by Keren Reiser | Sep 29, 2022 | Blog, Diabetes, healthy eating, healthy weight, heart disease, meal planning, weight loss
Recently, I have been receiving many questions about anti-inflammatory diets. Clients have been told by their doctor, naturopath, or nutritionist that following an anti-inflammatory diet will help with their symptoms. Since many people aren’t familiar with what is an anti-inflammatory diet, their first instinct is to turn to Dr. Google.
Many people call me after googling their symptoms and the anti-inflammatory diet. When they Google it, they land on many different pages, including the Auto-Immune Protocol Diet (AIP), the Wahl’s Protocol, and the Mediterranean Diet. All of these diets are variations of the anti-inflammatory diet, so it can be confusing to know which one to follow.
Today, we’ll review the basics of what is inflammation, how it affects the body, and whether an anti-inflammatory diet is right for you.
What is Inflammation?
Before we dive into anti-inflammatory diets, it’s important to understand what inflammation is. Inflammation is a natural bodily response that is supposed to protect and heal your body.
When your body experiences stress or identifies infections, irritants, or damaged cells, an inflammatory response is activated. The word inflammation comes from the Latin word “inflamme,” meaning “to set on fire.” This word was likely used to define inflammation because it describes the hallmark symptoms of inflammation – redness, swelling, heat, and pain.
Inflammation occurs when your body’s tissues are injured (for example, by bacteria, toxins, or trauma). This causes the body to release chemicals that cause blood vessels to leak fluid into the surrounding tissues. This leads to swelling and is useful because it helps prevent the foreign substance from contacting the body tissues further.
One of the molecules responsible for signalling and regulating the inflammatory response are reactive oxygen species (ROS) or free radicals. Under normal circumstances, our body naturally balances free radicals (oxidants) with antioxidants (many of which come from the food we eat). When too many free radicals are produced, they can tip the balance and cause damage to healthy cells.
Acute Inflammation vs. Chronic Inflammation
Just like stress, your body’s inflammatory response can be acute or chronic.
Acute inflammation is short-lived. Physical signs of acute inflammation include redness, heat, swelling, pain, and loss of function. Acute inflammation can help the body to heal injuries and infections and is a useful physiological response.
In contrast, chronic inflammation sticks around for a long time. When the inflammatory response lasts for a long time, it can damage the body without any signs or symptoms. Chronic inflammation is often associated with chronic health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, and excess body weight.
How to Reduce Chronic Inflammation
Once people learn about what inflammation is, many people ask – does reducing inflammation promote healing? Research studies have shown that improving nutrition and lifestyle can help reduce chronic inflammation and potentially improve symptoms of disease.
The Anti-Inflammatory Diet
In its most basic sense, an anti-inflammatory diet is a diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables. This is important because fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants. Remember, an excess of free radicals or oxidants can result from chronic inflammation and damage your body tissues. Getting enough antioxidants can help counteract the effects of free radicals.
The different versions of the anti-inflammatory diet, such as the Auto-Immune Protocol Diet (AIP), the Wahls Protocol and The Mediterranean diet, vary based on how restrictive they are. For example, the AIP diet, which is based on the idea that certain foods inflame your gut, excludes several foods from the diet, including:
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Beans and legumes
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Nightshade vegetables (like eggplants, peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes)
- Vegetable oils
- Coffee
- Alcohol
- Food additives
The Wahl’s Protocol has similar restrictions to the AIP.
Given how restrictive diets like the AIP diet and the Wahl’s Protocol are, it’s best to work with a registered dietitian if you’re thinking of following one. However, despite how restrictive some of them are, one thing that all these diets have in common is that they are all based on consuming whole, unprocessed foods.
The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is the most widely accepted diet by health care professionals. Research studies have proven its support in promoting health, improving mental-wellbeing, and promoting a longer life.
The Mediterranean diet includes lots of vegetables, fruits, and legumes. It also includes some fish, small amounts of red meat and poultry, whole grains, tree nuts, and dairy, as well as small amounts of olive oil, tea, cocoa, red wine, herbs, and spices.
The Mediterranean diet has been shown to lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and adverse effects of obesity, even without weight loss. One of the reasons it is thought to be so effective at treating chronic diseases is because of its anti-inflammatory properties.
