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HEALTHY LIVING SECTION Weekly tips and advice from your neighborhood Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge providers. Diets Debunked: Which Ones Are Best for Heart Health? A lot of diets claim to be the magic bullet that will make you lose weight, gain energy and look 10 years younger. But how healthy are these diets, especially when it comes to your heart? We looked into some of the more popular diets of today and here’s what we discovered. Paleo Diet The Paleo diet is based on the types of foods presumed to have been eaten by early humans, consisting chiefly of meat, fish, vegetables and fruit while excluding all dairy, grain products and processed food. While this isn’t bad in and of itself, any diet so restrictive can also have problems. The good behind the Paleo diet is that it advises avoiding processed foods. However, the avoidance of whole grains and legumes is concerning due to essential nutrients that can be missed. Also, an increase in meat consumption has been associated with a higher rate of cardiovascular diseases. Vegetarian and Vegan Diets While vegetarians don’t eat meat, vegans don’t use or consume any animal products. According to the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets can reduce the risk of some types of chronic disease, including heart disease – the key words being “well-planned.” Vegetarian and vegan diets can be healthy for most, but it’s important that vegetarians don’t go overboard with dairy products, due to concern for allergies and added sugar. Vegans need to be mindful of potential deficiencies such as vitamin B12, which is absent from a vegan diet. Mediterranean Diet As far as heart health goes, Mediterranean diets tend to rank high. You have to be careful, though; the Mediterranean diet is much more than oils, red wine, pasta and fish. The foundation of a good Mediterranean diet is plant-based foods with the aforementioned items included in moderation. Whole Plant Diet Possibly the best option for patients with cardiovascular diseases. This diet has been shown to help reverse heart disease, specifically coronary artery disease. It consists mostly of vegetables and fruits, especially green leafy vegetables, whole grains, and good sources of omega-3 fatty acids, such as flaxseed, chia seeds and walnuts. We encourage heart health and education. To receive more tips like these, visit CarolinasHealthCare.org/AtTheHeart. Beef Satay A 2009 study in Fundamentals of Clinical Pharmacology found that compounds in lemongrass slowed the growth of breast cancer cells and caused them to undergo apoptosis or cell death. Ingredients • • • • • • • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons minced onion 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup fish sauce 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons soy sauce • • • • • • • 2 tablespoons ground coriander 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 2-inch piece of fresh lemongrass (white part only) 2 pounds beef top sirloin, trimmed 4 12-inch long metal skewers Place ginger, garlic, onion, brown sugar, fish sauce, olive oil, soy sauce, coriander, cumin, turmeric and cayenne pepper into a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Bruise lemongrass by hitting it lightly several times with the back of a chef’s knife. Mince the lemongrass and add to the sauce in the mixing bowl. Cut sirloin into strips and thoroughly mix them into the sauce. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate. Remove the sirloin from the marinade and shake off any excess. Thread 1/4 of the meat onto each metal skewer. Arrange skewers on grill and cook until the meat stops sticking to the grill, about 1 to 2 minutes. Flip skewers over and cook until the meat is browned and shows grill marks, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn back over and cook until meat is slightly pink, about 2 more minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and let rest for about 2 more minutes, then serve. Serves: 6 Learning from Weight Loss Contestants Silpa Rao, MD Family Medical Associates 828-580-4010 Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge You are probably aware of the television show, “The Biggest Loser.” What you may not be aware of is that almost all of the show’s contestants go on to regain most, if not all of the weight they lost while on the reality show. To some this may seem like a feat greater than losing all of the weight in the first place. After all, how can someone work so hard to lose weight and then just throw it all away? According to one study, it may not even be the former contestants’ fault. Dr. Kevin Hall of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases set out to find answers by following contestants from the show’s eighth season for six years after their appearance. He found that the participants had normal metabolisms for their weight before the show, but after the show their metabolisms had slowed down so much their bodies weren’t able to burn enough calories to maintain their new weight. This wasn’t a surprise, because it is very normal for your metabolism to slow down when you are trying to lose weight. The interesting part is that over the next six years, the contestants’ metabolisms didn’t recover and in some cases actually slowed even more. This meant that no matter how little they ate or how much they exercised, their body simply would not let them keep the weight off. To briefly explain a complicated matter, your brain and body have an ideal weight “in mind” and there isn’t a lot known about what sets it. However, your metabolism is what helps regulate it. This might be why when you try to lose weight the first few pounds are relatively easy to lose. Your brain eventually catches on to your efforts, though, and adjusts your metabolism to make sure you can’t burn more calories than it wants to let you. What this means for the contestants on “The Biggest Loser” is that since they lost a ton of weight in an extremely short amount of time (which is not safe to do), their bodies started working overtime to get back to that ideal weight. To do this, their metabolism effectively shut down, and the supply of a hormone called leptin, which helps control hunger, was decreased. As a result, their body was desperately craving the calories needed to get back to “normal,” thus sabotaging their previous and current weight loss efforts. The lesson to be learned here is that losing weight can be very difficult. Since you probably already knew this, you also should not let the difficulty stop you from trying to reach a healthier weight. By consulting with your doctor first and making a plan that gradually improves your diet and exercise routine, you can achieve your weight loss goals. You just can’t expect to do it in a few days, a few months or maybe even a few years. Losing Weight Safely The recommended goal for weekly weight loss is one to two pounds. Losing more than that increases the risk of causing harm to your body. Be sure to talk to your doctor before starting a new diet or workout routine. BlueRidgeHealth.org | 828-580-5000