The Diet-Heart Hypothesis: Subdividing Lipoproteins

Two posts ago, we made the rounds of the commonly measured blood lipids (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides) and how they associate with cardiac risk. It's important to keep in mind that many things associate with cardiac risk, not just blood lipids. For example, men with low serum vitamin D are at a 2.4-fold greater risk of heart attack than men with higher D levels. That alone is roughly equivalent to the predictive power of the blood lipids you get measured at the doctor's office. Coronary calcium scans (a measure of blood vessel calcification) also associate with cardiac risk better than the most commonly measured blood lipids.

Lipoproteins Can be Subdivided into Several Subcategories

In the continual search for better measures of cardiac risk, researchers in the 1980s decided to break down lipoprotein particles into sub-categories. One of these researchers is Dr. Ronald M. Krauss. Krauss published extensively on the association between lipoprotein size and cardiac risk, eventually concluding (source):

The plasma lipoprotein profile accompanying a preponderance of small, dense LDL particles (specifically LDL-III) is associated with up to a threefold increase in the susceptibility of developing [coronary artery disease]. This has been demonstrated in case-control studies of myocardial infarction and angiographically documented coronary disease.

Krauss found that small, dense LDL (sdLDL) doesn't travel alone: it typically comes along with low HDL and high triglycerides*. He called this combination of factors "lipoprotein pattern B"; its opposite is "lipoprotein pattern A": large, buoyant LDL, high HDL and low triglycerides. Incidentally, low HDL and high triglycerides are hallmarks of the metabolic syndrome, the quintessential modern metabolic disorder.

Krauss and his colleagues went on to hypothesize that sdLDL promotes atherosclerosis because of its ability to penetrate the artery wall more easily than large LDL. He and others subsequently showed that sdLDL are also more prone to oxidation than large LDL (1, 2).

Diet Affects LDL Subcategories

The next step in Krauss's research was to see how diet affects lipoprotein patterns. In 1994, he published a study comparing the effects of a low-fat (24%), high-carbohydrate (56%) diet to a "high-fat" (46%), "low-carbohydrate" (34%) diet on lipoprotein patterns. The high-fat diet also happened to be high in saturated fat-- 18% of calories. He found that (quote source):

Out of the 87 men with pattern A on the high-fat diet, 36 converted to pattern B on the low-fat diet... Taken together, these results indicate that in the majority of men, the reduction in LDL cholesterol seen on a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet is mainly because of a shift from larger, more cholesterol-enriched LDL to smaller, cholesterol-depleted LDL [sdLDL].

In other words, in the majority of people, high-carbohydrate diets lower LDL cholesterol not by decreasing LDL particle count (which might be good), but by decreasing LDL size and increasing sdLDL (probably not good). This has been shown repeatedly, including with a 10% fat diet and in children. However, in people who already exhibit pattern B, reducing fat does reduce LDL particle number. Keep in mind that the majority of carbohydrate in modern America comes from wheat and sugar.

Krauss then specifically explored the effect of saturated fat on LDL size (free full text). He re-analyzed the data from the study above, and found that:

In summary, the present study showed that changes in dietary saturated fat are associated with changes in LDL subclasses in healthy men. An increase in saturated fat, and in particular, myristic acid [as well as palmitic acid], was associated with increases in larger LDL particles (and decreases in smaller LDL particles). LDL particle diameter and peak flotation rate [density] were also positively associated with saturated fat, indicating shifts in LDL-particle distribution toward larger, cholesterol-enriched LDL.

Participants who ate the most saturated fat had the largest LDL, and vice versa. Kudos to Dr. Krauss for publishing these provocative data. It's not an isolated finding. He noted in 1994 that:

Cross-sectional population analyses have suggested an association between reduced LDL particle size and relatively reduced dietary animal-fat intake, and increased consumption of carbohydrates.

Diet Affects HDL Subcategories

Krauss also tested the effect of his dietary intervention on HDL. Several studies have found that the largest HDL particles, HDL2b, associate most strongly with HDL's protective effects (more HDL2b = fewer heart attacks). Compared to the diet high in total fat and saturated fat, the low-fat diet decreased HDL2b significantly. A separate study found that the effect persists at one year. Berglund et al. independently confirmed the finding using the low-fat American Heart Association diet in men and women of diverse racial backgrounds. Here's what they had to say about it:

The results indicate that dietary changes suggested to be prudent for a large segment of the population will primarily affect [i.e., reduce] the concentrations of the most prominent antiatherogenic [anti-heart attack] HDL subpopulation.

Saturated and omega-3 fats selectively increase large HDL. Dr. B. G. of Animal Pharm has written about this a number of times.

Wrapping it Up

Contrary to the simplistic idea that saturated fat increases LDL and thus cardiac risk, total fat and saturated fat have a complex influence on blood lipids, the net effect of which is unclear, but is associated with a lower risk of heart attacks. These blood lipid changes persist for at least one year, so they may represent a long-term effect. It's important to remember that the primary sources of carbohydrate in the modern Western diet are wheat and sugar. Are the blood lipid patterns that associate with heart attack risk in Western countries partially acting as markers of wheat and sugar intake?

* This is why you may read that small, dense LDL is not an "independent predictor" of heart attack risk. Since it travels along with a particular pattern of HDL and triglycerides, in most studies it does not give information on cardiac risk beyond what you can get by measuring other lipoproteins.

Read More

19.00 | 0 comments

Are the rich more healthy?

Here is a special Health and Fitness Bulletin concerning fitness past the age of 40.

Enjoy...

------------------------------------------------------
Special Bonus Report Available
------------------------------------------------------

A reminder -- "Slow Poisoning", the eye-opening report by health journalist John Erb, is now available in the "Fit Over 40" members area.

Anyone who owns a copy of "Fit Over 40" now receives FIVE free bonus e-books/reports:

--- >  "The Menopause Solution" by Jill Langham;
--- >  "Why Grow Old" by Orison Swett Marden;
--- >  "Natural Ways To Increase Your Testosterone" by Men's Health Journalist Christian Finn
--- >  "The Bill Pearl Interview" by Rob Cooper

AND "The Slow Poisoning of Mankind" by John Erb. This incredible report is literally the report given to The World Health Organization on the toxic effects of one of the most common food additives in America.

If you own "Fit Over 40", just visit the homepage and login to the member's downloads.

If you do not own "Fit Over 40", get it here --

http://bit.ly/184UcB

You can also pick up Frank Mangano's e-book, "The Silent Killer Exposed", for a limited time.

------------------------------------------------------
Poverty And Obesity:  A New Study Finds
A Remarkable Connection
------------------------------------------------------

While the rich and the affluent still face many of the problems that come with the "king's lifestyle", a new pattern is emerging in the United States and, predictions state, Europe.

A new study shows that the trend of ill-health and obesity is shifting rapidly to the poor and less educated portions of the country.

The reason this is important to us all, other than a concern for our nation's health as a whole, is the economic strain this will place on our already burdened health care system.

By the year 2012, if this trend increases, the middle and upper classes will be looking at massive increases in taxes to fund proposed government plans to address the problem.

This is a problem that flat-out does NOT need to exist. Everyone who can afford food at 'all' can easily eat healthy and exercise.

Part of the confusion is due to the fact that the billion dollar fitness industry has created a myth -- that expensive food supplements and organic foods are mandatory for good health.

While I believe in both, neither are mandatory.

It's the TYPE of food, and the COMBINATION of the foods that make all the difference -- that, and moderate calories, exercise, and proper mental disposition.

This is covered in detail in the best-selling e-book, "Fit Over 40", by Jon Benson and Tom Venuto, CSCS.

Get it here --
http://bit.ly/184UcB

In regards to the study, Dr. Janet Collins of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had this to say --

"Populations are no longer equal in terms of experiencing health problems. Low-income populations tend to experience all the health problems we worry about at greater rates."

