Are you eating the one thing that increases a woman’s risk of stroke?
A new study has found that a diet high in fat (specifically trans-fat) increases a woman’s risk of stroke. We already know that high fat diets increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers – just to name a few. But this new study looked specifically at women, and found that women who ate the most trans fat had a 30 percent greater risk for stroke.
This new research emphasizes the dangers of not just trans-fats, but the trans-fats in cookies, cakes, and pastries — Sad news for anyone (me) who may have been in San Francisco and found out how yummy a gourmet cupcake can be.
After taking into account other factors that affect stroke risk — weight, race, smoking, exercise and use of alcohol, aspirin or hormone pills — researchers concluded that women who ate the most fat had a 44% greater risk of stroke.
They also found a 30% greater risk of stroke among women eating the most trans fat, which is common in stick margarine, fried foods, crackers and cookies.
According to the Harvard epidemiologists and nutritionists, each year an estimated 100,000 deaths from heart disease in the United States are associated with trans fat intake. Federal health statistics show that, on average, American women in their 50s and 60s consume between 63 and 68 grams of fat on a daily basis. The American Heart Association strongly recommends that the intake of fat is limited to less than 25 to 35 per cent of total calories, and the intake of trans fat to less than 1 per cent. The healthiest fats come from nuts, seeds, fish and vegetable oils.
So…What does this new study mean for you and me?
I think it’s just another reminder of why we should all be trying our best to eat healthy for life (not just weight loss). It certainly seems that all the evidence points to a need for healthier food choices. And you don’t need to turn into a health nut to do that. Simply be aware of the unhealthy foods you are eating, and begin to replace some of them with healthier food choices.
When it comes to fat in our diets, all fats are not created equal. And it’s the trans-fats that have the most harmful affects on our health. Here is why…
Trans fats, also known as hydrogenated fats. Trans fats are created during a hydrogenation process, where liquid vegetable oils are converted into solid fats. Trans fats are thought to be worse for us than saturated fats because they not only raise total and LDL (bad) cholesterol, they also lower HDL (good) cholesterol.
Be aware of the unhealthy foods you are consuming. Here are some of the foods you should be trying to avoid because they are high in trans-fat…
Commercially packaged snacks, cakes and cookies
Packaged cake mixes
Fried and fast foods
Donuts
Margarine
Do you know how much fat you consume in the average day? Try keeping track of your fat intake for one day. You might be surprised at the amount of fat you are actually eating in the course of a day.
It’s now a law that the amount of trans-fat must be on the nutrition label, so don’t buy it without checking it.
What do you think? Are you worried about your personal risk of stroke and heart disease because of the amount of trans-fat in your diet? Are you willing to make changes in your diet to lower your risks of serious health problems? Let us know in comments.
Here are other posts you might find helpful if you are looking to make healthier food choices…
By now most of us have heard that there are many health benefits to red wine and dark chocolate. But what is it about these two (seemingly not so healthy) foods that make them good for us? And…Is it possible to get too much of a good thing?
In this post we’ll take a look at these two foods and their surprising health benefits.
Let’s start with my personal favorite – dark chocolate.
Today you can buy just about every type of chocolate candy (from M&Ms to Kit-Kats) in dark chocolate. But, it’s not just any chocolate that’s good for you…It must be dark chocolate with a high percentage (70%) of cocoa, to get more of the health-enhancing antioxidants.
Would you be willing to make changes in your lifestyle to reduce your chances of heart disease? — cross-posted to BlogHer Health & Wellness
February is National Heart Health Month…During this month we try to bring awareness to the symptoms and prevention of heart disease. Although many forms of heart disease are preventable, it continues to be the leading cause of death in women. According to the American Heart Association, each year nearly half a million women die of heart disease.
The biggest factors that contribute to heart disease are smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, family history and age. Even though you can’t do much about your family history or your age, you can make lifestyle changes to avoid many of the other risk factors. Here is a list of what doctors recommend:
I came across a pretty disturbing article today…It suggests that doctors are bias against overweight women, to the extent of jeopardizing their health and well-being. It’s no secret that overweight people are discriminated against in many ways. But recent studies have found that overweight women are actually being discriminated by their own doctors and health care professionals. With two out of every three Americans considered to be overweight or obese, this bias could be putting many people at risk. Could you be one of them?
