There is some new evidence provided by a Yale University study linking walnuts to improved cardiovascular health. The findings show an improvement to the endothelial function in individuals with type II diabetes when study participants consumed a daily serving of 2 ounces of walnuts.

The study also found the addition of walnuts promoted increased fasting serum glucose levels, lower cholesterol levels, and lower LDL cholesterol.

Walnuts provide poly-unsaturated fatty acid omega 3’s, particularly alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). This fatty acid has been linked to many heart health benefits, such as decreased lipoprotein(a), lower triglycerides, and improved heart rhythm.

Here are a few ways to add walnuts to your diet:

• Mix walnuts with dried fruit for a nutritious snack
• Add toasted walnuts to a salad or pasta dish
• Sprinkle chopped walnuts on oatmeal or breakfast cereal

Keep in mind calories and portion control! A 1.5 ounce serving of walnuts provides ~278 calories. There are approximately 20 walnut halves in a 1.5 ounce serving.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps
http://www.lowercholesterolwithlisa.com

A recent study found walnuts linked to improved cardiovascular health due to improved function of the endothelium (inner lining of blood vessels) in those with type II diabetes.

Not only was the walnut addition linked to improved endothelial function, but participants also experienced increased fasting serum glucose levels, reduced LDL cholesterol, and lower total cholesterol.

Back in 2004, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a label claim for walnut packages:

“Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet, and not resulting in increased caloric intake may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.”

One thing to keep in mind when it comes to walnuts (and nuts in general) is calories! Nuts are not low in calories, so you must watch your portion size. Going overboard can lead to weight gain and counteract the heart health benefit of adding walnuts to your daily diet. A 1.5 ounce serving of walnuts provides ~278 calories. There are approximately 20 walnut halves in a 1.5 ounce serving.

Here are a few simple ways to add walnuts to your daily diet:

• Sprinkle chopped walnuts on oatmeal or breakfast cereal
• Mix walnuts with dried fruit for a nutritious snack
• Add toasted walnuts to a salad or pasta dish

Do you eat walnuts regularly?

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps
http://www.lowercholesterolwithlisa.com

Do you need to get in and out of the kitchen fast? Here are 5 tips to speed up meal prep while still delivering a heart healthy meal:

1. Purchase vegetables, such as baby carrots and salad greens, pre-washed and ready-to-eat.
2. Select fruit packaged and pre-sliced.
3. Use the microwave to cook vegetables quickly.
4. Find recipes that require minimal cleaning and preparation of ingredients.
5. Choose meats at the store with low levels of visible marbling (white, fatty streaks) to decrease time spent removing the fat.

If you have a good tip, feel free to share below!

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Health Made Easy
http://www.hearthealthmadeeasy.com

Every February marks American Heart Month. Heart disease is the number on killer of Americans with cardiovascular disease and stroke taking nearly 1 million lives every year. Heart disease is strongly affected by your diet and lifestyle choices. By making some simple, but necessary changes you can drastically decrease your risk by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.

Heart Health Made Easy: Master the Basics to Lower Blood Pressure and Cholesterol for a Longer, Healthier Life – American Heart Month Savings

Purchase Heart Health Made Easy before February 28th and you’ll receive a 25% savings

The program takes you step-by-step to a lower cholesterol and blood pressure with a practical, easy to understand take action guide.

THIS PROGRAM IS RIGHT FOR YOU IF. . .

• You are newly diagnosed with high cholesterol and/or blood pressure and don’t know the next step.
• You want to promote heart health, prevent high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
• You want all the information they need to know in one location.
• You don’t want to search for the answers yourself, but want the information you need easily and quickly accessible.

Learn more at http://hearthealthmadeeasy.com

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD

Did you know heart disease kills a woman nearly every minute in the U.S.?

If heart disease is responsible for so many female deaths why is it still being overlooked not only by women themselves, but by their physicians as well? Heart disease is not only the number one killer of men, but it’s also the number one killer of women.