The five states with the highest obesity rates in the 2005 consensus include Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Louisiana and Kentucky.

These same five states have higher rates of poverty than the national norm.

Meanwhile, the five states with the lowest obesity have less poverty. They are Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Each of these states also have more college graduates and stronger education programs.

Education in health and fitness does not need to be expensive, and it certainly does not take a rocket scientist to figure it out.

However, many fitness professionals and nutrition 'gurus' lend that impression.

If you visit a gym today, especially in a larger city, you'll see a myriad of devices that, frankly, would give you a better workout if you tried to pick them up and move them out to the garbage dump.

It can be daunting and confusing for anyone! But, this doesn't have to be the case. In fact, as so many people report in "Fit Over 40", workouts can be done in your own home that will more than satisfy the needs of most people.

The same goes for nutrition. While a few people require "high-tech", expensive foods (for medical reasons usually), the vast majority of us can easily get the job done at the local grocery store.

The best way to inspire change is to create change in yourself. Start there, set the example, and the word will spread.

Anyone can be fit and healthy, and they can do it at ANY age, and at ANY income level above absolute poverty.

Yours in health,

Arthur M.

Read More

05.26 | 0 comments

Green Tea Weight Loss

There are lots of foods that have health benefit for the body, and one of them is green tea. If you want to get healthy body and in the same time you want to reduce your weight, so green tea is the answer because green tea is also a food that can help to reduce your weight or green tea weight loss.

How green tea weight loss work

You can decrease your body weight because extract green tea extracts also function to help burn the fat in your body, it will naturally help decrease body weight. Therefore, if you are considering a product that will help you to lose weight naturally, green tea to be a reasonable option. You will also find that green tea works for a few reasons to help you to lose weight. It works by increasing metabolism. By doing this, this allows you to burn calories and stored body fat more quickly. So green tea weight loss will work in your body.

The people that overweight, even just a few pounds, is on the increase in risk for some conditions. You may be dealing with heart disease. Heart can be brought by obesity. So green tea can also help save your life by helping you to drop those pounds. In addition, diabetes is increasing rapidly in individuals who have no family history of it. This is because fat people is exposed to more risk of diabetes. And the diabetes can also cause you to become ill and can even lead to potentially fatal events.

With the help of green tea weight loss, you can reduce your weight and make your body healthier, and also increase your opportunity to get healthy and long life, so don’t wait anymore start to consume green tea regularly and make your dream to get ideal healthy body into reality.

Read More

17.42 | 0 comments

MRFIT Mortality

The Multiple Risk Factor Intervention trial was a very large controlled diet trial conducted in the 1980s. It involved an initial phase in which investigators screened over 350,000 men age 35-57 for cardiovascular risk factors including total blood cholesterol. 12,866 participants with major cardiovascular risk factors were selected for the diet intervention trial, while the rest were followed for six years. I discussed the intervention trial here.

During the six years of the observational arm of MRFIT, investigators kept track of deaths in the patients they had screened. They compared the occurrence of deaths from multiple causes to the blood cholesterol values they had measured at the beginning of the study. Here's a graph of the results (source):


Click on the graph for a larger image. Coronary heart disease does indeed rise with increasing total cholesterol in American men of this age group. But total mortality is nearly as high at low cholesterol levels as at high cholesterol levels. What accounts for the increase in mortality at low cholesterol levels, if not coronary heart disease? Stroke is part of the explanation. It was twice as prevalent in the lowest-cholesterol group as it was in other participants. But that hardly explains the large increase in mortality.

Possible explanations from other studies include higher cancer rates and higher rates of accidents and suicide. But the study didn't provide those statistics so I'm only guessing.

The MRFIT study cannot be replicated, because it was conducted at a time when fewer people were taking cholesterol-lowering drugs. In 2009, a 50-year old whose doctor discovers he has high cholesterol will likely be prescribed a statin, after which he will probably no longer have high cholesterol. This will confound studies examining the association between blood cholesterol and disease outcomes.

Thanks to The Great Cholesterol Con by Anthony Colpo for the MRFIT reference.

Read More

10.00 | 0 comments

The Diet-Heart Hypothesis: A Little Perspective

Now that we've seen that the first half of the diet-heart hypothesis-- that dietary saturated fat and cholesterol elevate serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-- is false, let's take a look at the second half. This is the idea that elevated serum cholesterol causes cardiovascular disease, also called the "lipid hypothesis".

Heart Attack Mortality vs. Total Mortality

We've been sternly warned that high serum cholesterol leads to heart attacks and that it should be reduced by any means necessary, including powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs. We've been assailed by scientific articles and media reports showing associations between cholesterol and heart disease. What I'm going to show you is a single graph that puts this whole issue into perspective.

The following is drawn from the Framingham Heart study (via the book Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease, by Dr. Harumi Okuyama et al.), which is one of the longest-running observational studies ever conducted. The study subjects are fairly representative of the general population, although less racially diverse (largely Caucasian). The graph is of total mortality (vertical axis) by total cholesterol level (horizontal axis), for different age groups: If you're 80 or older, and you have low cholesterol, it's time to get your affairs in order. Between the age of 50 and 80, when most heart attacks occur, there's no association between cholesterol level and total mortality. At age 50 and below, men with higher cholesterol die more often. In the youngest age group, the percent increase in mortality between low and high cholesterol is fairly large, but the absolute risk of death at that age is still low. There is no positive association between total cholesterol and mortality in women at any age, only a negative association in the oldest age group.

Here's more data from the Framingham study, this time heart attack deaths rather than total mortality (from the book Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease, by Dr. Harumi Okuyama et al.): Up to age 47, men with higher cholesterol have more heart attacks. At ages above 47, cholesterol does not associate with heart attacks or total mortality. Since the frequency of heart attacks and total mortality are low before the age of 47, it follows that total cholesterol isn't a great predictor of heart attacks in the general population.

These findings are consistent with other studies that looked at the relationship between total cholesterol and heart attacks in Western populations. For example, the observational arm of the massive MRFIT study found that higher cholesterol predicted a higher risk of heart attack in men age 35-57, but total mortality was highest both at low and high cholesterol levels. The "ideal" cholesterol range for total mortality was between 140 and 260 mg/dL (reference). Quite a range. That encompasses the large majority of the American public.

The Association Between Blood Cholesterol and Heart Attacks is Not Universal

The association between total cholesterol and heart attacks has generally not been observed in Japanese studies that did not pre-select for participants with cardiovascular risk factors (Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease, by Dr. Harumi Okuyama et al.). They also aren't observed on Kitava, where no one seems to have heart attacks or stroke regardless of cholesterol. This suggests that total blood cholesterol as a marker of heart attack risk is not universal. I suspect it would not necessarily apply to someone eating an atypical diet.

Subdividing Cholesterol into Different Lipoprotein Particles Improves its Predictive Value

So far, this probably hasn't shocked anyone. Even entrenched proponents of the lipid hypothesis admit that total cholesterol isn't a great marker. Researchers long ago sliced up total cholesterol into several more specific categories, the most discussed being low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). These are tiny fatty droplets containing fats, cholesterol and proteins. They transport cholesterol, fats, and fat-soluble vitamins between tissues via the blood.

The LDL and HDL numbers you get back from the doctor's office typically refer to the amount of cholesterol contained in LDL or HDL per unit blood serum, but you can get the actual particle number measured as well. One can also measure the level of triglyceride (a type of fat) in the blood. Triglycerides are absorbed from the digestive tract and manufactured by the liver in response to carbohydrate, then sent to other organs via lipoproteins.