Foods common in the Mediterranean diet contain anti-inflammatory and antioxidant foods. These components include polyphenols, flavonoids, pigments, unsaturated fats (including omega-3s), vitamin E and selenium. High intakes of these compounds have been associated with reduced risk of chronic disease.
FUN FACT: Most people get the highest amount of dietary polyphenols from coffee and/or tea (but I don’t recommend a lot of cream and sugar).
Who Can the Anti-Inflammatory Diet Help?
An anti-inflammatory diet can be used alongside other treatments for many conditions that involve chronic inflammation. These conditions include:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Obesity
- Psoriasis
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Lupus
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
- Asthma
- Cardiovascular disease
Experts believe that inflammation plays a role in all the above conditions. Therefore, eating a diet that helps reduce inflammation may be an important component of treating these conditions.
Should I Follow the Anti-Inflammatory Diet or the Mediterranean Diet?
Inflammation can be healthy when fighting an infection or healing a wound, but chronic inflammation is associated with many serious, chronic health conditions.
The good news is that there are several nutritional factors you can improve that may help reduce inflammation. Overall, you likely don’t need to follow a diet as restrictive as the AIP diet or the Wahl’s protocol. Instead, try to follow the principles of the Mediterranean diet like eating a wide variety of colourful fruits and vegetables, omega-3 fats from fish like salmon, olive oil, whole grains, and nuts and seeds.
Final Thoughts
If integrating the Anti-Inflammatory Diet or The Mediterranean Diet is something you would like to know more about, let’s chat. For a quick anti-inflammatory meal plan, try out the free 3-day trial of my anti-inflammatory meal plans that are gluten-free, light on grains, light on dairy, and light on beans with a focus on high-quality fats.
For a custom menu and coaching, I encourage you to book a free 15-minute consultation. I work with individuals, couples, and families looking for ways to integrate healthy and nutritional balanced meals into their lives. During our discussion, you can ask questions and discuss whether nutritional coaching or a meal plan is right for you. Book a time that works for your schedule by clicking here.
by Keren Reiser | Aug 22, 2022 | Blog, Featured, healthy eating, healthy weight, heart disease, meal planning
If you’re interested in nutrition, you’ve probably heard of the Mediterranean diet. After all, it’s consistently ranked as the #1 Best Diet Overall by nutrition experts. It’s been shown to reduce the risk of many chronic diseases and is an excellent way of eating for overall health.
However, if you’re living with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), you may be following a low FODMAP diet to help manage your symptoms. You probably don’t want to miss out on the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, so you may be wondering – is it possible to follow a low FODMAP Mediterranean diet?
Today, we’ll review what foods are included in Mediterranean and low FODMAP diets and provide tips for combining the two to improve your overall health and manage your IBS.
What is the Mediterranean Diet?
The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating that originated in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish, and extra virgin olive oil.
The Mediterranean diet is more than simply a dietary pattern – it’s a way of life that focuses on not only what you eat, but how you eat and live. It emphasizes the importance of enjoying meals with friends and family and being physically active in addition to its guidelines around what to eat.
The Mediterranean diet has been studied extensively and has been shown to have many health benefits. These include:
What is the Low FODMAP Diet?
If you’re living with IBS, you might have heard about or tried the low FODMAP diet. FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols. These are types of carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed by the body and rapidly fermented by your gut bacteria.
To understand why FODMAPs can worsen symptoms in people with IBS, it’s important to understand how IBS works. While we’re still learning about what causes IBS, we do know that people with IBS have what’s called “visceral hypersensitivity.” This means that your threshold for pain in your organs is lower than normal.
When FODMAPs are fermented by your gut bacteria, they can cause an increase in gas production. For people with visceral hypersensitivity, this gas production can be quite painful.
The low FODMAP diet is often used to for the management of IBS symptoms. It typically has three phases: the elimination phase, the reintroduction phase, and the maintenance phase.
During the elimination phase, all foods containing FODMAPs are eliminated. This involves limiting wheat-based products, onions, garlic, most legumes, certain dairy products, and many fruits and vegetables.
Once the elimination phase is completed and symptom relief is achieved, you move onto the reintroduction phase. During the reintroduction phase, you’ll systematically reintroduce the different types of FODMAPs one at a time so that you can determine exactly which FODMAPs cause symptoms for you.