Here are a few scary statistic:

• 64% of women who diet from heart disease have no previous symptoms
• 1 in 2.6 deaths in women is due to heart disease versus 1 in 30 from breast cancer
• Heart disease kills about half a million women every year

Don’t underestimate your risk for heart disease and the importance of maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. The foods you eat and your level of physical activity both play a role in your heart health.

Be sure to sign-up for the free e-course How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD

THIS MONTH ONLY – When you sign up for a Mini Diet Makeover you’ll not only receive a personalized diet plan outlining the steps you must take to achieve your goals, but you’ll also receive a complimentary copy of The Calorie Counter for Dummies.

Here’s to a fitter and healthier 2010!

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Healthy Tips
http://www.hearthealthwithlisa.com

Are you ready to get answers to your most pressing heart health questions from a nationally known blood pressure expert and director of The Hypertension Institute?

Well, I’ve got great news! Dr. Mark Houston has agreed to answer your questions and I will be interviewing him later this month. I want to ask the questions you want answers to. Post your question as a comment to this post.

Here’s a little background information on Dr. Houston. He’s been practicing medicine since 1974 when he graduated from Vanderbilt Medical School. He went on to complete his medical internship and residency in California. He returned to Vanderbilt University Medical School and from 1978-1990 performed many roles including Medical Director and Associate Professor of Medicine.

Dr. Houston is triple board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Society of Hypertension, and the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. In addition to his medical background he also obtained a masters degree in clinical human nutrition in 2003. In 2008, Dr. Houston was selected by Consumer Research Council as one the TOP PHYSICIANS in the United States. Just this past November and May, 2009, Dr. Houston was selected by USA Today as one of the most Influential Physicians in the U.S. in both hypertension and hyperlipidemia.

Dr. Houston is a consulting reviewer for over 20 major medical journal in the U.S., he’s completed over 70 clinical research studies in hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular disease, and Dr. Houston has published over 150 medical articles in peer-reviewed journals. He speaks nationally and internationally on hypertension and has written three best-selling books – The Handbook of Antihypertensive Therapy, Vascular Biology for the Clinician, and What Your Doctor Does Not Tell You About Hypertension: The Revolutionary Nutrition and Lifestyle Program to Help Fight High Blood Pressure.

The list of Dr. Houston’s accomplishments goes on and on. I’ve covered just some of the highlights of his career above. With all of his research commitments, speaking engagements, etcetera; he still works with patients one-on-one in Nashville, Tennessee, and teaches Vanderbilt medical students, interns, and residents.

This is a great opportunity for you to get your questions answered. When submitting your question, keep in mind Dr. Houston areas of specialty – hypertension (high blood pressure), lipid disorders (cholesterol/blood fats), prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, nutrition, clinical age management and general internal medicine.

Make the most of Dr. Houston’s generous offer to make time in his busy schedule to answer your questions.

Submit your question by posting as a comment below.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Healthy Tips

http://www.hearthealthmadeeasy.com

Flavonoids are a type of antioxidant found in fruits, vegetables, and certain beverages. Flavonoids are a hot topic because of their reported antiviral, anti-allergy, antiplatelet (blood clotting), anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor (cancer), and antioxidants health benefits. Many of the beneficial effects of fruits, vegetables, tea, and red wine are linked to flavonoids versus known nutrients and vitamins.

Antioxidants protect cells against damage caused by free radicals, which lead to oxidative stress and cell damage. Oxidative stress is linked with cancer, aging, atherosclerosis, ischemic injury, inflammation, and neurodegenerative diseases. For example, the oxidation of LDL cholesterol plays a critical role in the development of heart disease.