The level of LDL in the blood gives a better approximation of heart attack risk than total cholesterol. If you're living the average Western lifestyle and you have high LDL, your risk of heart attack is up to twice the risk of someone who has low LDL. LDL particle number has more predictive value than LDL cholesterol concentration. The latter is what's typically measured at the doctor's office. For example, in the EPIC-Norfolk study (free full text), patients with high LDL cholesterol concentration had a 73% higher risk of heart attack than patients with low LDL. Participants with high LDL particle number had exactly twice the risk of those with low LDL number. We'll get back to this phenomenon in a future post.

In the same study, participants with low HDL had twice the heart attack risk of participants with high HDL. That's why HDL is called "good cholesterol". This finding is fairly consistent throughout the medical literature. HDL is probably the main reason why total cholesterol doesn't associate very tightly with heart attack risk. High total cholesterol doesn't tell you if you have high LDL, high HDL or both (LDL and HDL are the predominant cholesterol-carrying lipoproteins). Also from the EPIC-Norfolk study, participants with high triglycerides had twice the risk of heart attack as participants with low triglycerides. Triglycerides and HDL are inversely related to one another, that is, if a person has high HDL, they're likely to have low triglycerides, and vice versa. This has also been consistent between studies.

Together, this suggests that the commonly measured lipoprotein pattern that associates most tightly with heart attack risk in typical Western populations is high LDL (particularly LDL particle number), low HDL and high triglycerides.

In the next post, I'll slice up the lipoproteins even further and comment on their association with cardiovascular disease. I'll also begin to delve into how diet affects the lipoproteins.

Read More

19.51 | 0 comments

10 Other Reasons to Gather Around the Dinner Table

I received a lot of compliments on my post about "24 Reasons to Gather Around the Dinner Table" - well, compliments and a challenge: come up with even more reasons families should sit down to dinner together.

But first, if you find the idea of family meals daunting, take a look at Dine Without Whine. It's a monthly subscription, which gives you weekly meal plans, recipes and grocery shopping list. Dine Without Whine definitely simplifies meal planning and preparation.

Ok, now back to my challenge. It's been hard, but here you go, 10 OTHER reasons to gather around the dinner table:

1. You'll have a ready audience for your jokes.

2. You can get instant feedback on new recipes you've been wanting to try.

3. You'll have a venue to plan family activities, such as your next vacation, or a child's birthday.

4. Your family members can help you stick to your diet.

5. Family mealtimes can teach responsibility. It's a natural time to give children chores, such as setting the table, clearing up, and washing dishes.

6. Enjoy your good china and silverware, instead of saving them for special occasions. Because any time you're together IS a special occasion.

7. Family dinners give structure and routine to your day, which is especially important for small children.

8. By having meals together, you can reduce the time your kids spend watching TV, playing video games or surfing on the Internet.

9. Family meals are good times to give each other props - talk about everyone's latest accomplishments, such as good grades, a new drawing, a new skill learned.

10. Family dinners remind you daily of your blessings: food on the table, a roof over your heads, and loved ones all around you.

Having family dinner every night may be hard for most families nowadays. But if you can manage it on most nights, then you'll enjoy the benefits.

Cut down and simplify on other areas of your life, so you can cook a meal and sit down to dinner together. Dine Without Whine provides a weekly menu of kid-tested recipes, as well as a grocery list to simplify your shopping as well. Go here now and try Dine Without Whine for only a penny.

Read More

05.17 | 0 comments

The Diet-Heart Hypothesis: Stuck at the Starting Gate

The diet-heart hypothesis is the idea that (1) dietary saturated fat, and in some versions, dietary cholesterol, raise blood cholesterol in humans and (2) therefore contribute to the risk of heart attack.

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on the theory in relation to dietary cholesterol because there really isn't much evidence to debunk in humans. As far as I can tell, most diet-health researchers don't take this theory seriously anymore because the evidence has simply failed to materialize. Dr. Walter Willett doesn't believe it, and even Dr. Ancel Keys didn't believe it. Here's a graph from the Framingham Heart study (via the book Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease, by Dr. Harumi Okuyama et al.) to drive home the point. Eggs are the most concentrated source of cholesterol in the American diet. In this graph, the "low" group ate 0-2 eggs per week, the "medium" group ate 3-7, and the "high" group ate 7-14 (click for larger image): The distribution of blood cholesterol levels between the three groups was virtually identical. The study also found no association between egg consumption and heart attack risk. Dietary cholesterol does not raise serum cholesterol in the long term, because humans are adapted to eating cholesterol. We simply adjust our own cholesterol metabolism to compensate when the amount in the diet increases, like dogs. Rabbits don't have that feedback mechanism because their natural diet doesn't include cholesterol, so feeding them dietary cholesterol increases blood cholesterol and causes vascular pathology.

The first half of the diet-heart hypothesis states that eating saturated fat raises blood cholesterol. This has been accepted without much challenge by mainstream diet-health authorities for nearly half a century. In 1957, Dr. Ancel Keys proposed a formula (Lancet 2:1959. 1957) to predict changes in total cholesterol based on the amount of saturated and polyunsaturated fat in the diet. This formula, based primarily on short-term trials from the 1950s, stated that saturated fat is the primary dietary influence on blood cholesterol.

According to Keys' interpretation of the trials, saturated fat raised, and to a lesser extent polyunsaturated fat lowered, blood cholesterol. But there were serious flaws in the data from the very beginning, which were pointed out in this searing 1973 literature review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (free full text).

The main problem is that the controlled trials typically compared saturated fats to omega-6 linoleic acid (LA)-rich vegetable oils, and when serum cholesterol was higher in the saturated fat group, this was most often attributed to the saturated fat raising blood cholesterol rather than the LA lowering it. When a diet high in saturated fat was compared to the basal diet without changing LA, often no significant increase in blood cholesterol was observed. Studies claiming to show a cholesterol-raising effect of saturated fat often introduced it after an induction period rich in LA. Thus, the effect may have more to do with LA lowering blood cholesterol than saturated fat raising it. This is not at all what I was expecting to find when I began looking through the short-term trials.

I recently read a 2003 study that addresses this point directly. Muller et al. (free full text) compared the effects of three controlled diets on the blood cholesterol of 25 healthy women. The diets were:

1. High in saturated fat from coconut, low in LA
2. Same as #1, with half the saturated fat replaced by carbohydrate
3. Low in saturated fat, high in LA, with the same total fat as in #1
   

The diets were fed to the whole group for three week periods. Investigators found that diet #3 lowered cholesterol and LDL relative to diets #1 and #2. The total cholesterol of women on diets #1 and #2 were not statistically different (p= 0.09), and their LDL was virtually identical. Thus, a very large difference in saturated fat intake didn't affect total cholesterol or LDL when it was replaced by carbohydrate, but it did when it was replaced by LA. The most straightforward explanation is that LA lowers cholesterol and LDL, but saturated fat has little or no effect on either. From the discussion section:

The most important finding of this study was that lowering total saturated fat in the form of coconut oil, from 22.7 to 10.5 E% without change in the P/S ratio [polyunsaturated to saturated ratio], did not lower total or LDL cholesterol, but significantly reduced HDL cholesterol.

Among the heaps of poorly conducted studies, I was able to find one apparently well-controlled counterexample: Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 18:441. 1988. In this 8-week study, increasing saturated fat (at the expense of carbohydrate and with LA constant) increased total cholesterol and LDL, while also increasing HDL, and decreasing Lp(a) and triglycerides. Decreasing saturated fat from 15% to 6% of calories (drastic), reduced total cholesterol by 9% and LDL by 11% (calculated by the Friedewald equation). The variation between trials may have to do with the specific saturated fatty acids used in each trial, their duration, or some other unknown confounder.

Reading through the short-term controlled trials, I was struck by the variability and lack of agreement between them. Some of this was probably due to a lack of control over variables and poor study design. But if saturated fat has a dominant effect on serum cholesterol in the short term, it should be readily and repeatably demonstrable. It clearly is not, so I'm left wondering why diet-health authorities are so certain of themselves on this point.