Finally, once you’ve reintroduced all the different high FODMAP foods, you’ll move onto the maintenance phase. This involves limiting the FODMAPs that caused symptoms for you, while consuming the high FODMAP foods that didn’t cause symptoms.
Unfortunately, many people avoiding FODMAPs do not move on from the elimination phase. This means that they are severely restricting their diets. Also, people do not always replace high FODMAP foods with low FODMAP alternatives. This often leads to not consuming enough fibre. Since fibre is an important source of fuel for our gut microbes, this can be a problem if you’re following a low FODMAP diet long-term.
The Mediterranean Diet and IBS
Unfortunately, there are currently no studies looking at the effects of a low FODMAP Mediterranean diet on IBS symptoms. However, a recent review article looked at the effects of the Mediterranean Diet on the immune system and reviewed whether combining the two diets made biological sense.
In IBS, we often see an imbalance between the “good” and “bad’ bacteria in the gut. This is associated with increased levels of inflammation in the intestine. Given that we know that the Mediterranean diet can help lower markers of inflammation in the body, it’s possible that following a low FODMAP Mediterranean diet could lead to lower levels of inflammation in people with IBS. While studies still need to be conducted in this area, it’s an exciting potential treatment option.
What Can I Eat on a Low FODMAP Mediterranean Diet?
Luckily, there are still plenty of foods you can eat on a Low FODMAP Mediterranean diet!
Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil is the fat of choice on the Mediterranean diet. It contains mostly monounsaturated fats and is also high in antioxidants. Try drizzling it over salad, using it in marinades or sauces, or drizzling over cooked pasta or vegetables.
Low FODMAP Vegetables
Vegetables are an important source of fibre on the low FODMAP diet. Try to include a wide variety of low FODMAP vegetables. These include carrots, cucumber, lettuce, oyster mushrooms, parsnip, potatoes, and spinach.
You may also feel comfortable including vegetables that are low FODMAP at smaller serving sizes. These include eggplant (1 cup), green beans (15 beans), green bell peppers (1/2 cup), broccoli (heads only, 3/4 cup), cabbage (3/4 cup), corn (canned, 1 cup), zucchini (1/3 cup), and Roma tomatoes (1 small).
Low FODMAP Fruits
Low FODMAP fruits are another important source of fibre. Some popular low FODMAP fruits include bananas (firm, as FODMAPs increase as bananas ripen), oranges, kiwis, and papaya.
For increased variety, you may also want to include fruits that are low FODMAP at smaller serving sizes. These include blueberries (1/4 cup), pineapple (fresh, 1 cup), raspberries (30 berries) and strawberries (5 medium).
Low FODMAP Grains
Grains are an oft-neglected part of the low FODMAP diet, but there are actually many low FODMAP grains that you can enjoy. Try brown rice, buckwheat, oats, quinoa, or spelt sourdough bread.
Legumes
Aim for at least two legume-based meals per week. While it’s true that many legumes are high FODMAP, canned chickpeas (1/4 cup) and canned lentils (1/2 cup) are both low FODMAP options.
Legumes are an excellent source of fibre, which helps keep you regular and provides fuel to your gut microbes.
Fish
The Mediterranean diet recommends a moderate intake of fish. Aim for at least two servings of fish per week. Try to include oily fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines. They are high in omega-3 fats, which have been shown to reduce inflammation.
Final Thoughts
Just because you’re following a low FODMAP diet to manage your IBS symptoms doesn’t mean you can’t reap the benefits of a Mediterranean diet. With a few small tweaks, you can easily adapt the Mediterranean diet to be low FODMAP.
Not sure where to start with low FODMAP Mediterranean diet meal planning? Schedule a free 15-minute phone call to chat about how our Registered Dietitian can help you reach your health goals.
by Keren Reiser | Sep 25, 2019 | Blog, Diabetes, dietary fat, healthy eating, heart disease, meal planning, sugar
Changing one or two aspects of your diet or life may not have the same effect as a holistic approach to improving your overall nutrition and lifestyle. Last week’s blog discussed Anti-Inflammatory diets and the impact of these diets on chronic inflammation. In this blog, I will go a little deeper and share with you five nutritional and lifestyle upgrades for your health. These five upgrades have a synergistic effect when combined. By synergy, I mean that all five of the nutritional and lifestyle upgrades together have a more significant impact on your health than if upgraded individually.