Flavonoid Sources:

High Flavonoid Content (>50 mg/100 g of food)
Onion, kale, green beans, broccoli, endive, celery, cranberry, orange juice

Medium Flavonoid Content (1-5 mg/100 g of food)
Salad, tomato, bell pepper, strawberry, broad bean, apple, grape, red wine, tea, tomato juice

Low Flavonoid Content (<1 mg/100 g of food)
Cabbage, carrot, mushroom, pea, spinach, peach, white wine, coffee

If you struggle to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables everyday consider supplementing your diet with Juice Plus to boost your daily antioxidant intake.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Healthy Tips

Let’s say you are trying to lower high cholesterol, but resistant to giving up the treats you love. I want to give you some simple tips for modifying recipes and baked goods to make them more heart healthy without sacrificing the taste.

Here is a short table with basic substitutions to reduce fat and calories in some of your favorite foods while maintaining the flavor you enjoy.

Instead of . .                                Substitute. . .
Whole milk                                  1% or fat free milk
Whole egg                                  2 egg whites or egg substitute
Vegetable oil                               Non-stick vegetable oil or canola/olive oil
Butter/Margarine                         Applesauce or fruit puree or vegetable oil
Cream                                          Evaporated Skim Milk

If you’re modifying an old family recipe it will take some trial and error before you find the right balance between healthier substitutions and a quality product. It may work best when baking to replace half the ingredients with a healthier alternative. For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups all-purpose flour instead use 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour.  Also, reduce the amount of fat added to a product. For example, instead of 1 cup of oil try ¾ cups of oil. You may not notice a difference.  Experiment with different options until you get a product you enjoy. 

Fruit Purees

Never baked with fruit purees? Well, here’s a quick lesson on how to use them to make moist baked goods without the artery clogging fat.

The reason fat makes products taste good is because it adds moisture, flavor, and a tender texture to baked goods. Substitution of fruit purees or nonfat dairy products can provide some of the same fat-like characteristics without the actual fat. The type of fruit puree you choose to use will affect the final product. For example, a prune puree provides rich flavor with a moist, tender texture. A prune puree works best in recipes containing chocolate, cinnamon, and orange seasoning. For some recipes it may be best to just replace half the fat. For example, replace 1 cup butter with ½ cup pureed prunes/bananas/applesauce and ½ cup butter instead.  

To receive free heart health and weight loss tips from dietitian Lisa Nelson, subscribe to The Heart of Health and grab your special report “Stop Wasting Money – Take Control of Your Health” today!

1. Reduce your SODIUM intake.

Too much sodium in your diet can contribute to high blood pressure and make your blood pressure treatment less effective. Simply reducing your sodium intake to 2.3 grams (6 g table salt) daily can decrease your blood pressure.

The average American consumes 6-18 grams of table salt daily (about 3 teaspoons). The body only needs 200 mg daily. That is 30 times less than what American’s typically consume.

To be heart healthy, sodium intake should be reduced to less than 2300 mg (1 teaspoon) daily.

Quick tips to cut back on sodium:

• Don’t add salt when boiling water.

• Leave the salt shaker off the table.
• Read food labels to avoid foods high in sodium.
• Avoid foods high in sodium, such as gravies, cheese, and soy sauces.

2. Increase your POTASSIUM intake.

Potassium works to balance out the sodium in your diet. An adequate potassium intake can lower systolic pressure ~4.4 mm Hg and diastolic pressure ~2.5 mm Hg.

Good potassium sources:
Cantaloupe, bananas, dates, nuts, oranges, and green leafy vegetables

Maintaining an adequate intake of potassium is especially important if you are taking diuretics. Some diuretics increase potassium loss via the kidneys.

3. Add more MAGNESIUM to your diet.

Research has shown an inverse relationship between magnesium and blood pressure. In other words, individuals with a high magnesium intake, typically have a low blood pressure.

Good sources of magnesium include:

Peas, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, lima beans, squash, broccoli, spinach, and seafood

Supplemental magnesium of ~500 mg can effectively lower blood pressure. Some studies have found magnesium supplements to reduce systolic blood pressure 2.7 mm Hg and diastolic 3.4 mm Hg. Discuss all supplements with your MD!

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Healthy Tips