Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6B
^Reporter
October 15, 2008
Cut cholesterol with a heart-healthy diet
When it comes to cho
lesterol, Americans clear
ly have a problem on
their hands (and hearts).
According to the
American Heart
Association (AHA), near
ly 48 percent of non-
Hispanic white men over
the age of 20 are consid
ered borderline high-risk
for heart disease thanks
to their cholesterol lev
els. Perhaps most sur
prising is that more
women in that same cat
egory are borderline high
risk for heart disease, as
just under 50 percent of
females have cholesterol
levels that could lead to
serious problems.
So what to do?
Fortunately, while the con
sequences of high choles
terol can be drastic, con
trolling cholesterol and
maintaining healthy cho
lesterol levels is not very
difficult. And doing so can
be done in all facets of
your daily diet.
Meat and Protein
Foods
Many people love eating
meat, and lowering choles
terol doesn't mean you
have to cut meat out of
your diet entirely. Instead,
take a different approach
to how you include meat in
your diet. Limit how much
fatty ground meat you eat
and reduce the servings of
heavily marbled cuts of
meat. Choose lean, well-
trimmed beef, veal,
lamb, or pork.
Avoid eating bacon
or sausage and
even high-fat deli
meats. If you're
ordering deli
meats, ask for low
fat meats that are
available at most
delis.
When removing
or reducing your
meat intake, it's
understandable to
be concerned about
how that will
impact your protein intake
as well. But you can main
tain protein intake by
making meatless protein
like dried beans, lentils,
split peas, and even peanut
butter a part of your daily
diet. While meat is a great
source of protein, it's not
the only means to include
protein in your diet.
Dairy Products
Dairy can also be detri
mental to an individual's
cholesterol levels, even
though it doesn't have to
be. Dairy that typically has
a negative impact on cho
lesterol levels includes
milk with a high fat per
centage (whole milk),
cream, half and half, and
nondairy creamer, and ice
cream, whipped cream or
nondairy whipped top
pings. Whole-milk prod
ucts, such as whole-milk
yogurt or whole-milk
cheeses, can also be bad for
cholesterol levels.
However, choosing dairy
that is heart-friendly is
very easy. In lieu of whole-
milk products, choose skim
milk or 1 percent milk
products. Instead of ice
cream at dessert, serve
frozen yogurt, ice milk,
sherbet, or sorbet. Low-fat
cheeses, such as 1 percent
cottage cheese or skim-
milk mozzarella, and low-
fat yogurts are also more
heart-friendly dairy prod
ucts.
Fruits and Vegetables
While it's hard to imag
ine fruits or vegetables not
being healthy, sometimes
what you might think is
healthy is anything but.
Coconut, for instance, is a
fruit that is high in satu
rated fat. Also, avoid deep-
frying vegetables and don't
negate the positives of veg
etables with cream sauce,
cheese sauce, or cooking
vegetables in butter.
When cooking vegetables,
be sure to include daily
servings of steamed, boiled
or baked vegetables in
your diet. Instead of sea
soning vegetables with but
ter or cheese sauces, utilize
herbs, lemon juice, or mini
mal amounts of low-fat
margarine to add some fla
vor to your veggies.
Breads and Cereals
Breads and cereals can
also have a negative
impact on cholesterol lev
els if you're choosing the
wrong ones. While it's com
mon to assume baked
goods are more heart-
friendly, baked goods such
as donuts, pastries or crois
sants are not good choices
for those looking to lower
their cholesterol. Along
those same lines, many are
quick to assume granola is
good no matter what.
However, granola with
coconut or coconut oil
added is not very healthy.
When looking for more
heart-friendly breads and
cereals, choose hot or cold
cereals with no added fat.
Plain breads and pastas
and even English muffins
are also heart-healthy.
When snacking, choose air-
popped popcorn, pretzels,
rice cakes, or melba toast.
Fruit cookies, angel food
cake and graham crackers
are also healthy snacking
options.
To learn more about cho
lesterol, visit the AHA Web
site at www.american-
heart.org.
Diet drinks aiding weight^loss? Think again
Those who regularly drink
diet soft drinks may not lose
weight. In fact, they may gain
more weight for every diet
drink they consume.
After collecting eight years of
data, Sharon P. Fowler, MPH,
and colleagues at the
University of Texas Health
Science Center at San Antonio
reported in 2005 that diet soft
drinks may do more harm
than good. Fowler discovered
that the overweight Risk soars
41 percent with each daily can
of diet soft drink. That isn't to
say that diet sodas and such
actually cause obesity, but
they may be a contributing
factor.
There are some theories
behind why diet sodas may
trigger weight gain. First and
foremost is the human factor.
Many times people drinking
diet sodas believe they can get
away with eating higher calo
rie foods because of all the
calories they "save" by drink
ing diet sodas. There are actu
ally those who regularly order
high calorie fast food and then
round out the meal with a diet
soda. Some wonder, "what's
the point?" While beverages do
contribute to overall caloric
intake, the drinking of diet
soda does not negate the
amount of fat and calories
that a poor food choice would
bring to the table. The result
may actually be over-indul
gence.
