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kilkennyobserver.ie
The Kilkenny Observer Friday 2 July 2021
Science & Wellbeing
News but don’t forget cruciferous vegetables, like cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower (which isn’t green at all). A lot of the heart-healthy qualities of leafy greens come from fibre. It can lower bad cholesterol and your chance of heart disease. But pigments (things that provide colour) found in many of these vegetables, also provides antioxidants that can protect your heart against disease. In addition, because veggies are low in calories, you can load up your plate, which helps keep calories down and your weight in check. (Obesity is a major red flag for heart problems.)
The good food guide to a healthy heart
WE all know, or should know, that a good diet is critical to good heart health. You should eat plenty of: • Fruits and veggies • Fish and skinless poultry • Whole-grain foods • Nuts • Protein-rich beans • Low-fat dairy products • You should also limit salt and avoid: • Sugar and sugary beverages • Saturated and trans fats
• Refined grains • Red meat But even if you know all of that, you probably still have questions. Finding the best heart-healthy foods takes some doing. “Typically, what you see on your plate is maybe like a big piece of protein, and some type of grain — so let’s say a steak with potatoes — and then a small side salad,” says Roxana Ehsani, a registered dietitian
and nutritionist and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The Mediterranean diet is a good template to follow, as is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (or DASH) diet. Both incorporate the basics above, though Mediterranean diets often use a lot of olive oil, and DASH diets mix in more meat and dairy products. No matter which plan you choose, there are a few foods
that should be on every heartconscious eater’s shopping list. SALMON The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon and some other fatty fish — like Atlantic mackerel, canned light tuna, and sardines — are heart-health superstars. Omega-3s can: • Lower your chances of stroke and heart failure • Ease your blood pressure • Help keep your heartbeat
How walking with your partner can slow you down WE all know walking, daily where possible, is healthy for mind and body. However, couples decrease their speed even further when they hold hands while out walking, according to the new study from Purdue University. Researchers looked at walking times and gait speeds of 141 people from 72 couples. Participants ranged from age 25 to 79 who walked together, walked together holding hands, and walked individually. Settings included both clear and obstacle-filled pathways.
“In our study, we focused on couples because partners in committed relationships often provide essential support to promote one another’s healthy lifestyle behaviours, including exercise,” says Melissa Franks, associate professor of human development and family studies at Purdue University. “We were hoping that there would not be a reduction in speed where partners walked together,” says Libby Richards, associate professor of nursing. “We hoped that slower partners would speed up to
regular Two servings a week can lower your odds of heart disease, including heart attacks BERRIES The ones with brilliant colours, like raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and cranberries, are excellent sources of antioxidants. Those are compounds that help ease inflammation and help your heart. Fresh berries are the best, when the antioxidants are plentiful and most active. But frozen berries are great substitutes and readily available, especially when fresh berries are out of season. You can’t go wrong with berries. They are so easy to include in your diet. Smoothies, your morning cereal, in yogurt. Not a berry person? Grapes can give you a lot of the same benefits. GREEN, LEAFY VEGGIES You know the so-called “green leafies,” like spinach and lettuce,
NUTS Nuts also have the added benefit of omega-3 fatty acids. That’s one reason choices like walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, and peanuts are a great addition to any healthy diet. Other things that make nuts a smart snack include fiber, unsaturated fat, and other heartboosting nutrients. Adding nuts to your diet can: • Lower your ‘bad’ cholesterol • Strengthen the lining of your blood vessels • Lower your chances of blood clots • Ease inflammation related to heart disease Nuts can be high in calories. So it’s easy to get too much of this good thing. Shoot for four servings of nuts a week. A serving is a small handful. FLAXSEED AND CHIA Flaxseed and flaxseed oil boast omega-3s too. Flaxseed may help lower “bad” cholesterol and blood pressure. Chia seeds also have some of the same fatty acids and nutrients, plus their high fiber content can help you feel fuller longer. Like nuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds (and other seeds like hemp, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower) don’t come without calories. So enjoy them in moderation, either as a snack, on a salad, or sprinkled over a main dish.
Not so fast on that intermittent fasting
match the faster partner, but that was not the case. However, it’s important to note that any physical activity or walking— regardless of speed—is better than none.” Prof. Richards says it’s common for people to walk or exercise with a spouse, partner, or friend and doing so increases the likelihood someone will be active. Americans are encouraged to meet a goal of 150 minutes of moderate activity every week. “If someone substantially slows down when they are
walking with someone else, that could negate some of the health benefits recognised if they walked alone at a faster pace,” Richards says. There are many reasons to measure gait speed, says Shirley Rietdyk, professor of health and kinesiology who specializes in biomechanics. “Gait speed is important to measure because it is related to overall health,” Rietdyk says. “Typical gait speed is predictive of fall risk, functional ability, disability recovery, and mortality.”
INTERMITTENT fasting (IF) is not new. Many religious traditions, including Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and Orthodox Christianity have practiced forms of it. These methods were predominantly due to food shortages or spiritual pursuits. Today IF is most often promoted as a weight-loss regimen, and there is some evidence that it is useful in that capacity. One extensive review found that it not only helps with obesity, but also hypertension, inflammation, and insulin resistance. Proponents swear by its efficacy. In reality, intermittent fasting is just about closing your feeding window: don’t eat first thing in the morning (or breakfast at
all), don’t eat for two hours (or longer) before bed. It’s a practical approach to eating, yet, as with everything in our time, it has to be packaged and marketed to be sold as a lifestyle. That’s not to say that IF isn’t effective. It’s just not miraculous. One honest debate that has persisted for years is how long to fast for. Twelve hours? Sixteen? Twenty? A new study, published in the journal ‘Brain And Behaviour’, set out to answer this question. It appears that restricting your feeding window to eight hours a day can have profound effects on cognitive behaviour. So, think twice before embarking on a reign of intermittent fasting.