1. Reduce your intake of sugar and starch
Excess sugars and starches put stress on our blood sugar levels and increase your risk of chronic diseases. They also promote inflammation in the body.
Studies have shown that animals who eat sweets and white bread and drink a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages have higher levels of inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP is considered one of the “markers” of inflammation. This “inflammatory marker,” when found in a blood test at high levels, indicate that there is inflammation in the body. Studies in people also show that diets low in sugar and starch have lower than average levels of CRP.
High blood levels of inflammatory markers like CRP are associated with increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. Some researchers believe that levels of inflammatory markers in the blood can predict whether someone is going to develop diabetes or heart disease eventually.
You can upgrade your nutrition in this area by eating fewer sugars (especially “added” sugars) and starches (especially “refined” carbohydrates).
2. Change your fat intake from saturated fats to unsaturated fats
Some lab and animal studies show that increased levels of saturated fats can increase the production of inflammatory markers like CRP and free radicals (oxidants), which are the molecules responsible for adverse chemical reactions in the body. Meals with unsaturated fats seem to reduce the inflammatory response after the meal.
Unsaturated fats like omega-3’s from fish seem to be particularly healthful. People who eat more fish tend to have lower levels of atherosclerosis and heart disease.
Fish-based omega-3 unsaturated fats reduce inflammation in several ways. They reduce the source of inflammation, as well as increase the amount of anti-inflammatory “radical” and “oxidant” molecules.
Tree nuts are another excellent source of unsaturated fats and anti-inflammatory polyphenols.
Why don’t fat-containing nuts promote weight gain?
While nuts do contain a fair amount of fat, many studies show that people who regularly eat nuts do not tend to have a higher BMI (body mass index) or more body fat. Even adding nuts to the diet doesn’t seem to promote weight gain compared to the number of calories they contain. Many studies show no weight gain after adding nuts to the diet.
Several studies show an increase in the resting metabolic rate in people who eat nuts – they seem to burn more calories even when they’re not active. This may be because of the type of fat (unsaturated), protein, fibre and/or the polyphenol content in the nuts.
You can upgrade your dietary fats by eating more fish and nuts. Fish and nuts contain unsaturated fats that have anti-inflammatory effects. They can also improve insulin sensitivity and even enhance the health of insulin-producing cells.
When it comes to fish oil supplements, many studies show a reduction in risk factors for heart disease by improving the way our bodies metabolize fats and its ability to “thin” the blood. However, fish oil supplements have mixed reviews when it comes to reducing inflammation. They can be helpful for some, but I recommend eating the fish itself.
3. Eat more dietary fibre
People who eat more fibre tend to have lower risks of diabetes and heart disease. There are a few ways this is thought to work; one is from reduced inflammation. People who eat more fibre, fruits, and vegetables tend to have lower levels of CRP.
Animal studies show that eating fibre reduces the levels of inflammatory markers and also reduces excess body fat.
This effect can be because fibre slows down the absorption of food from the body, reducing blood sugar spikes. It can also be because of its interaction with the friendly microbes in our gut.
Foods that are high in fibre include whole grains, legumes (i.e. beans and lentils), cocoa, seeds (e.g. sesame), tree nuts (e.g. almonds), avocados, raspberries, and squash.
Canadian women need 25 grams of fibre per day and men need 38 grams of fibre per day. Most Canadians are only getting about half that much. Following a Keto diet or a low carbohydrate diet, makes it very difficult to reach your daily fibre intake.
4. Get moving every day.
Regular exercise helps with many chronic diseases, as well as helping to reduce inflammation.
Levels of inflammatory markers are lower in people who exercise regularly than those who do not. Plus, the people who exercise at a higher intensity tend to have even lower levels of CRP.
Adding regular moderate exercise to a nutritious anti-inflammatory diet has benefits beyond the dietary benefits, like even lower levels of inflammatory markers in the blood (i.e. like CRP).
I encourage you to reduce the amount of time you are sedentary and take active breaks. If you haven’t made it to the gym yet, read and watch Laura Parson’s inspiring TEDx Talk on Snacking on Exercise.
5. Cout your zzz… Sleep
Both acute and chronic sleep deprivation causes an increase in inflammatory markers in the blood.
Sleep loss is a risk factor for insulin resistance and diabetes. When healthy volunteers have restricted sleep, this causes decreased insulin sensitivity.
