Q I have a very strong history of heart disease in my family. Both my mother and grandmother died from this disease at an early age. I am a woman in my 40s and know that I have some major changes to make in my diet to reduce my risk so that I can see my children grow up. I don't know where to start. Can you provide me with some suggestions?
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Mary Alice Gettings and Cindy Javor are registered dietitians for Penn State Cooperative Extension. Their column appears every other Thursday in PG Food. If you have a question about nutrition or food safety, call 724-774-3003 in Beaver County or 412-473-2540 in Allegheny County. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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A First of all, we are glad to hear that you are ready to make changes. That's half the battle. Second, you need to make small changes in your lifestyle to increase the chances that the changes will be permanent. Making many drastic changes in a short amount of time usually does not result in long-term success.
While it may sound simple, one of the first things you can do to educate yourself about food is to read the Nutrition Facts on the food label. This is the first step in trying to control the calories, sugar, fat and sodium in your diet. It is surprising the number of people who don't completely understand the numbers on the Nutrition Facts.
The first piece of information you should look at is the serving size. Some containers hold only one serving while others include multiple servings. The label will state the serving size of the food and how many servings are in the container. The numbers on the Nutrition Facts refer to one serving of the food. If there are two servings of food in the container and you eat all that is in this container, you would have to double the numbers on the Nutrition Facts.
Proper portion size is one of the keys to healthful eating. Some people eat many healthful foods but eat too much of a good thing. When you first start paying attention to portion sizes, you should weigh and measure foods to determine, for example, what actually is a half cup of cereal, potatoes or rice. You may see why the weight has been creeping up over the years. What you thought was a half cup may very likely be more than one cup. After you have weighed and measured a few times, your eye will become a good judge of portion sizes.
As for the other numbers on the label, calories are a concern if you are trying to lose weight. Excess calories contribute to fat storage. If you are looking to reduce your fat intake, a "low-fat" food is one that contains less than three grams of fat per serving. Remember that fat is necessary in your diet, so a no-fat diet is not appropriate. Research has shown that some people do well reducing their risk of heart disease with a fat level a bit higher than what has been suggested in the past. But the fat that they do consume is lower in saturated fat and higher in monounsaturated fat. To find a food that is low in saturated fat, look on the label for less than one gram per serving. Another way to determine if there is saturated fat in a product is to look at the ingredient listing. While it is close to impossible to avoid foods with "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" fats, do try to limit and seek out similar items without this type of fat. If you are looking for lower-fat meat, extra/super lean meat contains less than 5 grams of fat per serving.
There has been some controversy over sodium and its relationship to heart disease. While a low- sodium diet may be beneficial to help reduce high blood pressure, it does so in conjunction with a diet high in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. A low-sodium food is one that contains less than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving.
Carbohydrate has been in the news a great deal. Just remember, the amount of carbohydrate listed on the label includes complex carbohydrate, like starch, as well as naturally occurring sugar and any sugar that is added. Under carbohydrate, you will likely see sugar listed. This includes the naturally occurring and added sugar. Four grams of sugar is equal to one teaspoon.
When looking for high-fiber foods, check out the ingredient listing. The first ingredient should be "whole wheat" or "whole grain." Don't be tricked by a light brown bread with the first ingredient as wheat flour -- this is likely white bread with caramel coloring.
Reading labels will help you to become more educated about what you are placing in your mouth. For more information on label reading, contact your local Penn State Cooperative Extension office for a variety of brochures on Nutrition Facts. These can also be accessed via the Web at http://pubs.cas.psu.-edu/nutrition.html (publication numbers UK026 through UK030).
For more information on women and heart disease, contact Working Hearts of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation at www.working-hearts.org or 412-594-2583. Working Hearts is a Pittsburgh-based grass-roots women's health movement that promotes the message Strong Women = Strong Hearts. Its coalition, representing more than one-quarter million women, is a catalyst for action, information and resources. Working Hearts maximizes the power of women to improve their heart health through nutrition, physical activity, screenings and stress management. More than 50 organizations, representing 200,000 women, launched Working Hearts in February 2002 during Heart Month and Valentine's Day.
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