February 2014 Newsletter
Get Heart Healthy This Valentine’s Day!
They say you must learn to love yourself before you can truly love someone else. Take care of the number #1 love in your life this Valentine’s Day, YOU! In celebration of heart health month, here are some great ways to decrease LDL and increase overall health for a healthier and happier you.
1. Tomatoes help reduce cholesterol. The lycopene in tomatoes reduces the LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and also helps to decrease blood pressure. Add some Dukan Diet Marinara Sauce to your meals for an antioxidant rich meal.
2. Season with curry. Curry powder is a mix of turmeric, cumin, chili powder and coriander. The antioxidants in curry may combat heart disease by reducing fat buildup in arteries. Jazz up your Pure Protein days by adding it to devilled eggs or a tuna salad.
3. Avoid artificial sweeteners - Not only are artificial sweeteners bad news for your health, but they're also a top violator of "calorie free" deceptive labeling practices. Many brands of artificial sweeteners use maltodextrin and/or dextrose (which are pure sugar) as fillers in each packet, and each packet can legally contain up to a full gram of sugar and 5 calories and still be labeled as calorie free. The latest research that links artificial sweeteners to heart disease and stroke was presented February 10 at the 2011 International Stroke Conference. The research done in conjunction with Columbia University and the University of Miami tracked approximately 3300 New Yorkers for just under a decade. Age (40 and above), daily calorie consumption, exercise, alcohol use, smoking habits, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and more were tracked over this period. It was found those subjects who consumed diet sodas daily experienced a whopping 61% higher risk of stroke and heart attack then those who abstained from the low calorie carbonated beverages. Try to avoid diet sodas or only have them when a really bad craving strikes! Better yet try the diet soda Zevia, it’s sweetened with Stevia.
4. Say no to foods that contain "partially hydrogenated" oils in the ingredient list. Bottom line, you should have a zero-tolerance attitude toward trans fats. They are the most health-derailing nutrient known to man, and you should be truly consuming ZERO grams per day. If a product claims "Zero grams of trans fat per serving", especially if they specify "per serving", they are almost always playing the serving size game and you're very likely to see partially hydrogenated oils on the list of ingredients when you flip the package over. If so, avoid it like the plague.
5. Cooking sprays - Cooking sprays are labeled as fat-free but their first ingredient is oil, which is 100% fat. So how can this be? Well, the serving size is 1/5th of a second. Usually when you use a cooking spray (some of the organic ones are useful) it takes about 3 seconds to lightly coat the surface of the pan. Well, according to the manufacturer, you just used 15 servings. Bottom line, no one uses the absurd microscopic 1/5th of second spray suggested serving, which isn't nearly enough product to be of practical use. Cooking sprays aren't fat-free—they are nearly 100% fat. In the example above, a realistic serving actually contains around 5 grams of fat and 45 calories. A far cry from the 0 number reported on their nutrition facts. So not heart healthy!
6. Cocoa powder. This superfood offers cardiac and stroke protection by lowering blood pressure, which lowers risks of heart attacks and strokes. Warm yourself up with a cup of hot cocoa—add a teaspoon to some hot fat-free milk and sweeten with stevia to taste.
7. Eat wild fish. Wild Alaskan salmon is a favorite. A 6-ounce serving has almost 700 IU of vitamin D and 2 teaspoons of fish oil. The omega-3 fats found in fish oil boost and sustain serotonin levels in the brain and reduce vascular inflammation associated with heart disease. Aim to eat cold-water fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, trout, tuna, sardines and anchovies at least three times per week.
8. Green beans. This vegetable has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. The active compound ‘quercetin-3-glucuronide’ helps prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. This vegetable also inhibits the action of COX-2, an enzyme that promotes inflammation. Add these vegetable to your Wild Alaskan salmon on PV days for a complete heart healthy meal
9. Celery. Eating stalks of celery is great for flushing out excess water and ridding the body of puffiness as it contains balanced levels of sodium and potassium. Because celery is high in calcium, magnesium and potassium it has a calming effect on the nervous system which decreases our stress hormones. Cut up celery sticks for a midafternoon snack on PV days.
10. Sea salt. Replace your regular salt with Celtic or Himalayan sea salt. These salts have a wide range of minerals including potassium and magnesium, providing the body with a variety of nutrients that it needs to function optimally. The use of these salts will not cause elevated blood pressure; in fact, due to its abundance of minerals, it can actually help lower the blood pressure in hypertensive patients.
| 
About Dukan Diet
Attack Phase
Home
