If you have heart disease or any health condition such as high cholesterol or high triglycerides, you may have started feeling a little apprehensive as you see the holiday season approaching. You are fully aware that plenty of sweets, cookies, pies, cakes and the like are going to be around during the next few weeks and you know that despite the bad press all those goodies have earned over the years, you are going to sink your teeth into them. You also know that when the holidays are over, you’ll feel guilty as all get out for having succumbed to temptation. Not a rosy outlook, indeed!
Relax, don’t panic. Just by taking a couple of preventive steps, you can have your cake and eat it, and by that I mean that you can eat your cakes, pies, cookies, and still protect your arteries. If you are wondering how that’s possible, here is how: watch out for trans fats and stay away from them as much as possible.
What are trans fats? Trans fats are the worst of all fats. Hydrogenated oils or trans fats, as they are usually called, are produced artificially by inserting molecules of hydrogen in vegetable oils, a process called hydrogenation. Through this process, the oil, which is liquid at room temperature, changes it original form and becomes solid. In addition, the new fat ends up with an unnatural chemical structure.
Why do you need to stay away from trans fats?
Trans fats can hurt because: • Through the manufacturing process, the liquid oil becomes solid or saturated; saturated fat can get stuck in your arteries. In addition, eating too much saturated fat may cause your liver to produce more cholesterol than your body needs. • During the hydrogenation process, the original oil ends up with a different chemical structure. The unnatural shapes of trans fats cause our cells to become malformed and to malfunction. And that includes the cells of the heart and arteries. • They raise LDL cholesterol, the “bad” guy. This is the type of cholesterol responsible for clogging the arteries. • They lower HDL cholesterol, the “good” guy. This is the one you need in abundance to clean your arteries. • They damage the lining of the arteries, setting the stage for the formation of plaque. Plaque also clogs your arteries.
So, what products should you stay away from during the holidays to avoid trans fats? You probably have guessed by now. During the holiday season (and this goes also for the rest of the year) you need to pay particular attention to commercial baked goods containing high amounts of fat such as cakes, pies, cookies, croissants, donuts, ice cream and the like.
Does this mean you have to go through the holidays without having a cookie?
No. What you need to do is minimize the potential harm trans fats can cause. How?
By doing the following: • When buying commercial baked goods always read the label. If the label indicates the product has any amount of trans fats don’t buy it. The report issued by the Institute of Medicine in 2002 doesn’t set maximum levels for trans fats, but food authorities believe any amount above zero is a risk. • Check also the ingredients on the label and look for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil. Food manufacturers do not have to list the amount of trans fats if the total fat in the food is less than 0.5 grams per serving. As a safety measure, don’t buy products that list this type of oil as part of the ingredients. • Dust off your favorite recipes for cookies, pies and cakes, and do some baking at home. Choose a recipe that uses butter instead of margarine. In the past we assumed that margarine was better for the heart because it’s produced from vegetable oils and has no cholesterol; however, solid margarine is made from hydrogenated oils and contains large amounts of trans fats. • Email your favorite cookie recipe to those friends and family members who like to show up at your door on Christmas day with commercial baked cookies as a present. They might take the hint.
Conclusion Health authorities are concerned that the consumption of trans fats might have contributed to the 20th century epidemic of coronary heart disease. But if you follow these few guidelines, you will have taken a big step towards the protection of your heart and arteries. And what is even better, you won’t have to deal with a guilty conscience on January the 2nd.
Remember, however, to practice moderation when it comes to amounts and portions; after all, baked goods can be high in calories since they contain large amounts of fat and sugar.
Emilia Klapp has a Bachelor in Nutrition Science and is certified as a Registered Dietitian by the American Dietetic Association. With her book Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet, she has helped many people to prevent high blood pressure and high cholesterol. For more information about the author and the book and to get a list of the 10 Top curative ingredients, go to www.emiliaklapp.com
by Tuula Fai
Marci Shimoff, New York Times bestselling author of Happy for No Reason and Love for No Reason likes to begin her talks with showing a picture of herself at age two. In the photo, she has one hand on her head and a worried look on her face. Shimoff says she was born with “existential angst” and a “deep pain in her heart,” which she tried to fill with food.
At age nineteen Shimoff asked her dad, “What is the secret to life? He said, “Honey, just be happy.” Shimoff asked, “How do I do that?” He thought for a moment and then replied, “Honey, I don’t know.” Her dad didn’t know because he was a naturally happy person. So Shimoff set out to find the answer for herself.