The long-term data are also not kind to the diet-heart hypothesis. Reducing saturated fat while greatly increasing LA does lower blood cholesterol substantially. This was the finding in the well-controlled Minnesota Coronary Survey trial, for example (14% reduction). But in other cases where LA intake changed less, such as MRFIT, the Women's Health Initiative Diet Modification trial and the Lyon Diet-Heart trial, reducing saturated fat intake had little or no effect on total cholesterol or LDL (0-3% reduction). This generally dumbfounded the investigators. The small changes that did occur could easily have been due to other factors, such as increased fiber and phytosterols, since these were multiple-factor interventions.

Another blow to the idea that saturated fat raises cholesterol in the long term comes from observational studies. Here's a graph of data from the Health Professionals Follow-up study, which followed 43,757 health professionals for 6 years (via the book Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease by Dr. Harumi Okuyama et al.): What this graph shows is that at a relatively constant LA intake, neither saturated fat intake nor the ratio of LA to saturated fat were related to blood cholesterol in freely living subjects. This was true across a wide range of saturated fat intakes (7-15%). If we can't even find a consistent association between dietary saturated fat and blood cholesterol in observational studies, how can we claim that saturated fat is a dominant influence on blood cholesterol?

There's more. If saturated fat were important in determining the amount of blood cholesterol in the long term, you'd expect populations who eat the most saturated fat to have high blood cholesterol levels. But that's not at all the case. The Masai traditionally get almost 2/3 of their calories from milk fat, half of which is saturated. In 1964, Dr. George V. Mann published a paper showing that traditional Masai warriors eating nothing but very fatty milk, blood and meat had an average cholesterol of 115 mg/dL in the 20-24 year age group. For comparison, he published values for American men in the same age range: 198 mg/dL (J. Atherosclerosis Res. 4:289. 1964). Apparently, eating three times the saturated animal fat and several times the cholesterol of the average American wasn't enough to elevate their blood cholesterol. What does elevate the cholesterol of a Masai man? Junk food.

Now let's swim over to the island of Tokelau, where the traditional diet includes nearly 50% of calories from saturated fat from coconut. This is the highest saturated fat intake of any population I'm aware of. How's their cholesterol? Men in the age group 20-24 had a concentration of 168 mg/dL in 1976, which was lower than Americans in the same age group despite a four-fold higher saturated fat intake. Tokelauans who migrated to New Zealand, eating half the saturated fat of their island relatives, had a total cholesterol of 191 mg/dL in the same age group and time period, and substantially higher LDL (J. Chron. Dis. 34:45. 1981). Sucrose consumption was 2% on Tokelau and 13% in New Zealand. I think fructose (which makes up 50% of sucrose-- or table sugar-- and 55% of high-fructose corn syrup) is a more logical explanation for the high serum cholesterol and LDL of modern affluent societies, particularly considering the results of this study.

The inevitable conclusion is that if saturated fat influences total cholesterol or LDL concentration at all, the effect is modest and is dwarfed by other factors.

Read More

18.31 | 0 comments

Did you forget about these?

I hope you didn't forget about the sample 7-day Veggie Meal Plans that nutrition expert Kardena Pauza prepared for you!

In case you missed my last email, today is your last chance to get your 7-day Vegetarian Meal Plans for Men AND Women.

They are gone at midnight tonight.

I guarantee you'll feel so much better on her vegetarian diet than on any diet you could design for yourself.

After all, do you really think you can eat better than this?

=> http://bit.ly/eoT5k

So if you are struggling to change your body or have more energy or even to stop being hungry all the time, then isn't it time you got meal planning advice from a professional?

Don't try and design a diet yourself...get professional help now!

Helping you get the best nutrition advice,

Arthur M.
http://bit.ly/eoT5k

PS - When you get your copy of the Meal Plans...

...you'll also be added to the VIP List where you'll get access to an extra 25% off the full Easy Veggie Meal Plans System when it is released on Monday, July 27th.

Kardena is practically giving away her full Meal Plans System for 72 hours, and as a VIP you'll get the lowest introductory price possible.

So don't wait any longer, get your 7-day sample veggie meal plans here and become a VIP on the Vegetarian Lifestyle:

=> http://bit.ly/eoT5k

"It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians that appropriately planned VEGETARIAN DIETS are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."
American Dietetic Association

Read More

07.45 | 0 comments

Veggie meal plans for you

If you want to STOP eating meat and start transforming your body with an EASY and SIMPLE to follow vegetarian meal plan, then I have great news for you!

Vegetarian Nutrition Expert Kardena Pauza put together these vegetarian meal plans to help you out.

Go here and grab these meal plans at no cost to you:

=> http://bit.ly/eoT5k

It's our gift to you because we want to share the Vegetarian Lifestyle with everyone who is struggling with their diet and who wants more energy.

After all, we get emails EVERY DAY from folks who have questions about Vegetarian Diets, but no one was offering them a solution.

Kardena shows you how easy, simple, and convenient it is to live the Vegetarian Lifestyle.

You'll have the best vegetarian diet coach in the world, Kardena Pauza, telling you EXACTLY what to eat!

I guarantee you will have more energy and you'll even start dramatically transforming your body in just 7 days.

Just go here and grab those meal plans today:

=> http://bit.ly/eoT5k

Sincerely,

Arthur M
http://bit.ly/eoT5k

PS - Please hurry, because these Vegetarian Meal Plans will only be available until Friday, July 17th. 

Just go here and grab those meal plans today:

=> http://bit.ly/eoT5k

PPS - And don't miss her powerful and controversial report...called, "The Top 10 Foods You Must NOT Eat on a Vegetarian Diet"

This is one of the most important nutrition programs ever designed - not only will you change your body but following the Easy Veggie Meal Plans will give you more energy and could help extend your life.

Read More

05.31 | 0 comments

Diet Modification Trials: Notes on Study Design

The other day, my internet meanderings brought me back to a review of fat modification trials conducted by the Cochrane collaboration. This is a not-for-profit group known for its rigorous meta-analyses.

They selected 27 studies that reduced saturated fat or total fat (in some cases along with increased PUFA), and fit several inclusion criteria. The results:

There was no significant effect on total mortality (rate ratio 0.98, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.12), a trend towards protection form cardiovascular mortality (rate ratio 0.91, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.07), and significant protection from cardiovascular events (rate ratio 0.84, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.99). The latter became non-significant on sensitivity analysis.

Trials where participants were involved for more than 2 years showed significant reductions in the rate of cardiovascular events and a suggestion of protection from total mortality ["suggestion" = not statistically significant]. The degree of protection from cardiovascular events appeared similar in high and low risk groups, but was statistically significant only in the former.

"Sensitivity analysis" is a statistical method that allows investigators to take into account the limitations of their model, in this case, the way in which they aggregated the studies' data. Another way of putting their findings is that they found no significant effect of fat modification on mortality or cardiovascular mortality, and they found a reduction in non-fatal "cardiovascular events" (more on this phrase later) only in a subset of the data.

I'll be the first to admit the meta-analysis isn't perfect. They cast too wide a net, not allowing them to distinguish the effect of reducing total fat from the effect of reducing saturated fat. They lumped both together, which from a practical standpoint isn't actually a problem because both sets of studies show essentially the same thing: zilch. But it's still not the best way to conduct a meta-analysis. They also omitted the Sydney Diet-Heart study for mysterious reasons, which was a five year randomized trial that found an increase in mortality in volunteers substituting vegetable oils for animal fat. Then there's the conclusion, which boggles the mind:

Lifestyle advice to all those at high risk of cardiovascular disease (especially where statins are unavailable or rationed), and to lower risk population groups, should continue to include permanent reduction of dietary saturated fat and partial replacement by unsaturates.

