In Canada, one person dies every 7 minutes from heart disease or stroke, in the UK this number is one person every 3 minutes; while someone in the US dies every 40 seconds! February is Heart Month, a time to raise awareness of these devastating effects of cardiovascular disease and to highlight that 80% of these cases can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet. But what is the optimal diet for heart health? The evolving research in this field has, over several decades, resulted in contradictory information and confusion, I would say it even sparked widespread fat phobia.
When I first started studying for my nutrition degree in the mid-90’s it was at the height of the low fat frenzy when, in terms of your heart health, fat was public enemy number one. The food industry came to the rescue by filling grocery store shelves with low fat, very low fat, and fat free alternatives; even manufacturing the ‘non-absorbable’ fat ‘Olestra’, which meant that you were finally free to eat that entire extra large packet of chips (that’s if you didn’t mind the side effect of ‘anal leakage’ that came with it!!). During my studies, data was starting to emerge that some fats were beneficial, like monounsaturated fats in nuts and seeds and omega-3 fatty acids in fish. By the time I graduated, the harmful effects of trans fats, the type of fat resulting from the hydrogenation process used to turn ‘healthier’ liquid oils into a solid fat for products like margarine, were known. Now over a decade later it is clear that the effect of trans fats on cardiovascular risk is even worse that the demonized saturated fat and they should be eliminated from our diets pronto! But even when it comes to saturated fat, it appears that not all saturated fat is the same after all. Stearic acid found in meat and dark chocolate and lauric acid in coconut oil may not have any harmful effects, while there is strong evidence that palmitic and myristic acids found in meat, dairy, and processed foods contribute to inflammation, atherosclerosis, and heart disease.
While my inner geek is salivating and finds all this research fascinating, my practical hungry self is yelling “what the #$%^ am I meant to eat?” I am not alone, this confusion was also visible in a recent survey by the Cleveland Clinic which found that many Americans still equate a low-fat diet as being best for the heart, and that saturated fat is more harmful than trans fat. So it was a relief when the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada published it’s new position statement on saturated fat where instead of recommending consuming specific numeric thresholds of the different types of fats and other food groups, it recommended that we ‘go back to basics’ by ‘eating fewer highly processed foods’ and to ‘choose healthy portions’ and to ‘prepare meals at home using natural/whole and minimally processed foods’.
So yes, dietitians may appear to be a fickle bunch due to our continually evolving and growing nutrition knowledge …. But here at last is some sensible, practical advice that I believe will stand the test of time. Re-connect with your kitchen, prepare and eat a varied, balanced diet using FRESH ingredients and your heart (and body) will thank you!
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