Heart Healthy Basics

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Heart Healthy Basics

• Caroline Bohl MS, RD, CDE

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The Food Label
How big is a serving ???
Calories per serving
Total Fat ANDType of fat
Salt Sodium
Dietary Fiber
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Sodium

• Salt Sodium
• A food with greater than 300 mg/serving is
  considered a HIGH sodium food
• GOAL 2400-3000 mg/day

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Fat

• Look at TOTAL fat grams, BUT
• More importantly, look at what TYPE of fat is in
  the item
• Saturated Fat
• Unsaturated Fat
• Trans Fat

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Saturated Fats

• Mainly from ANIMAL products
• Raises bad cholesterol

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Trans Fats

• Now on food labels (new in 2006)
• Potentially as harmful as saturated fats

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Unsaturated Fats

• Good fats
• Will not raise bad cholesterol
• May raise good cholesterol

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Dietary Fiber

• May lower cholesterol and blood sugar
• Keeps you fuller, longer

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Metabolic Syndrome

• Abdominal obesity
• Blood fat disorders  high triglycerides, low HDL
  cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol
• Elevated blood pressure
• Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance (the
  body cant properly use insulin or blood sugar)
• Prothrombotic state (e.g., high fibrinogen or
  plasminogen activator inhibitor1 in the blood)
• Proinflammatory state (e.g., elevated C-reactive
  protein in the blood)