Are these the same people who wrote the results section? I don't understand how they arrived at that conclusion from their own results.

In any case, this brings me to my main point. There are two types of outcomes you can measure in these trials: "hard endpoints" and "soft endpoints". Hard endpoints are not subjective. The hardest endpoint is death. Either you're dead or you aren't; there's no room for interpretation there. A bit less hard is death from a particular cause, such as heart attack. In that case, you're definitely dead, but the physician has to guess what you died of. That involves some judgment on the part of the physician and can introduce bias, depending on the study design. The softest endpoints are non-fatal events like angina, bypasses and stents. These depend on the judgment of both the physician and the patient, and are the most susceptible to bias.

The gold standard for controlled trials is a design known as "double-blind", where neither the participant nor the physician knows which group the participant is in. This design eliminates bias from both the participant and the physician side, allowing correction for the placebo effect and subtle bias in diagnosis. This is easy to do for drug trials, where placebo pills look just like the drug. But it's more difficult to pull off in a diet trial, where the patient knows what foods he's eating. Still, it can be done by giving participants similar-looking margarines containing either saturated or polyunsaturated fats, or sometimes by controlling diets in an institutionalized setting.

There have been three double-blind trials comparing the incidence of heart attack and/or mortality in volunteers eating either saturated animal fat or polyunsaturated vegetable fat: the 1968 National Diet-Heart trial (2 years), the 1969 Los Angeles Veterans' Administration trial (8 years), and the 1989 Minnesota Coronary Survey trial (4.5 years). The two studies that reported total mortality found no significant difference between groups. Two out of three found no difference in heart attack deaths. Of the two that reported on non-fatal cardiovascular endpoints, one found a significant difference. The V.A. trial was the only one to find a significant difference in heart attack deaths (18% decrease) and non-fatal events. There were significantly more heavy smokers in the animal fat arm of the V.A. trial, which was an unfortunate consequence of the participant randomization process. So that result is difficult to interpret.

The three double-blind diet trials, with the least potential for bias, really give no support to the idea that saturated/animal fat contributes to cardiovascular disease. As the participants were already eating a diet high in omega-6 to begin with, there is also no detectable effect of increasing omega-6 on cardiovascular health.

Many of the trials of this nature have been "single-blinded", where the participant knows which group he's in, but the physician doesn't. In this case, all endpoints involving death will be unbiased, because the physician deciding the diagnosis is not influenced by knowing what group the patient is in. However, soft, non-fatal events such as angina are still highly susceptible to the placebo effect. This is because they depend on the subjective judgment of the patient, who knows which group he's in.

I think it's interesting to note that very few dietary fat modification trials have found reductions in total mortality, which is the hardest endpoint and the least susceptible to bias. This is reflected in the Cochrane collaboration's findings. However, a number of the non-blinded and single-blinded studies have found differences in non-fatal cardiovascular events, sometimes creating absurd results. For example, in the 1966 Anti-Coronary Club trial, participants in the vegetable oil group had a significant reduction in non-fatal cardiovascular events, but a massive increase in cardiovascular deaths and total mortality. The former result could result from a placebo effect, due to the non-blinded nature of the trial.

The fact that the Cochrane review found statistically significant benefits of fat modification in soft, non-fatal endpoints (for a portion of the data set), but not endpoints involving death, suggests to me that what we're seeing may actually be a placebo effect resulting from the fact that patients were not blinded in the majority of these trials.

The only "fat modification" intervention that consistently reduces total and cardiovascular mortality is omega-3 fat supplementation, ideally in combination with omega-6 restriction. This is supported by the results of the DART trial, the Lyon Diet-Heart trial, the ISIS trial and the the GISSI-prevenzione trial.

Read More

19.00 | 0 comments

24 Reasons to Gather Around the Dinner Table

How often does your family have dinner together? If you're like most families nowadays, the answer is probably, "Not very often."

It's understandable. Modern families are busy. Both parents work and sometimes get home at different times. Children have activities to go to, and Mom's got to drive them all over the place. Really, who's got the time and energy to even cook dinner every single night?

You, that's who! Eating together is good for you and your family. So you better make time and find the energy to make home-cooked meals and sit down and eat together more often.

Researchers have found many benefits to home-cooked meals. Watch this video to learn about some of them. In my own experience, though, there are many more. Here are 24 reasons I have found to share family meals more often:

1. Families who eat together eat healthier, because home-cooked food is healthier than fast food.

2. Family meals allow busy families to catch up with each other.

3. Young children learn a lot of verbal skills just by eating with their family members.

4. It gives everyone a chance to unwind after a busy day.

5. Having family meals more often forces you to end your working day and other obligations in time for dinner.

6. Home cooked meals are not only healthier, they're also cheaper than takeout food or eating out.

7. Eating together forces everybody to tell stories.

8. Cooking at home motivates you to be creative with your meal planning and cooking.

9. Children can get involved in cooking meals.

10. Cooking and eating together creates happy childhood memories.

11. Eating together is an opportunity to explore different cuisines.

12. Eating with your family is more fun than eating in front of the television (or the computer).

13. Eating together gives parents a chance to talk about current events from their point of view, injecting their personal values without giving a lecture.

14.  Eating together helps family members bond and get to know each other better.

15. You'll be surprised what your kids reveal when you're in a relaxed environment, such as a family meal.

16. Kids are less likely to roll their eyes when you reminisce and tell stories from your childhood while eating a meal together.

17. Family meals can be good teaching moments, even for small children. My toddler learned how to count by counting after-meal treats on his high chair.

18. Eating together is a good opportunity to teach and model good manners.

19. Family meals give a good transition from work or school to home life.

20. Family meals are also good times to share music together.

21. Family meals teach everyone valuable life skills, such as sharing and taking turns.

22. Stopping and sitting down to a meal gives everyone a chance to quiet down and regroup.

23. Family meals provide an additional occasion for family members to pray together.

24. Eating home is more eco-friendly than eating out or ordering food - less waste! 

If you think having family meals is too much work, don't despair. You can get help for everything from meal planning to putting your weekly grocery shopping list together.Check out Dine Without Whine for kid-tested, quick recipes that will help you put together family meals with less effort. Dine Without Whine's weekly shopping lists will also help you get food shopping done much faster, and even save money on groceries.

As you can see from the list above, the extra time and effort you spend to have family meals more often are worthwhile.

Read More

13.39 | 0 comments

Still spending too much time?

Are you still slaving away writing meal plans and endless grocery shopping?

Or are you just flying by the seat of your pants, spending too much money on unhealthy drive through meals?

Either way - it doesn't have to be that way. Here's a quick solution for you that you can use right away:

http://tinyurl.com/mllb8j

But if you're not sure or if you think you're doing just fine with meal planning on your own, then try this out anyway. It's a no-cost, no-obligation sample of a menu plan and grocery shopping list good for one week.

Use these, and you just might be surprised that you've got an extra hour or two in your week - plus some leftover from your grocery money.

Here's the link to this cool free stuff again.

http://tinyurl.com/mllb8j

Best regards,

Arthur M.

Read More

13.36 | 0 comments

Zucchini

This veggie may resemble a cucumber, but it is actually a member of the squash family. They are green like a cucumber, but they come in the yellow variety as well. Zucchini are great stir fried with onions or steamed with a complement of other vegetables. Here are some tips for picking, cooking and eating this tasty veggie.

Choosing the Perfect Zucchini
Pick your zucchini wisely. They are all green, but a good zucchini is heavy. Now it may not always be long like a cucumber but it should be heavy like one. Depending on the farmer, some are smaller than others. Hold them in your hand and compare with others before choosing the ones you will buy.