Upgrade your health by making a good night sleep more of a priority.
And there you have it — three ways to change your nutrition habits and two ways to improve your lifestyle.
Diabetes and heart disease are serious conditions. They have a few things in common, namely excess body fat and increased levels of inflammation. Inflammation can be healthy if it is fighting an infection or healing a wound, but chronic inflammation is associated with many severe conditions.
There are a lot of nutrition and lifestyle issues that can contribute to chronic diseases. There are several ways they can do this; inflammation is just one of them.
The good news is that there are are several nutrition and lifestyle factors you can improve. These include eating fewer sugars and starches, eating more fish, nuts and dietary fibre, and getting regular exercise and quality sleep.
For a custom menu and coaching, I encourage you to book a free 15-minute consultation. I work with individuals, couples and families who are looking for ways to integrate healthy and nutritional balanced meals into their life. During our discussion, you can ask questions and discuss whether nutritional coaching or a meal plan is right for you. Book a time that works for your schedule by clicking here.
by Keren Reiser | Sep 18, 2019 | Blog, Diabetes, healthy eating, healthy weight, heart disease, meal planning, weight loss
Lately, I have been receiving calls with questions about Anti-inflammatory diets. Clients have been told by their Doctor, Nutritionist or Registered Dietitian that following an Anti-inflammatory diet will help with their symptoms. And the natural response to being told to change your diet, is to go to Dr. Google, right?
Many people call me after googling their symptoms and an anti-inflammatory diet. They land on many pages and ads for the Anti-inflammatory Paleo (AIP) Diet, The Wahls protocol and The Mediterranean diet, to name a few. And then it gets confusing for them, which is usually the reason for reaching out to me.
AIP, The Wahls protocol and The Mediterranean diet are all variations of the Anti-inflammatory diet. But before, I get into explaining to you these diets, let’s go back to high school biochemistry.
What is Inflammation?
Inflammation is a natural body response to protect and heal your body.
When your body experiences stress or identifies infections, irritants, or damaged cells, an inflammatory response is activated. The word inflammation comes from the Latin word “inflammo,” meaning “I set alight, I ignite.”
What is the difference between Acute and chronic inflammation?
Just like stress, your body’s inflammation response can be “acute” or “chronic.”
Acute inflammation is short-lived. Physical signs of acute inflammation include redness, heat, swelling, pain, and loss of function. Short durations of active inflammation can help the body to heal injuries and infections.
Chronic inflammation sticks around for a long time. It can be silent and have no physical symptoms. When the inflammatory response lasts for a long time, it can damage the body over time, without any signs or symptoms at all. Chronic inflammation is often associated with several health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, and excess body weight.
How does inflammation work?
1. Inflammation is a combination of your immune system’s response, blood vessels (arteries and veins) and other molecules called “free radicals” or also referred to as “oxidants.” Molecules are responsible for chemical reactions in the body.
Oxidants are highly reactive molecules that help to fight infectious agents, but also help cells to communicate that it needs to heal. Our body naturally balances oxidants and antioxidants (that come from our food). However, with chronic inflammation, too many oxidants are produced in the body, and there are not enough “antioxidants” to counteract the response. Too many oxidants can tip the balance and cause damage to healthy cells.
How can you reduce chronic inflammation?
Now that you are aware of your body’s natural response to inflammation, let’s discuss how you can reduce your chronic inflammation. Research studies have shown that improving nutrition and lifestyle can help reducing inflammation. The nutritional improvements include eating a healthy diet, reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.
The Anti-inflammatory diet
The Anti-inflammatory diet in the basic sense is a diet that includes a lot of vegetables, fruits focusing on antioxidants. Remember, antioxidants are needed to counteract the “oxidants” that created in your body as a result of inflammation.
The different versions of the anti-inflammatory diet such as the Anti-inflammatory Paleo Diet, The Wahls protocol and The Mediterranean diet, have variations in diet restrictions. All these diets have one main thing in common; they are all based on eating whole real foods.
Always remember that a nutritious diet for you will promote health, reduce your risk of many chronic diseases, and help reduce inflammation. All diet plans have restrictions, so it is essential to know which one fits best for your body.
The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is the most widely accepted one by health care professionals. Research studies have proven its support in health-promoting, emotional well-being improving, and life-extending properties.