How I Plan To Lower My Blood Pressure In 2010 – cross posted at BlogHer.com
My last post was asking the question – Are you healthier than you were 10 years ago? [If you didn't already, go over and let me know by taking the poll at the bottom of the post]. Today’s post is about how I plan to get healthier (and reduce my blood pressure) in the next year.
My New Year’s resolution is about doing everything I can do to have more birthdays. At the moment the one thing that could keep me from doing that, is my blood pressure. I’ve had blood pressure and heart rate problems since my twenties, but now in my forties, I know I’m at a much greater risk for having a heart attack or stroke. So this year I plan on taking specific steps to hopefully lower my blood pressure. Like Morra Arrons-Mele, I would like to make these changes holistically. I’m still planning to take my medications, but even on medication my blood pressure is still not controlled.
Here are the steps I plan to take in 2010…
1. Continue to eat healthy, but kick it up a notch.
2. Reduce stress by using meditation and Reiki on a regular basis.
3. Get the Wii Fit and begin doing light exercising and yoga.
I’ll keep track of my progress by documenting my blood pressure and the days I’ve used any of the above steps.
Well, that’s my “more birthdays list.” I hope you’ll join me at the American Cancer Society’s Official Birthday Blog, by sharing a list of your own.
Here are some tips for making and promoting your Bday List and supporting the American Cancer Society’s More Birthdays campaign…
1. Create a list of things (could be one thing or many) you plan to do to stay healthy in 2010 and/or to help create more birthdays. This is your “my more birthdays list.”
2. Share your list on Facebook and/or Twitter (using the #mybdaylist hashtag). These could be anything from losing 5 pounds or eating more vegetables to training for a 10K or half-marathon.
3. Tweet and/or post messages on Facebook about the progress you’re making on your more birthdays list throughout the year. This will help you get support, tips, and encouragement from others who are trying to accomplish their more birthdays lists.
When I first saw this, I honestly thought it was a joke.
(CBS) Kellogg, the nation’s largest cereal maker, is making new, controversial claims that its Krispies cereals can help boost kids’ immune systems.
Does fortifying junk food with a couple of vitamins make it healthy? No, of course not. Processed foods and foods high in sugar are not healthy. Period.
So why would Kellogg’s think that by adding a few vitamins to its kid cereals, that they could then call them healthy? Let me take a guess – $$$$$$$$$$. Isn’t it interesting how they are making these claims about “boosting your families immunity” at a time when most mothers are fearful of the H1N1 virus? Coincidence? Or just super good marketing strategy?
The truth is…Sugar (and many of the other ingredients in these cereals) actually weaken the immune system, so claims of boosting immunity are totally bogus. Shame on you Kellogg’s – You are clearly taking advantage of this swine flu crisis to increase your bottom line.
What do you think about this? Let me know in comments.
Diet and exercise are important for good health, but did you know laughter is too? If you want to be as healthy as you can be, than laughter needs to be part of your healthy living regimen. Is it?
Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases infection fighting antibodies. It increases our attentiveness, heart rate, and pulse.
People who laugh heartily on a regular basis have lower standing blood pressure than the average person. When people have a good laugh, initially the blood pressure increases, but then it decreases to levels below normal. Breathing then becomes deeper which sends oxygen enriched blood and nutrients throughout the body.
Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect you against a heart attack, according to the study at the University of Maryland Medical Center (cited above). The study, which is the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.
Here is a Humor Survey by the University of Maryland Medical Center…
Move over Swine Flu…There’s a new health scare in town. Did you know you could be in danger of death from heart disease if your thighs are too thin?
It’s true. Or at least new research says it’s true. And we all know new research is never wrong (except in the case of newer new research).
Seriously. I’m so worried about it, that I’m in my car right now on my way to get myself the sinful Angry Whopper to prevent my thighs from becoming too lean. Well, not really. I’ve finally rid myself of that grease filled spicy delight, and I don’t dare risk getting hooked on it again. But there’s always fries, ice-cream, fettuccine alfredo, or my world famous triple chocolate brownie cake (just to name a few).
Frankly, it’s been a pretty long time since I’ve been in danger of the ill effects of thin thighs (the 80’s). But that being said, we should probably address this breaking health story with the seriousness it deserves. Because if you’re one of those ‘thin thigh’ girls, you’re gonna want to figure out how to fatten those babies up before it’s too late. Or maybe not.
Lets take a look at what other women are saying about this latest research.
