

Those poor vampires in Transylvania…they are having a hard time sucking blood out of victims here in America due to artery clogging ingestion of trans fats. It wasn’t so bad when we used natural saturated fats (in moderation of course) – this phenomenon of artery clogging began in the ’20’s and ’30’s when mortal men decided to tinker with nature. First a little background on fats…they are not the big bad wolf! We need fat – Did you know our brain is 60% fat? Every cell membrane in our body needs fat – but not any ol’kind of fat. We especially need Essential Fatty Acids which are found in polyunsaturated fats like fish oils, seed oils, egg yolks, and vegetable oils. But wait! Yes we even need the vilified Saturated fats. There is indeed a delicate balance of all types of fats that we need so there is a danger in low fat diets. 
Well, there is one kind of fat we definitely don’t need or want… What are trans fats? 
Trans fats are fats that are the mirror image of 99% of the fats found in nature. 
How are trans fats made?
Trans fats are formed when making hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats. It’s a by product of the process used to make liquid oils into more shelf stable solid fats. In a nutshell, you take your relatively healthy liquid unsaturated fat and put it into a huge vat will some copper or aluminum catalyst – seal up the vat, add lots of heat and pump in hydrogen gas. Viola! Trans Fat are formed! The effects on the human body… 
A fat that your body no longer recognizes…your cell membranes may become a little friendly with these foreigners but things will get lost in the translation and as a results many important metabolic processes will be compromised or worse yet not happen at all! In fact there have been numerous studies that implicate trans fats as playing a major role in the increase of cancers and cardiovascular disease. And, after being refined and hydrogenated, trans fats have little nutritional value. Remember those essential fatty acids that your body needs? Eating trans fats won’t give you those essential fatty acids. However, your brain knows that you still need those fatty acids so you will crave and eat until you get enough. Now we have entered the land of excess calories and we know what that means…the battle of the bulge…and a new wardrobe. 
To make matters worse…most fried foods are fried in hydrogenated fats. Though hydrogenated fats are built to be more stable, the high frying temperatures for long periods of time will oxidize the fats. Oxidized fats mean rancid fat which means free radicals. Free radicals are not welcome intruders in our bodies as they can do damage to our delicate cells – especially those in our cardiovascular system. 
Why do we have Hydrongenated Fats in the first place?
Follow the money trail… Margarine, made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, is a cheap alternative to butter. 
Hydrogenated fats do not oxidize (become rancid) as readily thereby extending the shelf life of foods such as crackers, cookies, peanut butter, snack bars and the list goes on… It was once thought that saturated fats from animal sources were the main cause of heart disease. The assumption that followed was – since polyunsaturated fats were the healthy fat then saturated fats made from polyunstaturated fats must be ok. No one looked closely at the trans fats that was created by hydrogenation. This was and has been the accepted thinking even though there have been numerous studies from as early as the 50’s that discount the theory that saturated animal fats cause heart disease. 
What can you do? Avoid trans fats by avoiding hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats. Read your labels. 
Sources: 
www.altmedcabinet.com/heart_disease.htm 
www.bantransfats.com www.nypress.com/14/18/news&columns/humanfollies.cfm 
www.nursingceu.com/NCEU/courses/diet/ 
www.treelight.com/health/PartiallyHydrogenatedOils.html 

Ah, my joints complain when the cold weather rolls around. Lately my fingers have been aching – using my hands as much as I do this is very inconvenient.  

I had heard lots about Glucosamine as a supplement that helps osteoarthritis and other joint ailments but never really paid much attention. One day during a Costco shopping run I had a chance to try one of their liquid glucosamine supplements and though I’ve heard it takes up to 30 days for the stuff to work, by the next day my fingers were not sore at all! I was still a bit skeptical but my fingers had been hurting for months so to have even a day’s relief was…well a relief.  

A few days later my fingers were hurting again. Ok, I said to myself, “This stuff is worth a try” so I let my fingers do the googling to do a bit of research. Liquid was the best for best absorption and the quality of the glucosamine was important. I found a liquid pharmaceutical grade product and put in my order.  

I must be tres sensitive because at half the dose (yippee I get to save $) I have found remarkable results. Not only do my fingers feel fine so do my poor knees.  

The scientific literature also supports the use of glucosamine for joint health – see Dr. Michael Murray’s book the “Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements” for more information or do a search on the internet. Dr. Murray warns of the use of NSAIDS (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs eg. Aspirin, ibuprofen, acetometaphin, etc) as they have been found to inhibit cartilage repair and in fact hasten the destruction of cartilage.  

I’m a believer – glucosamine works for me and I encourage you to give it a try.