The Mediterranean diet includes lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes; some fish, less red meat, whole grains, tree nuts, and dairy; and small amounts of olive oil, tea, cocoa, red wine, herbs, and spices. It is low in salt and has a low glycemic index. The glycemic index is a measure of how foods affect blood sugar levels. A low glycemic index means that the food in the Meditarean diet does not raise blood sugar very high.
The Mediterranean diet has shown to lower the risk of diabetes and adverse effects of obesity, even without weight loss. One of the reasons why it is thought to be because of its anti-inflammatory properties.
Foods common in the Mediterranean diet contain foods that are both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. The components of the food include polyphenols, flavonoids, pigments, unsaturated fats (including omega-3s), vitamin E and selenium.
FUN FACT: Most people get the highest amount of dietary polyphenols from coffee and/or tea (but I don’t recommend a lot of cream and sugar).
Should I follow the Anti-inflammatory diet or the Mediterranean Diet?
Inflammation can be healthy if it is fighting an infection or healing a wound, but chronic inflammation is associated with many serious conditions.
There are a lot of nutrition issues that can contribute to chronic diseases. There are several ways they can do this; inflammation is just one of them.
The good news is that there are are several nutritional factors you can improve. These include eating less sugars and starches, eating more fish, nuts and dietary fibre. Even when we look at individual components in a portion of food, we should keep in mind that it’s the whole diet that creates a positive change. The Anti-inflammatory Diet and the Mediterranean Diet are scientifically proven to help you with inflammation and contribute to a healthy diet.
If integrating the Anti-inflammatory Diet or The Mediterranean Diet is something you would like to know more about, let’s chat. For a quick anti-inflammatory mean plan, try out the free 3-day trial of my anti-inflammatory meal plans that are gluten-free, light on grains, light on dairy, light on beans with focus on high-quality fats.
For a custom menu and coaching, I encourage you to book a free 15-minute consultation. I work with individuals, couples and families who are looking for ways to integrate healthy and nutritional balanced meals into their life. During our discussion, you can ask questions and discuss whether nutritional coaching or a meal plan is right for you. Book a time that works for your schedule by clicking here.
by Keren Reiser | Aug 7, 2019 | Blog, dietary fat, healthy eating, heart disease, nutrition facts, sugar
After posting my review of the Beyond meat burger, I received questions from readers, asking about the relationship between fat, carbohydrate, sugar, cholesterol. A lot has changed in the research and I wanted to review recent studies to answer the following three questions that my readers had asked:
- What does the research today say about the relationship between fat, carbohydrate, sugar, cholesterol, whole grains and heart disease?
- Do foods high in cholesterol raise blood cholesterol levels?
- Does carbohydrate intake affect cholesterol?
Research on Diet and Heart Disease
Heart Disease has been the second leading cause of death in Canada, after cancer, over the last 20 years.
What we know about diet, health and heart disease has evolved over the last 50 years. The message about dietary fat and cholesterol has changed. What was true in the ’90s is not the same as what we know and how we educate the public today.
From 1974 to 2014, the primary message around the leading dietary cause of heart disease was the excess intake of saturated fatty acids in our diets. The public health message was that reducing your intake of saturated fats would reduce your risk of heart disease. In the late ’60s, the hypothesis was that dietary cholesterol contributed to the risk of heart disease. The main source of saturated fat is meat from animals and cheese. Meat and cheese are also a source of dietary cholesterol.
Carbohydrates and heart disease
By promoting the link between saturated fats and heart disease, the population was educated to reduce saturated fats in their diet. The problem that resulted is that the reduction of saturated fats increased carbohydrate intake.
In the 1970s, scientists started to look at refined carbohydrates (processed foods), sugar and low dietary fibre as dietary causes of heart disease. At the time there was weak supporting evidence for this claim, and it was not generally accepted. In 2016, a scandal was uncovered that the sugar industry, not pleased with this research, paid scientists to minimize the role of sugar in heart disease and to leave saturated fats as the main contributing dietary factor.
Finding the “sugar” in foods
Just like all fats are not equal, so it is the same for carbohydrates. For illustration purposes, I will define two different types of carbohydrates in our diets: Simple and Complex. When reading nutrition labels, you can easily distinguish between these two types by looking at the Sugar and Dietary Fibre content.
