February Nutrition
Newsletter
Heart Health & Chocolate
February is Heart Health
Month, a time to
consider the things you can
do to improve your heart
health. Women and heart
disease is often
overlooked. Signs,
symptoms, risk factors
should be considered for
both women and men.
Besides the usual promotion
of weight loss, diet and
exercise – let’s see what
specific things can be done
to protect our heart health.
-
Moderate alcohol intake
– there’s no need to
start drinking alcoholic
beverages if you don’t
but moderate intake has
shown to be protective
against cardiovascular
disease. Moderate
consumption is: for
men—two drinks per day,
for women—one drink per
day. If breast cancer
is a risk factor it’s
best to abstain from
alcohol completely.
-
Reduce sodium in the
diet – if you’re overweight cut back
the salt. There’s an
increased incidence of
stroke and heart disease
with those who are
overweight and have a
high sodium diet.
-
Know
your numbers—
Have regular check-ups,
check blood pressure,
cholesterol,
triglyceride and fasting
glucose numbers. High
blood pressure, poor
cholesterol ratios and
diabetes increase the
risk of heart disease.
Early detection is
important for
prevention.
-
Lower cholesterol and
triglyceride levels – If you have
high cholesterol and/or
triglyceride levels you
have greater risk for
heart disease.
Specifically, LDL is the
“bad” cholesterol which
can be lowered with a
high fiber and limited
saturated and trans fat
diet. Use exercise to
raise HDL, the “good”
cholesterol. High sugar
and refined carbohydrate
intake may also raise
triglyceride levels.
-
Manage elevated blood
glucose or diabetes –
Cardiovascular disease
risk is high for those
with elevated glucose
levels or diabetes.
Manage your blood
glucose and lose weight
if you’re overweight.
Dietary habits and
exercise are important
for improving blood
glucose management.
Benefits of Dark Chocolate
Choose dark chocolate for
your Valentine. Dark
chocolate has higher levels
of flavonol antioxidants
which can provide health
benefits for the heart (may
lower blood pressure,
improve cholesterol and
inflammation). Milk
chocolate does not have the
same affect. Don’t overdo
it, chocolate is still high
in sugar and fat. Enjoy a
little bit of high quality,
satisfying dark chocolate.
These companies practice
fair trade and fair labor
standards, and are organic:
Theo’s (a local Seattle
company), Dagoba, Equal
Exchange, Green & Black’s,
Newman’s Own and Rapunzel.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
--------------------------------------
Nutrition in the News
Sugar
in Children’s Cereal
Environmental Working Group
sampled 84 popular
children’s cereals and found
that some contained more
sugar than a Hostess Twinkie
or Chips Ahoy cookies.
Since when has breakfast
become a time for dessert?
Start your kid’s day off
with healthy unsweetened
whole grain cereal with
fruit. Add your own
sweeteners so you can
control how much is used.
Schedule an appointment with
Sheri for help with
selecting healthy breakfast
cereals.
--------------------------------------
Nutrition @ the OAC
Why See a Nutritionist?
Most of us feel like we’ve
been eating all our lives
and know what is considered
healthy nutrition.
Integrating it into our
lifestyle is another story.
Seeing a nutritionist can
help you focus your health
goals and sustain healthy
changes. As for overall
health benefits, some issues
that can be addressed are
fatigue, digestive issues,
emotional health, disease
prevention, cholesterol
levels and blood pressure.
Sheri, the OAC nutritionist
is a Certified Nutritionist
with a master’s degree in
nutrition and 11+ years of
clinical counseling
experience. All full service
consultations include
dietary analysis and meal
plans to meet your calorie
and nutritional needs
FREE 15-minute appointments
available! You may be
covered, most insurance
plans accepted.
Sheri, the
OAC nutritionist is a
Certified Nutritionist with
a master’s degree in
nutrition and 9+ years of
clinical counseling
experience. All full
service consultations
include dietary analysis and
meal plans to meet your
calorie and nutritional
needs.
FREE
15-minute appointments
available!
You may be
covered, most insurance
plans are accepted.
To Schedule
an appointment:
Sign-up at
the front desk or call
206-789-5010.
For More
Information About Nutrition
Appointments at the OAC or
Insurance Coverage:
Call: (206)
789-6440 or Email: info@eatwellbefit.com
or visit on the Web:
www.EatWellBeFit.com
Do you have a
nutrition topic for the
month?
Email your
suggestions to info@eatwellbefit.com