Perfect for Summer Time
Zucchini is a popular vegetable in the summer. The taste is light and it is fat free and low in sodium and cholesterol free. All you need to cook them is a bit of olive oil in a wok or large skillet and some salt and pepper to taste. I like to julienne or matchstick my zucchini, but others may want to slice it into nice round pieces. It is great as a starting veggie for kids because it doesn’t have an overpowering taste.

Storage
Zucchini does well in the refrigerator at a modest temperature. Don’t wait too long to use it or it will become mushy to the touch. It may look good through the clear veggie tray but when the back side is covered in white fuzz it’s time to get rid of it. Zucchini is not a vegetable that stands up to freezing very well. If you must freeze it, blanch it first.

Preparation Suggestions
Pickled Zucchini:  You can pickle zucchini along with other veggies like peppers, onions, and tomatoes. The mix of flavors will enhance any meal you prepare during the fall and winter months. Zucchini can be added to soup stock and frozen for a later time.

Zucchini Bread:  Zucchini is even good as a specialty bread ingredient. I never thought a vegetable would be good in bread, but zucchini bread is really good. You can’t even taste the zucchini. The taste is sweet and similar to banana bread without the walnuts. Bake a few loaves and freeze them.

Additional Cooking Tips
Zucchini has a very high amount of water in it naturally. Therefore, it doesn’t take long to cook. Letting it sit too long over heat will shrivel it up and doesn’t make it very tasty.

Most people who have a taste for this vegetable may not have any zucchini left over after picking their entire crop from the garden because it is such a healthy veggie and good with so many varieties of dishes.

-------------

Ready to learn more about making dinner easier and getting meals for your family on the table faster? The secret solution is meal planning and you can learn more about it with the free meal planning basics guide.

Find Out How To Cut Your Grocery Budget In Half

Read More

05.34 | 0 comments

Potato

Potatoes were introduced to us by our Mayan brothers about 300 years ago. They were grown for food among other uses. Potatoes are full of starch and carbohydrates to fuel a hard day in the field as it was with the early days of this country.

The Various Types of Potatoes

There is more than one type of potato. We have white potatoes, Russet potatoes, red-skinned potatoes, yellow potatoes, and even blue potatoes. Potatoes are mainly prepared in one of four ways: baked, fried, boiled, or mashed.

Boiled potatoes can be mashed or placed into stews and soups. Fried potatoes are eaten for breakfast in some places and lunch all over. The popular French fries are the way most people prefer their potato even though it is not the healthiest of foods.

Picking the Right Potato

Potatoes grow in the dirt. When choosing a good one, look for any types of spots, blemishes, or nicks. Spots or blemishes indicate that there may be a problem with the potato. Nicks can introduce bacteria and bugs into the flesh of the vegetable.

Potatoes are harvested year round. Be sure to wash them good before eating as dirt can stick to them. A vegetable peeler removes the skin with the least amount of vegetable attached. I’ve sliced a potato with a knife before and cut away half the potato. It wasn’t a pretty sight. You can eat them raw but it’ll taste really gritty.

Potatoes & Carbs

Potatoes are often shunned these days by all the people using diet programs. According to the glycemic index, a way to determine good and bad carbohydrates; potatoes rank high on the list. That means they are not good for the blood sugar. Eating too much starch can fatten you up sooner than you think.

Storing Your Potatoes

Potatoes can be placed in a vegetable bin in your home. But, don’t forget about them. If you do, they will begin to sprout long thin extensions called “eyes.” Potatoes sitting long enough to sprout are going bad. Next they will shrivel up unto they are completely unusable.

Potatoes add weight to your cooking dishes. For instance, a breakfast casserole with potatoes, eggs, and cheese is more filling than a meal with eggs alone. Potatoes that have been cooked or used as an ingredient for another recipe are easier to freeze without any problems.

You may prepare your potato any way you want, but it is still good. They are great additions to any meat dish, soup, or breakfast casserole. A potato provides protein, vitamin C, calcium, and iron.

-------------

Ready to learn more about making dinner easier and getting meals for your family on the table faster? The secret solution is meal planning and you can learn more about it with the free meal planning basics guide.

Find Out How To Cut Your Grocery Budget In Half

Read More

05.47 | 0 comments

Tomato: Fruit or Veggie - It Doesn’t Matter!

The tomato is a popular vegetable. Even though technically it is a fruit because of the seeds, it has been officially classified as a vegetable to avoid confusion with import duties on those coming from other countries. So, whether you’re on the fruit or vegetable side of the fence, one thing remains the same; for those who love tomatoes, it doesn’t matter how you classify it. Instead, the only thing of importance is how you eat tomatoes.

Tomatoes have been around for centuries but only eaten in this country for less than two. People were once afraid of them, thinking they were poisonous. When they overcame that, tomatoes were not just grown to add color to the garden but for consumption.

Where to Find Tomatoes
These red veggies are found at farmer’s markets, grocery stores, farms, and at roadside stands. You can find a tomato almost anywhere if you look. Climates on both coasts of the United States are favorable for growing tomatoes all year round.

In the South, tomatoes are used as a sandwich topper or as the sandwich. I’ve never been much for soggy bread or the things that make them soggy, so I won’t be eating a tomato sandwich any time soon, but I know plenty of people that do especially in the summer when tomatoes are at their peak. They don’t seem to mind that the bread turns to mush as they bite and chew.

Keeping Your Tomatoes Fresh
Tomato consumption has risen mostly due to the sources of use for them. When you purchase fresh vegetables, preparing them as soon as possible keeps them from spoiling and you from wasting money. Tomatoes ripen best on the counter. Putting them in the fridge is a no-no because they won’t ripen and the taste is not as good.

Preserving Tomatoes
If you have more tomatoes than you can eat, there are several ways to preserve them for later use. Speaking of preserves, canning tomatoes is one option. There was a time when all people did in the summer on the farm was can fruits and vegetables for the winter months. You don’t see that much if at all anymore but with the rising price of crude oil, it may be back in fashion real soon.

While you’re at it can some tomato sauce for Italian dishes like spaghetti and lasagna. Tomatoes are great for salads especially the grape, cherry, and Roma tomatoes. The primary dish for tomatoes is salsa. Salsa is great for chips, dip, and as a sauce for chicken and fish.

However you enjoy tomatoes, they are a documented source of antioxidants. They fight the aging process which is great news for us thirty and forty-something folks.

-------------

Ready to learn more about making dinner easier and getting meals for your family on the table faster? The secret solution is meal planning and you can learn more about it with the free meal planning basics guide.

Find Out How To Cut Your Grocery Budget In Half

Read More

05.43 | 0 comments

Onion

They can make you cry if you let them, but they really are not bad. In some settings they can be stinky beyond belief, but are a fine complement to steaks. Onions come in many varieties, some sweet, some tangy, but all are good for the body and good as an ingredient in main dishes.

Just where did onions come from? It is believed to have originated somewhere in the Middle East. Onions come in three colors: white, yellow, and red. Each onion has a papery outer skin that protects the inner softer layers. An onion has several layers that get smaller as you get closer to the middle. It is a veggie that reminds me of a flower. The narcissus is a relative of the onion.

Bulb onions (most varieties) are okay eaten raw. They are thick sliced to be put on burgers and other sandwiches. Onions are also found on tops of salads. Green onions are an ingredient in vegetable dips and on salads. White onions are common in Mexican cuisine. Onions are chopped up for Pico de Gallo and salsa.

Onions can be purchased at all times of the year. If you can’t find them at your local farmer’s market, they can be found in grocery stores who buy onions from other countries. The most useful onion is the red onion. It can be diced up for use in salads like macaroni or pasta salad. This onion can also be grilled and friend.

Onions are cut into chunks and skewered for shish kebabs. They are sautéed with steaks and used in sauces. Yellow onions are caramelized to be used in French onion soup. Some people even dare to eat onions raw like an apple. Sweet Vidalia onions are supposed to be just that good that they can do that.