Sugar is the simplest form of carbohydrate. Sugar is easily absorbed into the bloodstream and is linked to many dietary health concerns. Processed foods have increased the sugar content in foods as well as increased our cravings and addictions to carbohydrate-rich foods.
The dietary fibre number will give you a clue of the wholeness of the food, assuming it is not added in as an ingredient. Dietary fibre is a carbohydrate that naturally occurs in foods of plant origin and is not digested or absorbed by the small intestine.
In addition, reading the ingredients of a food product will be insightful. Ingredients are listed in order of the amount they represent in the food. If sugar is listed in any of the top three positions of the ingredients, it is a sure sign that the product is not healthy.
Saturated fats and heart disease
Focusing on Saturated Fat as the leading cause of heart disease led to the public health message of replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats in a healthy diet. Polyunsaturated Fat sources include vegetable oils such as flaxseed, soybean, and fatty fish such as herring, salmon, mackerel, and sardines.
Omega-6 and Omega-3 fats are polyunsaturated fats. When the public health message focused on saturated fats as the “bad fat,” we started seeing products marketed for their “omega” content.
Cholesterol and Heart Disease
Dietary cholesterol comes from animals. The primary food sources of cholesterol include egg yolk, shrimp, beef, pork, poultry, as well as cheese and butter. For years, dietary cholesterol was thought to increase blood cholesterol levels, thus leading to the elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, another form of heart disease. Eggs were considered “bad” back in the 90s because of their high dietary cholesterol content.
When comparing the nutrient value of eggs to beef, cheese, chicken, butter and shrimp (all foods that are from animals), a difference was observed. Eggs in comparison to other animal products are lowest in total fat, including saturated fat but highest in cholesterol. Beef, cheese, chicken and butter are both high in dietary cholesterol and saturated fat.
By debunking the research that dietary cholesterol does contribute to cardiovascular disease, eggs got a clean bill of health because they are low in saturated fats. Foods high in saturated fats continue to be a contributing factor to the development of heart disease.
Eggs are now a mainstay of a healthy diet. Eggs are rich in protein quality, vitamins and minerals. Egg yolk is also rich in dietary choline, which is an essential nutrient for human liver and muscle functions. Shrimp is also in the good books and an exception to a food that is high in cholesterol but contains zero saturated fat.
Around 2014, research studies showed that saturated fat intake was only weakly associated with the risk of heart disease. The most reliable indicator of risk of heart disease was the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol (good cholesterol formed by the liver).
So going back to my reader’s question:
- Does dietary cholesterol raise blood cholesterol levels? The answer is no. Saturated fats are more of a risk to heart disease. High “bad” blood cholesterol levels are a result of saturated fats and cholesterol produced in the liver.
- Does carbohydrate intake affect cholesterol? Yes. Sugar contributes to increases in blood pressure and blood lipids, both of which are major risk factors for the development of heart disease. Processed carbohydrates, added sugars and sugar-sweetened beverages are significant dietary factors which could contribute to heart disease. Whole grain cereals and dietary fibre likely reduce the risk of heart disease.
Five recommendations for a healthy heart diet.
- Increase your intake of Dietary Fibre from whole foods and grains. Dietary fibre has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as promote regular bowel movement through the colon, thereby reducing the risk of colon cancer.
- Reduce your intake of processed foods, including processed foods that are labelled gluten-free. Keren’s Rule, if the product is in a package and has a shelf life of more than 3-5 days, it is a processed food product. If sugar is listed in the first three ingredients, then the product is not healthy.
- Eggs are back! Eggs are a high-quality source of protein, affordable and nutrient-dense. Don’t worry about the high cholesterol because research has shown that dietary cholesterol is not the only culprit for high blood cholesterol levels.
- Moderation is key to any healthy diet. A diet high in saturated Fats has been linked to heart disease but does not mean that you have to eliminate animal products completely. Experiment with adding plant-based meals into your diet and focus on eating a variety of whole foods.
- A healthy eating pattern incorporates nutrient-dense foods, balanced meals and a variety of colourful vegetables and fruits.
To learn more about navigating a healthy eating lifestyle, book a free 15-minute consultation. I work with individuals, couples and families who are looking for ways to integrate healthy and nutritional balanced meals that are supportive of their dietary restrictions, in a way that is easy and fun. During the consultation, you can ask questions and discuss whether nutritional coaching or a meal plan is right for you. Book a time that works for your schedule by clicking here.