Eating healthy and trying to maintain a healthy weight are important for our overall well being. But there is now growing evidence that eating anti-inflammatory foods can reduce symptoms of chronic illness and even prevent heart disease.
This is a diet plan that just about everyone can benefit from. And although this is not a weight loss diet, many people do lose weight simply because they are replacing unhealthy foods with healthier anti-inflammatory foods. The best part is…Many people begin to see benefits (such as reduced pain) within just a few weeks.
Is it possible to be a part time vegetarian? As someone who is always trying to eat healthier, this sounds like it could be an interesting idea. Personally, I could never be the person who cuts meat out of her life altogether, but limiting my meat intake and eating more vegetables is very doable.
In addition to this being a more healthy way of eating, there are also economic implications. It’s just getting more and more expensive to buy meat these days. In fact, due to the economy I think I’ve actually become an accidental part-time vegetarian.
Regardless of why you may want to become a part-time vegetarian, it does seem to be a healthier and more economic alternative to the conventional American diet. Would you be willing to give it a try?
Could The Recession Be Making More Americans Fat? Is it possible to eat healthy on a budget?
There seems to be evidence that the poor economy is taking its toll on American families and their ability to make healthy food choices. For some it may be that stress is contributing to an increase in emotional eating, and for others it may be the cost of eating healthy. For what ever reason, the recession appears to be having a negative affect on obesity in America. And since there is no sign of economic recovery in the near future, we need to all find ways to get ourselves (and our families) through these hard times without forfeiting our health.
Back in October I wrote a post on saving money while still eating healthy, and now more than ever, I think we need to take another look at how we can do that.
Do you suffer from a chronic illness with no known cure? Like Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? If so, you probably wish every day that you could find a cure and finally be healthy and well.
Why is it that just about every illness without a medically proven cure, has loads of people “claiming” to know the cure? Not only is it disingenuous to promote cures to desperate people suffering with chronic illness, but it also minimizes the seriousness of these conditions.
For instance, I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and many people believe the cure for this condition is as simple as getting more sleep (and oddly enough, more exercise). Guess what? CFS has nothing to do with how much sleep someone gets, and exercise often exacerbates Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There is no cure for what I have, but the Internet is full of sites that claim to have “sell” the cure. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that there are many alternative modalities of healing that can benefit the symptoms of this disease, but they should not be mistaken for (or touted as) cures.
Stalker Diet Detective Ambushes Overweight Women For Reality TV Show
Yes, you heard right. There is a new show on We-TV that has many women (including myself) up in arms – It’s called I Want To Save Your Life. But what could be so bad about a show that wants to save lives? Well, it gives the impression it is a kind of “intervention” type show…but it’s really an attack on women who are overweight.
This show is wrong on so many levels that I barely know where to start. Below is a promo clip of this pathetic excuse for reality tv.
I did happen to see this show last week, and it was quite shocking. I think the worst part about it is how family members (in the case I saw it was the husband), basically “rat out” the women and allow this guy to stalk them and then confront them about their weight and diet on reality tv. I don’t know who is worse, the stalker nutritionist or the husband who rats out his wife?
This show would be a lot less revolting to me if the women were writing in asking for help on their own. But instead, they are being betrayed by the people that are suppose to love and support them unconditionally. It’s really very sad, not to mention HUMILIATING.
And to call it I Want To Save Your Life, really adds insult to injury. A better title might have been…
Honey, I think you’re FAT…So I’m going to humiliate you into going on a diet.
In the episode I saw, the (so called) lifesaving nutritionist/diet detective made the overweight woman go to the bakery and purchase a slice of her favorite chocolate cake. Then he made her hold it in a box while walking for over two hours in the hot sun. Is he freekin kidding? Not only did she have to walk off the calories in the cake, but she wasn’t even allowed to eat it (before or after the walk). It was more than a little cruel, not to mention totally unnecessary and degrading.
Kirstie Alley on Oprah Talking About Her Weight Gain
Did you see Kirstie Alley on Oprah? She was on to talk about her weight gain, and her desire to develop her own weight loss program. The interview wasn’t at all what I expected. She talked to Oprah about spending this past year researching weight loss (for her soon to be announced weight loss program), while gaining even more weight than she had lost on Jenny Craig. It was a bit odd.
One of the biggest questions I got from my post on Valerie Bertinelli’s recent weight loss, was about whether or not she will be able to keep it off once she stops the Jenny Craig diet. It seems that if Kirstie Alley is any example, the answer might be no.
