Every day I spend time wondering why huge companies like Nabisco don't stop using trans-fats. What I didn't realize was that many big corporations ARE doing the right thing, and there are even entire towns that have gone trans-fat free.
Check it out HERE.
Cliff weighs 220 today; I'm 146.5. I expect Cliff to be 219 in a couple of weeks. I, on the other hand, will probably just maintain my present weight.
I notice that since I'm eating an ounce of nuts every day, my fat intake is more than recommended (the experts say no more than 30% of your calories should come from fat). I'm assuming, though, that since nuts contain good fats, that I'm OK eating them... as long as I maintain my weight. The health benefits of nuts, especially almonds and walnuts, are amazing. Click here to read about how good nuts are for you.
I found the following piece HERE.
Virgin Olive Oil Best For Heart Health
Sep 5, 2006
(WebMD) All olive oils may not be created equal when it comes to protecting against heart disease.
A new study shows virgin olive oil, which contains more antioxidants than more refined olive oil, may offer better protection against heart disease.
Virgin olive oil is made from the first pressing of olives and contains higher levels of a class of antioxidants known as polyphenols than more refined olive oils that come from later pressings.
Researchers say these polyphenols may provide another way to reduce the risk of heart disease in addition to the heart-healthy benefits attributed to the monounsaturated fatty acids found in olive oil.
Recent studies have suggested that the bulk of olive oil's heart-healthy benefits comes from good fatty acids (monounsaturated fatty acids), but researchers say polyphenols may also contribute to those benefits and further reduce the risk of heart disease.
In the study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers compared the effects of consuming olive oils with varying levels of polyphenols on heart disease risk factors in 200 healthy European men.
The men were divided into three groups and ate about 1 tablespoon of either virgin olive oil, refined olive oil, or a mixture of the two, every day for three weeks. Then, after a two-week hiatus, they were retested with one of the other types of olive oil.
Researchers found that the virgin olive oil higher in polyphenols increased the level of good, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol more than the other two types of olive oil.
Virgin olive oil also produced another healthy antioxidant effect: It increased the level of substances in the body that prevent the oxidation of bad, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Oxidation of this type of cholesterol is linked to the formation of clots in blood vessels, which could lead to heart attack or stroke.
Researcher Maria-Isabel Covas, Msc, Ph.D., of the Municipal Institute for Medical Research in Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues say the results show "olive oil is more than a monounsaturated fat.
"The polyphenol content of an olive oil can account for further benefits on HDL cholesterol levels and oxidative damage, in addition to those from its monounsaturated fatty acid content," they write. "Our study provides evidence to recommend the use of polyphenol-rich olive oil, that is, virgin olive oil, as a source of fat to achieve additional benefits against cardiovascular risk factors."
More studies are needed to examine virgin olive oil versus more refined oil and the risk for developing heart disease.
SOURCES: Covas, M. Annals of Internal Medicine, Sept. 5, 2006; Vol. 145: pp. 333-341. News release, American College of Physicians.
I weighed 147 this morning, and Cliff weighed 220 and 1/2. He is so anxious to get under that 220 mark, and I know he'll make it eventually.
I read some new things about cholesterol today:
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Preventing heart attacks and strokes aren't the only reasons to limit cholesterol in your diet. Now scientists say dementia and prostate cancer - two common diseases associated with advancing age - may be linked to uncontrolled cholesterol.
The good news is that cholesterol intake - and the lifestyle factors that lead to high cholesterol - can be controlled. Cholesterol is a fat-like substance primarily produced in the liver but also absorbed into the blood when you eat animal products like meats, eggs and dairy. Too much cholesterol in the diet can lead to a buildup of plaque in the arteries and increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. Swedish researchers have found that people with healthier lifestyles - who were physically active, had normal blood pressure levels and controlled their cholesterol intake - were less likely to develop dementia. A disease that typically affects older people, dementia is the loss of mental abilities severe enough to interfere with normal daily activities. The two most common types are Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. The scientists found that people with lower cholesterol levels and more active lifestyles enjoyed lower rates of all forms of dementia. Researchers in Italy also report that prostate cancer - the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men - was more likely to develop in older men who also had high cholesterol levels. Men over age 65 had an 80 percent greater likelihood of having high cholesterol. Previous studies have found that men with high cholesterol levels, especially if they were detected before age 50, appeared to have a higher risk of prostate cancer. The same study found a smaller link between gallstones and prostate cancer. Gallstones are solid deposits that form in the gallbladder or bile ducts when substances in bile, such as cholesterol, crystallize. The study found it may be possible that lowering cholesterol through medication and diet may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Although more studies are necessary to identify and confirm cholesterol's role in dementia and prostate cancer, it is becoming clear that controlling cholesterol - along with healthy lifestyle habits (diet and daily exercise) - may be key to preventing many diseases and conditions.
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Cliff and I weighed in yesterday at 220.5 and 145.5.
We ate out a couple of times last weekend, once at a buffet at Golden Corral; we both know we need to avoid all-you-can-eat situations, but we sometimes serve as enablers for one another, and this was one of those times. So when we returned home, Cliff was three pounds heavier. This seems to happen every time we eat out too much, and I'd love to know if it's the salt, or just the over-eating. Or a touch of congestive heart failure? Anyhow, given three days, the added weight is always gone. The trouble is, the food on that buffet wasn't even all that great!
Cliff says he can feel himself getting stronger from his workouts at the gym at his workplace. I've been walking twice a day, most days, so I can take in 150 more calories a day.
I do believe the doctor has hit on exactly the right blood pressure meds for Cliff (Lopressor 50 mg, twice a day), because his BP stays around 120 over 60 all the time. I don't know if it's because of our using less salt, the added exercise, or my weight loss, but my own blood pressure stays in the same range as Cliff's now; it had been creeping up around 140/80 for some time. So perhaps it will be a long time before I have to worry about blood pressure problems.