There is another factor in
the diet soda/obesity connec
tion. The body may actually be
smarter than one gives it cred
it for. Upon drinking a sweet
ened diet beverage the body
tastes the sweetness and
thinks there are calories that
will be coming with it. When
there are no such calories, the
body becomes confused and
actually starts to crave even
more calories to overcompen
sate.
Fowler offers proof to this
idea. In a recent study, the
feeding of artificial sweeteners
to rat pups made them crave
more calories than animals fed
real sugar. So it stands that
diet sodas with artificial
sweeteners may actually boost
appetite and make a person
crave foods that aren't quite
healthy. The better idea for
individuals is to just consume
a sugared beverage, or better
yet, opt for a tall glass of
water instead.
Drinking
water is a
better
way to
lose
weight
than
drinking
diet
drinks.
CHIROPRACTIC
WALKER CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC
Dr. Steven Walker
Mon. - Tues. - Wed. - Fri. 9-6 • Thurs. & Sat. By Appointment
PHYSIOLOGIC THERAPEUTICS
CHIROPRACTIC SPORTS PHYSICIAN
255 Tift College Drive • 994-1562
DENTISTS
^ Now Accepting New Patients ^ h
Riverside
Family Dentistry
5223 Riverside Drive • Suite 104 • Macon, Ga 31210
We're located only minutes away from Forsyth
Kathy Welch, DMD • 478-477-8884
Deena Holliman Smith, DMD
GENERAL DENTISTRY
205 Medical Court • Forsyth, GA 31029
478-994-1171
Monday - Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Clell M. Morris, DMD
FORSYTH DENTAL CENTER
Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
94 Bennett St. • Forsyth, GA 31029
478-994-0440
Mon. - Thurs. 8-6
Family Dentistry
John O. Bowcock Jr., DDS PC
Stanley J. Hickman, DMD
103 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive • Forsyth
478-994-2070
GYNECOLOGY
Perry B. Wells, M.D.
100 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive • Forsyth
(In the Surgical Arts Building)
478-994-5909
Creating good health is a lifetime task. Use this directory to help you find excellent
Professionals in your quest for healthy lifestyles.
FEATURING
Dr. Craig Caldwell
Dr. Jeremy Goodwin
FrontRow: Barbara McCollum,
Natalie Butler, Smantha Bussell
Back Row: Dr. Deena H. Smith,
Amber Ayers, Denise Harpe
Deena Holliman Smith,
DMD, PC
GENERAL DENTISTRY
205 Medical Court
Forsyth, GA 31029
Monday - Thursday
8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
478-994-1171
INTERNAL MEDICINE & GERIATRICS
97 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive • Forsyth, GA
478-994-1010
Mon. - Fri. 8:30 - 5:00
PURE WATER
Callaway Blue
BiC.I CdAii
CCN Distributing, Inc.
P.O. Box 99
Bolingbroke, GA 31004
478-992-5757
VETERINARAN
Kevin Smith, DVM
ANIMAL MEDICAL CLINIC OF FORSYTHI
HOSPITAL
Monroe County
Hospital
478-994-2521
88 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
Forsyth, GA 31029
www.monroehospital.org
MASSAGE THERAPY
Cenftt Jot Clinical TkeXafljf, t.I.L..
Sabine Anderson, LMT, NMT
Debbie Lefevers, LMT, NMT, NCBTMB
Sabine:478-986-4861 • Debbie:478-394-2343
800-951-2998
www.aboutclinicalmassage.com
OPTOMETRIST
Tom Perry, OD PC
FIRST QUALITY OPTICAL CARE
105 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
Forsyth, GA 31029
478-994-2988
Monday thru Thursday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m - 12 p.m.
ORTHOPEDICS
Piedmont Orthopaedic Complex
4660 Riverside Park Blvd.
Macon, GA 31210
478/474-2114 • 1-800-338-5141
Open Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
PHARMACY
CASTLEBERRY DRUG CO.
• Compounding Specialists
• Customized Medications
• All Your Pharmaceutical Needs
67 N. Lee St. • Forsyth • 478-994-2051
Jep Castleberry, RPh John Wilson, RPh
PHYSICIANS
Dr. Trellis H. Baker
INTERNAL MEDICINE • REGISTERED DIETICIAN
North Macon Family Healthcare
540 Charter Blvd, Suite 100
Macon, GA 31210
478-471-0089
60 South Jackson St. • Forsyth, GA 31029
478-994-4986
Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Caldwell Veterinary Hospital, LLC
951 Hwy 41 South • Forsyth • 478-957-9084
Butler Caldwell, DVM
478-994-8228 v
butlercaIdwell@bellsouth.net • www.caldwellvet.con
Dr. Jill Lancaster
Plantation Centre Animal Hospital
6411 Peake Road • Macon, Georgia 31210
Office
(478)474-3616
“Big & small, we treat them all. ”
HEALTH
Advertise Your
Health Specialty
Call Carolyn Martel
478-960-2259