Whether you are suffering from a chronic illness, pregnant, or just getting older. Keeping a personal medical journal, is important, and can really come in handy. Some may want to do this on a weekly or monthly basis, others on a daily basis, this will depend on the severity of your health issues.
STEP ONE: Just go out and get a notebook that you can use for this purpose alone. This journal will be helpful to you, as well as the medical practitioners you are working with. Especially, if you move, need to change doctors, or are hospitalized. Which reminds me, if you go on vacation, or extended holiday, bring your medical information with you, it will make it much easier if you need to see an unfamiliar physician, or be hospitalized.
When you hear the word “yoga” what do you think of? You may think you know all there is to know about yoga, but there is a good chance that you don’t. Let’s take a look at some of what women are blogging on the topic of yoga.
Would you like to live to 100 years and beyond? Dr. Oz and other medical experts believe that a calorie restriction diet can help people to live longer with a higher quality of life. The calorie restriction diet also focuses on consuming calories that provide a high nutritional value, not just low calorie.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about today, and then I came across this interesting article on how reading can reduce stress. Since I love to read, and I also love anything that can help me reduce stress, I thought this would be a great post for today.
Are you stressed about the economy? Your job? Your kids? Politics? It’s no secret that life is very stressful these days. So…What can we do to reduce stress? Apparently, reading a book is one of the best ways to reduce stress.
Reading is the best way to relax and even six minutes can be enough to reduce the stress levels by more than two thirds or 68%.
New research by consultancy Mindlab International at the University of Sussex says reading works better and faster than other methods to calm frazzled nerves such as listening to music, going for a walk or settling down with a cup of tea.
Are you a reader? Does it help you relax and de-stress?
Is stress wearing you down? Are you worried about the bad economy? Your job? The mortgage? Your health? Your family? If so, you are not alone.
Life is always changing, and that can feel very stressful. But often, seemingly bad things will happen in our lives, that will actually turn out to be the catalysts to something positive. It’s very true that when one door closes another will open. Although it never feels so great when that one door closes. Recently I’ve had several doors close on me. But as hard as it’s been, I can already see that these things needed to happen to bring me closer to where I am meant to be.
There are three things we can do to help relieve the stress in our lives…
Who is to blame for childhood obesity? There certainly seems to be a lot of blame to go around. What do you think? Are the parents to blame? Take this poll and let me know…
What do you do when you need a medication, but the cost is more than you can really afford? Even with insurance and a prescription drug plan, this has happened to me on several occasions.
I’ve always had a real problem getting enough fiber in my diet, and (as you can imagine) that can be problematic…But, I won’t bore you with the details of my regularity.
Over the years I’ve been told by many doctors that I should be taking fiber supplements. So, I’ve tried various supplements. However, no matter how perfected these powdered fiber drinks have become, they are still disgusting to me. In comparison, irregularity doesn’t seem so bad.
This is a trend I would definitely like to see continue. Nothing good can come from the consumption of trans fats. So, if foods we love to eat, can be prepared, and taste just as good without it, then I say…take it out!
Are High Gas Prices Affecting Your Health and Wellness? – (cross-posted at BlogHer)
With gas prices going up and up, many people are facing difficult choices when it comes to their health. From not being able to afford their medications, to buying less expensive (usually unhealthy) foods at the supermarket…They are being forced to make financial decisions that may be bad for their health.
Last year I did a post about how a major medical crisis (such as cancer) could force a person to choose between lifesaving medications, and paying their mortgage.
Childhood Obesity: Should We Give Children Cholesterol Lowering Medications?
I’ve written several posts about the epidemic of childhoodobesity. Childhood obesity is very serious, mainly because of all the secondary problems associated with it, including death. Childhood obesity is directly related to poor eating habits, and lack of activity. So, when I heard that the use of statin medication had been approved for children as young as eight, I was quite surprised, and very skeptical.
How old is your heart? Did you know smoking can add twenty years to the age of your heart? That seems like a pretty good reason to stop. What about stress? Stress can cause as much damage to your heart as smoking. Could you quit stressing?
My name is Catherine Morgan, and I'm a writer, nurse, and mother. Above are links to my blogs, that also list many of the posts and articles that I've written for them.
I'm also at BlogHer Health & Wellness.
Are you eating the one thing that increases a woman’s risk of stroke?
