Anita Curpier, Special to the Courier-Journal 7:03 a.m. ET Feb. 23, 2017
Salad with salmon(Photo: Adl Bkefi, Getty Images/Moment RF)
Why is it so hard to make meaningful changes in your diet? Lots of reasons. A big one is, at a very early age we decide what we like to eat and what we dont. This started a lifelong habit that most of us adhere to with remarkable consistency. In fact, although you may believe you have considerable variety in your diet, its more likely that your eating habits fall within a narrow range and you rarely venture far from it. If you are 60 years of age, you have a longtime habit to contend with when you try to change. Thats quite a challenge, and most give up despite good intentions.
Is restricting your food choices to a narrow range a problem? Yes, indeed, if your food choices are similar to those of most Americans, meaning high in processed foods loaded with fat and sugar. Its no secret that such a diet destroys health in many ways. Even so, we persist on the same course.
As a registered dietitian, I have counseled countless people over the years to help them improve their diet. When I worked in the hospital, many were heart attack victims and those having coronary artery bypass surgery, people who very much needed to make changes to reduce the odds of future heart problems. Unfortunately, I found most people reluctant to change, and not only because they were so used to eating in a certain way. My suggestions often were viewed as punitive, because I was telling them they needed to quit eating so many of the foods they enjoyed. And because there was a lack of understanding of basic dietary issues and the many ways diet can influence health, my suggestions often came across as too complicated and cumbersome, particularly for someone not highly motivated to change.
Today, I default to a more simplified approach to healthy eating, one that involves tiny steps that are easy to implement. For example, in a recent column, I emphasized the benefits of a higher protein diet as we get older to help counteract sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass). In that column, I provided an easy way to get more protein with a shake that works well as a nutritious lunch.
Heres another easy suggestion that pays big dividends. Eat more fish.
Fish is lean and high in protein, the perfect combination. Red meat also provides protein, but it comes with a lot of baggage like saturated fat. Unfortunately, we are a nation of meat eaters and fewer than 20 percent of us consume fish at least twice a week, and half of us eat fish only occasionally or not at all. The American Heart Association strongly promotes regular fish consumption because results from many research studies have shown that eating fish substantially reduces the risk of dying from heart disease.
One reason people avoid fish is the fear of pollutants and toxins, like mercury or pesticide residue. The Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and other authoritative bodies have concluded from their studies that there is insufficient evidence to limit fish consumption in adults. However, if pollutants are a concern, an easy way to reduce risk is to eat a variety of fish and other seafood.
An additional benefit from fish besides being lean and high in protein is the rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help combat inflammation, a key contributing factor in atherosclerosis (clogging of the arteries).
Walnuts also are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and they offer other healthful advantages as well. A recent research study from the Prevention Research Center at Yale University asked participants to add 366 calories of walnuts to their diet every day for six months, then to avoid walnuts for the next six months. Researchers found that eating walnuts lowered total serum cholesterol and the bad LDL cholesterol significantly, thus reducing the risk of heart disease.
Another interesting finding was that despite adding 366 calories from walnuts, the weight of participants remained stable and they didnt gain any body fat. How is that possible? When comparing the diet participants followed with and without the walnuts, their diet was healthier with walnuts.
So, two simple tiny step changes that can add up to considerable health benefits include substituting fish for red meat at least twice a week, and making walnuts your new snack.
Anita Miles Curpier is a registered dietitian and has considerable experience in hospital and clinically based nutrition therapy. Contact her at boomingcj@gmail.com.
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Looking for a heart healthy diet? First step: Add fish, walnuts - The Courier-Journal