Onions can be flowered and deep fried to produce the blooming onion so popular in restaurants today. Before the blooming variety became so popular, people ate tons of onion rings.

Besides the tangy taste that onions add to all the dishes they flavor, they are quite good for a person’s health. They are fat and cholesterol free and contain lots of other nutrients that protect against various forms of cancer, high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, and heart disease.

For extra onions you have on hand, store them before they become soft and mushy. Cut them up and blanch them. The onion chunks are frozen on a flat cookie sheet and then placed in a freezer bag or container.

-------------

Ready to learn more about making dinner easier and getting meals for your family on the table faster? The secret solution is meal planning and you can learn more about it with the free meal planning basics guide.

Find Out How To Cut Your Grocery Budget In Half

Read More

12.01 | 0 comments

Green Beans

They can be called pole beans. Green beans grow on a vine and are actually pods with little beans inside them. Green beans are a delicious side dish for any meal. They can be found Italian style, French style, and simply cut.

Where to Find Them
Green beans are sold at farmer’s markets and grocery stores. You just dig right in and grab a handful for your bag. Fresh green beans have a sweeter taste than canned. It could be because of the salt that preserves the beans in the can. All I know, is they taste so much better straight from the garden.

Choosing the Best Green Beans
Look at your beans. Don’t choose ones with spots or that are torn at the ends. The beans should be green and not brown. Sometimes the beans have purple and yellow varieties. Before cooking them, most people snap the ends off and snap them in half if they are too long. Rinsing the beans removes any dirt from them before cooking.

Cooking
It doesn’t take long to cook green beans. They can be steamed in a small amount of water or sautéed in some olive oil. Either way, the beans are bright green, crisp, and sweet. Snap beans can be used in stir fry mixtures as well if you desire. Beans were grown by Native Americans in fields along with the corn. Green beans have been grown in this country ever since.

Fresh green beans have a bright green color when cooked. Their shape should be maintained during cooking. If you cook them too long, they will wilt and not taste very good.

Beans are usually served with some starch and meat for a complete meal. At Christmas time they take center stage in green bean casseroles. It is a popular dish at the holidays.

Green Bean Storage
Fresh vegetables don’t last longer than a couple of weeks at their best. It is a good idea not to buy more than you can use at any one time, but we often do. If you want to store your green beans to be used later blanch them for a few minutes. After the beans have cooled off, store them in freezer bags to be eaten when you feel like it.

Nutritional Information
Green beans are a fat free food that contains vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and protein. They don’t have a lot of carbohydrates which don’t adversely affect the blood sugar. You can eat all you want and still be healthy.

-------------

Ready to learn more about making dinner easier and getting meals for your family on the table faster? The secret solution is meal planning and you can learn more about it with the free meal planning basics guide.

Find Out How To Cut Your Grocery Budget In Half

Read More

11.55 | 0 comments

Shish Kebobs

Do you have kids? They love to eat grilled food, too. A fun and healthy alternative to hamburgers and hot dogs for them is to make shish kebobs. Shish Kebobs are easy to make and healthy for those young and old alike.

Shish kebobs remind me of those scenes in old movies when they are roasting meat over a spit. Unlike that scary unmentionable meat being turned over and over by the cowboys, we will put our favorite meats and veggies on a stick and add some flavor.

Kebobs cook just like that mystery meat in the old days. Whether you are using metal skewers or wooden ones, kebobs can be eaten without utensils making them popular with everyone from the kids who eat them to the moms who have to clean up. Metal skewers may be too hot to touch so if you have little ones, opt for the wooden ones. They are much cheaper and can be thrown out afterwards.

When working with wooden skewers, be careful to soak them in water for at least thirty minutes before putting them on the grill. A skewer that isn’t saturated will burn up on the grill and can cause flare ups.

Now that the safety issues are out of the way, let’s get started with the fun of creating these yummy shish kebobs. There are an infinite number of combinations you can make with your favorite foods. Choose your favorites from lamb, beef, chicken, shrimp, fish, and pork. For your vegetable choices, be sure to use veggies that can stand up to the heat of the grill without getting mushy and falling apart. Some of the more common choices include tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions.

Cut the meat and vegetables into one inch cubes. It is easier to cook them if all the food on the skewer is of similar size. Round veggies like tomatoes don’t have to be cut into square shapes. Just make sure that the size of the tomato is equal to the size of the other food. For more even cooking choose items with similar cooking times for the same skewer. For instance, it won’t take a shrimp or a scallop long to cook on a hot grill, but a chicken or beef square will take longer. A square of zucchini will take longer to cook than a cherry tomato. The zucchini will also hold up to the heat better. If you want a tomato on your skewer consider adding one to each end after the kebob has finished cooking or just a few minutes prior to the meat being cooked through. 

To reduce cooking time for chicken, boil boneless skinless chicken breasts for about twenty minutes before cubing. By parboiling you are helping to avoid cross contamination. It’s also a good idea to include only one type of meat on a skewer. When it comes time to put your shish kebobs together combine the chicken with a variety of complimentary vegetables.

When using raw meat, prepare kebobs the night before and chill them with or without marinade. If you marinade, be sure to drain any excess away before grilling. Let the skewers come to room temperature before placing on the grill to aid in faster, more even cooking.

I love shish kebobs. They can be used as appetizers or the main meal over a bed of rice for kids. Whether snack or main attraction, they are delicious. By mixing up the meats and veggies you can enjoy skewers anytime without getting bored with the same foods.

Read More

05.27 | 0 comments

The Finnish Mental Hospital Trial

This diet trial was conducted between 1959 and 1971 in two psychiatric hospitals near Helsinki, Finland. One hospital served typical fare, including full-fat milk and butter, while the other served "filled milk", margarine and polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Filled milk has had its fat removed and replaced by an emulsion of vegetable oil. As a result, the diet of the patients in the latter hospital was low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and high in polyunsaturated fat compared to the former hospital. At the end of six years, the hospitals switched diets. This is known as a "crossover" design.

The results were originally published in 1972 in the Lancet (ref), and a subset of the data were re-published in 1979 in the International Journal of Epidemiology (ref). They found that during the periods that patients were eating the diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and high in vegetable oil, male participants (but not females) had roughly half the incidence of heart attack deaths. There were no significant differences in total mortality in either men or women. The female data were omitted in the 1979 report.

This study is often cited as support for the idea that saturated fat increases the risk of heart attack. The reason it's cited so often is it's one of a minority of trials that came to that conclusion. The only other controlled trial I'm aware of that replaced animal fat with polyunsaturated vegetable oil (without changing other variables at the same time) and found a statistically significant decrease in cardiovascular deaths was the Los Angeles Veterans' Administration study. However, there was no difference in total mortality, and there were significantly more heavy smokers in the control group. The difference in heart attack deaths in the V.A. trial was 18%, far less than the difference seen in the Finnish trial.

I can cite three controlled trials that came to the opposite conclusion, that switching saturated fat for vegetable oil increases cardiovascular mortality and/or total mortality: the Anti-Coronary Club Trial (4 years), the Rose et al. corn oil trial (2 years), and the Sydney Diet-Heart trial (5 years). Other controlled trials found no difference in total mortality or heart attack mortality from this intervention, including the National Diet-Heart Study (2 years) and the Medical Research Council study (7 years). Thus, the Finnish trial is an outlier whose findings have never been replicated by better-conducted trials.

I have three main bones to pick with the Finnish trial. The first two are pretty bad, but the third is simply fatal to its use as support for the idea that saturated fat contributes to cardiovascular risk:

1) A "crossover" study design is not an appropriate way to study a disease with a long incubation period. How do you know that the heart attacks you're observing came from the present diet and not the one the patients were eating for the six years before that? The Finnish trial was the only trial of its nature ever to use a crossover design.