...read more
by Donna Gates with Lyndi Schrecengost
Born in prosperity, harbingers of change, Baby Boomers have made a significant impact on the world. But what will be our final legacy?
It’s been nearly 40 years since the Baby Boomers arrived at Max Yasgur’s 600-acre alfalfa field to attend Woodstock, an outdoor festival that was as much a counterculture “happening” as it was a celebration of music. Area residents didn’t know what to make of these “hippies” in bohemian dress who abandoned their cars and walked for miles to stand before the concert stage. Woodstock’s political provocation, defiance of convention, and back-to-nature innocence would make it one of the defining moments of an entire generation. Now, 78 million strong and approaching retirement, we Baby Boomers are showing few signs of slowing down.
...read more
by Linda M. Potter
I was just notified through my Angry Birds software that I have now accumulated several achievement awards for such notable accomplishments as: smashing 500,000 blocks, busting 1,500 clouds, breaking open 2,000 cages, shredding 300 chocolate boxes, and snow- plowing down 1,500 ice blocks. Wow, I’ve been busy! All in the pursuit of the total annihilation of over 2,000 chubby little cartoon pigs that taunt me with their annoying squeals and rapid-blink eyes. Of course, I’m not really destroying anything — I’m simply assisting the snarly, vengeful birds out to take down the pork industry one little piggy at a time.
...read more
Brent Hunter
“We have the opportunity to build a Rainbow Bridge into the Golden Age. But to do this, we must do it together with all the colors of the rainbow, with all the peoples, all the beings of the world. We who are alive on Earth today are the Rainbow Warriors who face the challenge of building this bridge.” - Brooke Medicine Eagle Daughter of the Rainbow, Crow and Lakota Medicine Woman
During a time of great darkness, the Earth’s waters will be dirty, the air polluted, the land ravaged and filled with warring peoples. During this time of unrest and sadness, a great new wind from the land of the Eastern Sun will blow across the land worldwide.
People of all colors will come together in the spirit of love, compassion, peace, unity, reconciliation and understanding, with respect for the sanctity of all life, the sanctity of nature and the sanctity of the Earth herself.
...read more
by Brent Hunter
All over the world, people are tired of waiting for their government leaders to make the necessary changes that are promised year after year. While we try to remain optimistic about our future, some of us are frustrated, some are understandably angry, and we all hunger for change. Change is at the heart of the Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party Movements in the U.S. and for the Occupy Movement in many other countries.
...read more
by Danny Long An unemployment rate as stubborn as the politicians trying to fix it. Debt as deep as The Waste Land. A global economy as fragile as a geriatric Humpty Dumpty. Say it with me: we’ve got problems. Yet…
...read more
by Katrina Pfannkuch
So, you’re starting off 2012 with a new Smart Phone, fully equipped with must-have applications (apps) like Google Maps, iTunes and Angry Birds. Apps can brighten your day and make life a little easier. Now they can also help you respect the environment!
With technology an ever-growing part of our daily routine, sometimes we forget how it can also simplify our lives by helping us meet important personal goals. If you’ve been meaning to transition to a greener lifestyle but aren’t sure how, try downloading some apps to your mobile phone or laptop for helpful resources on easy, greener ways to manage travel, make purchase decisions and connect to important environmental causes.
...read more
It’s a new year and time for a new list of resolutions! If you’re tired of old “promises” you know you’re not going to keep past January 31, mix things up a bit in 2012 with a few resolutions that will not only make your life cleaner and greener, but give the environment an eco-friendly boost. We asked a few green living experts to help us put together a do-able list. Check out the list and “begin anywhere” for a new year you’ll be proud to call your own.
...read more
by Linda M Potter
In 1952, 22 year old Barbara Marx, the daughter of Marx Toys founder, Louis Marx, accepted an invitation to the White House. There she famously asked President Eisenhower, “What is the meaning of our new power that is good?” It was a question that had weighed heavy on her heart for seven years – the seven years since the bombing of Hiroshima. He didn’t have an answer. She was determined to find one.
...read more
by Beth Buczynski
How many times a week do you take out the trash?
If you recycle your trash or compost your organic waste, you will notice a dramatic decrease in the amount of discarded trash generated by your household.
But achieving zero waste is about more than just recycling and composting.
Zero waste is an eco-conscious concept that involves viewing waste not as useless trash, but as a resource that can create jobs through collection and recycling, open up new financial opportunities for resellers, and most importantly, act as a raw material for the creation of new products.
...read more
© 2012 BellaSpark