Things to Consider About Nutrition and Your Diet (Pt. 2 of 2)

And now … Here’s the rest of the story.

6. How do artificial sweeteners affect my diet?

Rats can’t read labels, but we can. Take that extra step of reading labels, or asking how many calories are in there. That may be enough to compensate for all the sweet calories.

7. What food sources will help me maintain a healthy heart?

A heart healthy diet is very important for cardiovascular health. In fact, just eating a good diet can lead to lower blood pressure and can help lower your risk for heart disease. The best foods to eat for your heart are antioxidant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy products, and legumes.

Eating foods that are nutrient rich means foods that aren’t necessarily high in calories, but have excellent sources of nutrients.It is also important to avoid certain foods. Especially ones that are high in trans or saturated fats. These clog the arteries.

8. Why is protein important for my diet?

Protein actually consists of smaller units called amino acids, which link together in a variety of differing combinations to perform differing functions. Some amino acid chains are created by the body, but some - essential amino acids - must come from outside the body from food. Although all animal and plant cells contain some protein, the amount and the quality of the protein varies considerably.

Protein may come in many forms, but the better type of protein is low in saturated fat. Good protein choices include: fish, lean beef, lean ham, egg whites, whole eggs, chicken breast, turkey breast, pulses, beans, nuts, seeds, soy products and vegetarian protein foods such as quorn and seitan.

Assuming you choose nutritious protein, low in saturated fat, you can eat anything between 10 and 20 percent of your calories in the form of protein, although according to government guidelines you should not eat less than 45g of protein (adult females) or 55.5g (adult males).

9. Does a glass of wine a day really keep you healthy?

Red wine is a good source of resveratrol, which according to the JAMA, has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antithrobatic propeties (prevents blood clots from being formed within blood vessels in the heart).

Resveratrol is found in phytoalexins “any of a class of plant compounds that accumulate at the site of invading microorganisms and confer resistance to disease” (Random House Dictionary). It is also one reason that the medical profession believes people in France have lower cardiac problems, despite eating a lot of rich and fatty foods.

10. What’s better for you, butter or margarine?

Margarine usually tops butter when it comes to heart health. Margarine is made from vegetable oils, so it contains no cholesterol. Margarine is also higher in “good” fats — polyunsaturated and monounsaturated — than butter is. These types of fat help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad,” cholesterol, when substituted for saturated fat. Butter, on the other hand, is made from animal fat, so it contains cholesterol and high levels of saturated fat. But not all margarines are created equal — and some may even be worse than butter.

Most margarines are processed using a method called hydrogenation, which results in unhealthy trans fats. In general, the more solid the margarine, the more trans fats it contains — so stick margarines usually have more trans fats than do tub margarines. Like saturated fats, trans fats increase blood cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. In addition, trans fats can lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cholesterol levels.

When selecting a margarine, choose one with the lowest trans fat content possible and less than 2 grams total of saturated plus trans fats. Manufacturers are required to list saturated and trans fats separately on food labels. Also, margarines fortified with plant sterols can help reduce LDL cholesterol levels by more than 10 percent. The amount of daily plant sterols needed for results is at least 2 grams.

The American Heart Association recommends foods fortified with plant sterols for people with levels of LDL cholesterol over 160 milligrams per deciliter (4.1 mmol/L).

However, if you don’t like the taste of margarine and don’t want to give up butter completely, consider using whipped butter or light or reduced-calorie butter. There are also spreadable butters with vegetable oils added. Per serving, these products have less fat and calories than regular butter.

The important thing is to use these products in small amounts — just enough to add flavor to the foods you’re eating.