2) The study wasn't blinded. When one wants to eliminate bias in diagnosis for these types of studies, one designs the study so that the physician doesn't know which group the patients came from. That way he can't influence the results, consciously or unconsciously. Obviously there was no way to blind the physicians in this study, because they knew what the patients in each hospital were eating. I think it's interesting that the only outcome not susceptible to diagnostic bias, total mortality, showed no significant changes in either men or women.

3) The Finnish Mental Hospital trial was not actually a controlled trial. In an editorial in the November 1972 issue of the Lancet, Drs. John Rivers and John Yudkin pointed out, among other things, that the amount of sugar varied by almost 50% between diet periods. In the December 30th issue, the lead author of the study responded:

In view of the design of the experiment the variations in sugar intake were, of course, regrettable. They were due to the fact that, aside from the fatty-acid composition and the cholesterol content of the diets, the hospitals, for practical reasons, had to be granted certain freedom in dietary matters.

In other words, the diets of the two hospitals differed significantly in ways other than their fat composition. Sugar was one difference. Carbohydrate intake varied by as much as 17% and total fat intake by as much as 26% between diet periods (on average, carbohydrate was lower and total fat was higher in the polyunsaturated fat group). The definition of a controlled trial is an experiment in which all variables are kept constant except the one being evaluated. Therefore, the Finnish trial cannot rightfully be called a controlled trial. This places it in the same category as other observational studies, in which variables are not controlled and one can only guess what factors caused the difference in disease incidence. The fact that the result has never been replicated casts further doubt on the study.

I could continue listing other problems with the study, such as the fact that the hospital population included in the analysis had a high turnover rate (variable, but as high as 40%), and patients were included in the analysis even if they were at the hospital for as little as 50% of the time between first admission and final discharge (i.e., they came and went). But what's the use in beating a dead horse?

The Finnish trial is still very useful, however. I use it as a litmus test to determine which papers are solid and which are desperate for data that confirm their biases. Any author who cites the Finnish trial in support of the idea that saturated fat causes heart attacks either isn't familiar with it, or is not objective.

Read More

19.14 | 0 comments

Healthy Homemade Soups on the Go

In this day and age it can be hard to eat healthy. With your busy schedule, especially if you have children, many people find it easier to grab whatever is available and the quickest and deal with the health consequences later. With the following tips for soups on the go you’ll learn how to make sure that the food you grab is of the healthy variety.

The problem with dealing with the consequences of unhealthy eating habits is that later is actually closer than you might think. Later is right now. Sadly, we are a nation of obese adults and just as many, if not more, obese children. Our unhealthy eating choices have caught up with us. You might be asking yourself, “How can I eat healthy when I’m crunched for time already?”

One way is to make foods that can be taken with you on the go.  One of those foods is soup. Soup is tasty, filling, and good for you anytime, but especially on a cold fall or winter day. There are hot soups and believe it or not even cold soups. Many of the warm soups are even good eaten cold or lukewarm.

First, choose your favorite soup. A popular choice of many is the infamous chicken noodle soup. There’s nothing better when you are under the weather than the warm chicken broth soothing your throat. Campbell’s has a wonderful soup in a microwave container perfect for eating on the go, but we are going to make our own soup for an even healthier choice.

The one thing that is best about homemade food is that you know what is and is not in it. Since we are concerned with health, preparing your own soup creations at home is the best way to go. No matter which type of soup you choose to make, be sure to use fresh ingredients. The other items you’ll need are plenty of cups with lids and a blender.

Now it’s time to actually create your time saving soup. A good soup always starts with the stock. For chicken soup, make the broth by boiling the remains of the chicken you had for dinner. Add the herbs and seasonings of your choice and boil until the chicken bones come out clean. Any remaining meat will be included in the broth. Once the broth cools completely, ladle it into air-tight jars or containers for storing.

If you’re more of a beef and vegetable soup lover, you can use commercial canned broths or bouillon cubes for the base of your soup. Season the stock really well and boil before adding any other ingredients. Once the stock is ready, all that is left to do is toss in your favorite veggies.  Again, wait until the soup is completely cooled before pouring into storage or serving containers.

Now, what about that blender?  It’s a bit difficult to eat soup the traditional way while driving and if you are serving to your kids, the combination of a car and soup in a bowl is a disaster waiting to happen.  Here’s where the blender comes into the picture.

Pour some of the soup into the blender and blend until the pieces are small enough for you to swallow without choking. You can even puree the soup completely if you’d prefer. For a thicker texture, add a bit of cream soup. Now, your soup is ready for distributing in your to-go cups.

The ideal cup would be a coffee mug with a lid. These types of cups have a wide opening perfect for drinking soups from. Be sure to prepare enough soup for the entire week. You can take the soup with you while you’re out shopping, working in the garden or to work.  A cup of soup is packed with healthy nutrients and it won’t mess up the car or cramp your busy lifestyle.  The next time you don’t have time to eat, reach for a cup of healthy homemade soup instead of pulling into that fast food drive thru.

Read More

05.07 | 0 comments

Healthy Nutrition

Why Have Healthy Nutrition?
Executive summary by John Gibb

Why have healthy nutrition? The benefits are many. The human body needs various nutrients and minerals to keep it functioning in tip-top shape, and the only way this can be accomplished is by maintaining a healthy diet including vitamins and minerals. These nutrients are necessary to the body for many different reasons; they are crucial for obtaining energy, helping your body grow, and repairing worn out tissues. If your diet lacks certain necessary vitamins, your health may suffer. Therefore, the primary benefits of healthy nutrition are mainly that it keeps your health up.

A sound nutritional schedule is recommended by doctors when a patient is inflicted with any of a number of diseases. Keeping your nutrition up when afflicted with such diseases as cancer or aids can be key to your survival. These are just a few of the benefits of a healthy nutrition.

A Balanced Diet - The Basics of Healthy Nutrition
Executive summary by Asaf Atiya

Basically, food consists of elements that belong to four major classes, three of which are Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats.

Carbohydrates are simple organic compounds, composed of a combination of starches, sugar, and fiber. The best sources of carbohydrates-whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans-promote good health by delivering vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a host of important phytonutrients.

Fiber - When you eat a healthy diet rich in whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits, you usually get most of the fiber you'll need. Fiber helps support a healthy diet by:

Protein - Our bodies need protein to maintain our cells, tissues, and organs. A lack of protein in our diets can result in slow growth, reduced muscle mass, lower immunity, and weaken the heart and respiratory system.
Complete proteins, such as meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, and cheese, provide all of the essential amino acids. Eating a variety of foods will ensure that you get all of the amino acids you need.

Animal protein and vegetable protein probably have the same effects on health. When choosing protein-rich foods, pay attention to what comes along with the protein (the amount of fat, especially saturated). Vegetable sources of protein, such as beans, nuts, and whole grains, are excellent choices, and they offer healthy fiber, vitamins and minerals. The best animal protein choices are fish and poultry

Fats - The type of fat you choose is just as important as how much fat you consume.

The Bad Fats - Saturated and Trans - increase the risk for certain diseases. Saturated fats, primarily found in animal (red meat and whole milk dairy products), raise the bad cholesterol. Choose lean meats, such as skinless poultry, and nonfat or low-fat or nonfat dairy products, as well as fish, and nuts. Tans fats raise bad cholesterol levels and lower good cholesterol. Primary sources of trans fat are certain margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods. Look for trans free foods.

The Good Fats - Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated - actually lower disease risk according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Primary sources of

Monounsaturated fats are plant oils like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil.
Polyunsaturated fats include Omega-3 fatty acids which your body can't make and are found primarily in cold water fatty fish and fish oils, as well as sunflower, corn, soybean, and flax seed oils, and walnuts

healthy nutrition

Read More

18.11 | 0 comments