Effects of Nutrition

Over the past several decades it has become clear that what we eat dictates our overall health. Nutrition plays a major role in the development and progression of heart disease, which remains the leading cause of death in the United States.

The following simple guidelines are recommended:

1. Choose low-fat and reduced fat products.
2. Use lean meats.
3. Use skim milk and cheese products.
4. Enjoy low-fat breads, cereals and pastas.
5. Read and understand labels.
6. Incorporate meatless meals several times per week by substituting grains and legumes.
7. Total fat should not be more than 30 percent of daily calories; saturated fat should be less than 10 percent of calories, and monounsaturated fat should be 15-20 percent of calories.
8. Carbohydrates should make up 50-60 percent of the diet, with emphasis on complex carbohydrates.
9. Calories should be adjusted to maintain desirable body weight.
10. Sodium intake should be restricted to 3000 milligrams per day or less.
11. Drink at least 6 8-ounce glasses of water per day if fluids are not restricted.

Many recipes may be modified by altering the amount and type of fat, sugar and salt also by choosing to bake, broil, roast or grill.

Following are food guidelines for low-cholesterol, low-triglyceride diets.

Foods To Use   Click here for Foods to Avoid >>

MEATS, FISH Choose lean meats (chicken, turkey, veal, and nonfatty cuts of beef with excess fat trimmed; one serving = 3 oz of cooked meat). Also, fresh or frozen fish, canned fish packed in water, and shellfish (lobster, crabs, shrimp, oysters). Limit use to no more than one serving of one of these per week. Shellfish are high in cholesterol but low in saturated fat and should be used sparingly. Meats and fish should be broiled (pan or oven) or baked on a rack.

EGGS Egg substitutes and egg white (use freely). Egg yolks (limit two per week).

FRUITS Eat three servings of fresh fruit per day (1 serving = ½ cup). Be sure to have at least one citrus fruit daily. Frozen or canned fruit with no sugar or syrup added may be used.

VEGETABLES Most vegetables are not limited (see reverse side). One dark-green (string beans, escarole) or one deep-yellow (squash) vegetable is recommended daily. Cauliflower, broccoli, and celery, as well as potato skins, are recommended for their fiber content. (Fiber is associated with cholesterol reduction). It is preferable to steam vegetables, but they may be boiled, strained, or braised with polyunsaturated vegetable oil (see below).

BEANS Dried peas or beans (1 serving = ½ cup) may be used as a bread substitute.

NUTS Almonds, walnuts, and peanuts may be used sparingly (1 serving = 1 tablespoonful). Use pumpkin, sesame, or sunflower seeds.

BREADS, GRAINS One roll or one slice of whole-grain or enriched bread may be used, or three soda crackers or four pieces of melba toast as a substitute. Spaghetti, rice, or noodles (1/2 cup) or ½ large ear of corn may be used as a bread substitute. In preparing these foods, do not use butter or shortening, use soft margarine. Also use egg and sugar substitutes. Choose high-fiber grains, such as oats and whole wheat.

CEREALS Use ½ cup of hot cereal or ¾ cup of cold cereal per day. Add a sugar substitute if desired, with 99% fat-free or skim milk.

MILK PRODUCTS Always use 99% fat-free or skim milk, dairy products such as low-fat cheeses (farmer's, uncreamed diet cottage), low-fat yogurt, and powdered skim milk.

FATS, OILS Use soft (not stick) margarine; vegetable oils that are high in polyunsaturated fats (such as safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn, and cottonseed). Always refrigerate meat drippings to harden the fat and remove it before preparing gravies.

DESSERTS, SNACKS Limit to two servings per day; substitute each serving for a bread/cereal serving: ice milk, water sherbet (1/4 cup); unflavored gelatin or gelatin flavored with sugar substitute (1/3 cup); pudding prepared with skim milk (1/2 cup); egg white soufflés; unbuttered popcorn (1 ½ cups). Substitute carob for chocolate.

BEVERAGES Fresh fruit juices (limit 4 oz per day); black coffee, plain or herbal teas; soft drinks with sugar substitutes; club soda, preferably salt-free; cocoa made with skim milk or nonfat dried milk and water (sugar substitute added if desired); clear broth. Alcohol: limit two servings per day.

MISCELLANEOUS You may use the following freely: vinegar, spices, herbs, nonfat bouillon, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, flavoring essence.

Foods To Avoid

MEATS, FISH Marbled beef, pork, bacon, sausage, and other pork products; fatty fowl (duck, goose); skin and fat of turkey and chicken; processed meats; luncheon meats (salami, bologna); frankfurters and fast-food hamburgers (they're loaded with fat); organ meats (kidneys, liver); canned fish packed in oil.

EGGS Limit egg yolks to two per week.

FRUITS Coconuts (rich in saturated fats).

VEGETABLES Avoid avocados. Starchy vegetables (potatoes, corn, lima beans, dried peas, beans) may be used only if substitutes for a serving of bread or cereal. (Baked potato skin, however, is desirable for its fiber content).

BEANS Commercial baked beans with sugar and / or pork added.

NUTS Avoid nuts. Limit peanuts and walnuts to one tablespoonful per day.

BREADS, GRAINS Any baked goods with shortening and / or sugar. Commercial mixes with dried eggs and whole milk. Avoid sweet rolls, doughnuts, breakfast pastries (Danish), and sweetened packaged cereals (the added sugar converts readily to triglycerides).

MILK PRODUCTS Whole milk and whole milk packaged goods; cream; ice cream; whole-milk puddings, yogurt, or cheeses; nondairy cream substitutes.

FATS, OILS Butter, lard, animal fats, bacon drippings, gravies, cream sauces, as well as palm and coconut oils. All these are high in saturated fats. Examine labels on "cholesterol-free" products for "hydrogenated fats". (These are oils that have been hardened into solids and in the process have become saturated).

DESSERTS, SNACKS Fried snack foods like potato chips; chocolate; candies in general; jams, jellies, syrups; whole-milk puddings; ice cream and milk sherbets; hydrogenated peanut butter.

BEVERAGES Sugared fruit juices and soft drinks; cocoa made with whole milk and / or sugar. When using alcohol (1 oz liquor, 5 oz beer, or 2 ½ oz dry table wine per serving), one serving must be substituted for one bread or cereal serving (limit, two servings of alcohol per day).

SPECIAL NOTES

1. Remember that even nonlimited foods should be used in moderation.
2. While on a cholesterol-lowering diet, be sure to avoid animal fats and marbled meats.
3. While on a triglyceride-lowering diet, be sure to avoid sweets and to control the amount of carbohydrates you eat (starchy foods such as flower, bread, potatoes).
4. Buy a good low-fat cookbook, such as the one published by the American Heart Association.
5. Consult your physician if you have any questions.