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An Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Your Heart |
Feb 15, 2008
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Michelle E. Ginsler, BASc., RD
Nutrition Specialist
Jamieson Laboratories |
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While the month of February is often associated with Valentine’s Day, it is also Heart Month in Canada. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, heart disease is responsible for about one-third of all deaths in this country. While this statistic is alarming, the good news is that heart disease is largely preventable. Lifestyle changes that support a healthy heart include losing weight, managing stress, quitting smoking, increasing activity levels and following a healthy diet that is low in fat and high in fibre.
These are all helpful strategies that can go a long way to reducing your cholesterol levels, lowering your blood pressure and helping you achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. But emerging science is telling us that there are additional ways to address the underlying causes of heart disease rather than just treating the symptoms.
Did you know that chronic (long-term) inflammation is linked to heart disease? Inflammation is your immune system’s normal response to an injury or infection. Most of us are familiar with short-term inflammation, such as the pain or redness you experience on a minor injury. Yet many aspects of our Western lifestyle - smoking, excess weight, and diets high in fat and sugar – all cause a process of chronic inflammation in the heart and blood vessels that does not subside with time.
An anti-inflammatory diet is an effective way to fight the process of inflammation which has been linked to heart disease. Follow these five simple steps to help keep your heart healthy for a lifetime:
1) Include fish in your diet more often
Saturated fats found in red meat, high fat dairy products, eggs and butter promote inflammation in the body and raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels. Replacing these animal fats in the diet with fish can have a number of different health benefits for the heart. Cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna and herring are rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids, known as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These healthy fats help to reduce inflammation, lower triglyceride levels (another “bad” fat in the blood), regulate the heartbeat and reduce blood pressure. Since many of us do not consume the recommended two servings of fish per week, fish oil supplements can provide a rich source of these essential fatty acids lacking in our diets.
A formulation that I like to recommend is Jamieson Omega-3 Heart 1,000 mg because it contains an exclusive blend of two ingredients that have been clinically proven to support heart health - a blend of fish oil and Oleaselect olive pulp extract. The fish oil has been purified to remove all traces of mercury and micro-contaminants. Oleaselect olive pulp extract is derived from an Italian variety of olive (part of the anti-inflammatory Mediterranean diet) that has been clinically shown to reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol oxidation and blood clotting.
2) Drink green tea instead of coffee
Replacing your regular morning cup of coffee with green tea may do wonders for your heart. Green tea contains a heart-healthy antioxidant known as epigallocatechin-galate (EGCG). Antioxidants such as EGCG prevent cell damage caused by harmful substances known as free radicals. These are created in our bodies during metabolism, and also come from smoking, pollution and sun exposure. Free radicals are associated with many inflammatory conditions, including heart disease.
For individuals who do not drink several cups of green tea each day, supplements can provide a measurable, concentrated source of EGCG. Jamieson Green Tea Phytosome® Complex 140 mg is formulated using a caffeine-free extract from green tea leaves that is characterized by high levels of antioxidants, including EGCG. A special soy-based complex greatly improves the bioavailability of green tea’s antioxidant compounds.
3) Boost your intake of fruits and vegetables
Here’s another good reason to get your seven to 10 servings of fruit and vegetables daily.
Various natural compounds in plant foods – including the pigments that impart deep red, orange, yellow and green colours to fruits and vegetables - have powerful antioxidant properties that protect your heart by reducing free-radical induced inflammation. In addition, fruits and vegetables are rich sources of dietary fibre. Not only has fibre been shown to reduce inflammation in the body, but soluble fibre (the type found in citrus fruits, berries and apples) is beneficial for lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Here are some tips to sneak more fruits and vegetables into your diet: Enjoy a fruit smoothie for breakfast; top off your sandwiches at lunch with some tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce; have a piece of fruit instead of a glass of juice with a meal; and keep bagged lettuce, fresh pre-cut or frozen and canned fruit and vegetables on hand for quick use in soups, stir-fries, pastas, omelets and healthy desserts.
For additional heart-healthy antioxidant benefits, try Jamieson PomActivTM Pomegranate Extract. Pomegranate juice is a natural source of ellagic acid, an antioxidant that helps to prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. This unique product is standardized to 70% ellagic acid, the highest potency currently available on the market. Each capsule is equivalent to three glasses of pomegranate juice without the sugar or calories.
4) Swap sugar and white flour for whole grains
Processed and refined grains (white flour products) and sugary foods are pro-inflammatory and therefore not the best dietary choices to include on a heart-healthy diet. Unfortunately, most of these white flour “culprits” are products that many of us keep stocked up at home, such as white bread, rice, pasta, cereal and crackers. The healthier alternative is to replace these products with their whole grain counterparts, such as whole grain pasta, brown rice and whole grain bread, which have greater protective effects on the heart and the added benefit of fibre.
5) Add “healthy” fats to your diet
Adding the right types of fat to your diet can also protect your heart. Avoid consuming trans fat (found in some margarines, baked goods and fried foods) and certain vegetable oils such as corn oil and safflower oil, which influence the production of pro-inflammatory compounds in the body. On the other hand, foods such as almonds, walnuts, avocado, extra virgin olive oil, canola oil and flax seeds are rich in healthy fats that suppress the process of inflammation.
Almonds, walnuts and avocadoes have the added benefit of being rich in another heart-healthy compound - vitamin E. This natural antioxidant supports a healthy heart by reducing inflammation and preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Other dietary sources of vitamin E include wheat germ, green leafy vegetables, peanuts and soybeans. If you choose to supplement, look for a product that contains natural source vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol) rather than the synthetic version (dl-alpha tocopherol), because it is more bioavailable. I recommend taking a formula with added mixed tocopherols (d-gamma, d-delta and d-beta) such as Jamieson Balanced Vitamin E Complex 400 IU, which may offer more protection than alpha-tocopherol alone.
An anti-inflammatory diet is one of the best defenses against heart disease. Choose fish more often than red meat and other animal products, limit your intake of refined white flour products and sugary foods and increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats. In addition, remember there are other important lifestyle changes that play a key role in supporting a healthy heart – get plenty of exercise, avoid smoking, manage stress and achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. All of these strategies can help protect your heart for a lifetime.
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