Take Heart
Add More Goodness to Meals

By Laurine Brown, PhD, MPH

Don’t eat this. Don’t eat that. Lists of forbidden foods have dominated dietary advice for several decades, especially when it comes to heart health. Fat and cholesterol have become bad words. But unfortunately, in addition to leaving us disheartened, the standard “low-saturated-fat, low-cholesterol-diet” was marginal, at best, at cleaning up artery-clogging blood fats. Total blood cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels generally dropped only 10%, sending even the most compliant clients to the pharmacy line for powerful statin drugs.

Well, perk up. Mounting nutritional research brings a more hopeful message that’s likely here to stay. Eat lots of this. Eat plenty of that. Instead of a “low cholesterol diet”, we’re learning that what we really want is a “cholesterol-lowering diet”. And what may work best at cleaning our pipes and keeping our heart pumping strong is to add goodness, not simply avoid badness. What kind of goodness? So far, we’ve studied soy, oats, nuts, flax and psyllium seed, purple grapes, tea (whole plant foods) and fatty fish, with encouraging results. And with an abundance of foods still to study, no doubt there are more lists to come.

Ready for more good news? Each of these foods alone has been shown to lower blood cholesterol by 5-10%. But Canadian researchers wanted to see what would happen when these foods were combined. You know, like meals. Results were astonishing. The “Portfolio Diet” lowered participants’ LDL cholesterol by nearly 30% after 4 weeks, akin to those taking statin drugs while eating a low fat diet. Those on a low fat diet alone saw only a 8% decline. Also, levels of C-reactive protein (marker of inflamed arteries, known heart disease risk) declined by nearly 30% on the Portfolio diet, also comparable to statins. The take-home message? A diet of heart-grooming foods may be as effective as drugs in reducing high blood cholesterol. Researchers suggest a Portfolio-type diet should be the first choice of therapy.

Sample “Portfolio” Diet
Breakfast: oat bran cereal & toast with fruit jam, fruit, soymilk
Lunch: vegetarian chili, soy deli slices on oat bran bread with a tomato, fruit
Dinner: black beans & ground soy with barley & sautéed vegetables (like okra, eggplant, onion, red pepper), salad
Snacks: almonds, soy milk or yogurt; also psyllium fiber supplement (Metamucil)

Why not pack some goodness into your meals starting today? Your blessed heart is worth every morsel. Every little bit counts. And more is often better. Imagine that.

Food ("Medicinal" Part)	Medicinal Daily Dose	Examples	Comments
Soy (soy protein)	25 g protein (2-3 servings soyfood)	1/4 c. roasted soynuts = 15g 1/2 c. cooked soybeans = 11g 1/2 c. tofu or tempeh = 10g 1/4 c. TVP (dry) = 11g 1 soyburger = 12g	Start with 1 serving. Up to 2-3 servings gradually to minimize bloating/gas. Should replace meats/animal protein (not “in addition” to)
Oats (beta-glucan)	3 g beta glucan	1 c. cooked oat bran 1 1/2 cc cooked oatmeal 3 c. Cheerios	Laxative: Drink more water
Flaxseed (essential fatty acids & fiber)	2-6 Tbsp ground meal/seeds	Ground meal: add to cereal, smoothies, casseroles, baked goods Seeds: sprinkle on salads	Best potency? Buy seeds & grind as needed. Store in fridge Start with 1-2 tsp. Up slowly. Laxative: Drink more water
Psyllium seed husk (psyllium fiber)	7 g fiber or 10g seed husk	3 servings Metamucil (3.4 g each) Add husks to juice, cereal	IMPORTANT: Drink more water Buy husks in bulk at health food store
Nuts (monounsaturated fat)	1-2 oz (or, 3-6 Tbsp)	Almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts	High in calories (6 Tbsp = 340 cals) so eat instead of other high fat foods.
Fatty fish (omega-3-fats)	1-2 servings/week	1 serving = 3-6 oz salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel, sardines	Check with EPA & FDA for overfishing & pollutant advice Caution if pregnant
Purple grapes (antioxidants)	1-2 c juice or wine (see next column to the right)	1-2 c purple grape juice, red/purple grapes, red wine	Red wine in moderation: 5oz women, 10oz men (avoid if pregnant)
Tea (antioxidants)	1-2 cups	Brewed tea (green or black)	Caffeine dehydrates-drink extra water

References:

Jenkins DJA et al. July 23, 2003. “Effects of a Dietary Portfolio of Cholesterol-Lowering Food vs. Lovastatin on Serum Lipids and C-Reactive Protein.” Journal of the American Medical Association. 290(4):502-510.
Kundrat S. Feb 2003. “Functional Foods for Heart Health.” IDEA Health and Fitness Source, 43-48.
Environmental Nutrition. Aug 2003. “New Research Finds Eating More of Certain Foods Lowers Cholesterol”. 26 (8):1,4.

September 2003 

   
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