Food For The Heart

You may be surprised to learn that Heart Disease is the No.1 health threat in America. Also known as the silent killer, patients often show no symptoms until it's too late. Twenty million people are diagnosed with heart disease each year and 4,000 of them suffer from heart attacks each day.

A quarter of those leave the hospital in a body bag and those who do survive are virtually guaranteed to suffer another attack. But if high cholesterol is the culprit, then changing your diet is the magic pill.

Dr. Neil Barnard, nutrition researcher and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), visits The Early Show with eating tips that may just save your life.

"Most heart disease is silent- a person has clogged arteries and is unaware of it, a good indication, however, is high cholesterol. Unfortunately, our diet is so poor that even 17-year-old kids already have clogged arteries," says Dr. Barnard noting that U.S. children as young as 4 or 5 have clogged coronary arteries and higher cholesterol levels than children in other countries.

The good news is that heart disease can be prevented, he says. "Most doctors say that the first step is to cut back on fat and cholesterol- especially saturated fat.”

In other words a person with high cholesterol should limit the intake of all meat (no more than 6 ounces per day). "Saturated fat stimulates the liver to make cholesterol. Chicken and fish have cholesterol too- so all meat needs to be limited. But even if you limit your meat intake your cholesterol will only be reduced by about 5 percent. At that point, doctors prescribe Lipitor which can reduce it up to 25 percent and that's all the patient does. But these medications also have side effects. What people need to know is that there are healthy non-medication alternatives to lower your cholesterol," he explains.

The following are the foods that Dr. Barnard recommends:

1. Oats - They are very good for you because they contain soluble fiver which cuts cholesterol. Oatmeal is the best, but it isn't the only source of soluble fiber. A big bowl of oatmeal is a great way to start your day. Also keep in mind that insoluble fiber like wheat and bran are good for digestion but won't lower cholesterol, Dr. Barnard notes.
2. Soy - Soy products like soymilk, veggie burger, tofu burgers, edamame, tempeh etc. are all soluble fiber which helps to reduce your cholesterol. Twenty-five grams of soy protein a day can reduce your cholesterol by 10 percent.
3. Legumes - Other beans like black beans and pinto beans are also helpful in reducing cholesterol- because they contain soluble fiber, too.
4. Garlic- Most studies have shown that garlic reduces cholesterol by about 5 percent - and you don't need to eat entire raw cloves- a half a clove a day is sufficient. It can also be cooked or taken in pill form.
5. Apples, Oranges, Grapefruits and most fruits- Also contain soluble fiber as well as anti-oxidants (like Vitamin C) which actually prevent the cholesterol particles from entering the artery walls so plaques don't form. Juice is good, too, because they have antioxidants, but they don't have the soluble fiber.
6. Walnuts - Walnuts contain an acid called alpha linolenic acid that lowers your cholesterol- but you'll need 3 ounces a day, which is a lot. It's enough to make it pretty fattening and it creates other health problems.
7. Green leafy vegetables- Broccoli and spinach have folic acid, which breaks up homocysteine, which increases the risk of heart disease. Your body produces it from the animal protein methionine.
8. Carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupes - As well as anything orange has beta-carotine, which is an anti-oxidant which stops cholesterol from entering the artery wall.

Fish may be perceived as a good food to eat, but Dr. Barnard says, it is important to keep in mind that "the only benefit fish has is that it interferes with clotting- that is good because if you have a narrowed artery a blood clot can be the last straw. But on the other hand, there are times when you want to be able to clot- you don't want to have a brain hemorrhage.

Fish also can have high levels of mercury and other pollutants because they live in the polluted water- and all water is polluted to some degree. You can find PCB's in fish everywhere and those pollutants are stored in your body for years. Fish has become very dirty in the past 15 years. Also remember that all fish have cholesterol and a lot of seafood, like shrimp and lobster, have more cholesterol than beef."

Olive oil is better than animal fat, but it is best not to use it at all, says Dr. Barnard. “It is mostly unsaturated which won't raise your cholesterol, but it is still 13 percent saturated fat, which isn't very good for you,” he says.

About Dr. Neal Barnard
Dr. Barnard is president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a nationwide organization of physicians that promotes preventive medicine and addresses controversies in modern medicine, including ethical issues in research. Dr. Barnard is the author of six books, the most recent of which are Foods That Fight Pain (Harmony, 1998) and Turn Off the Fat Genes (Harmony, 2001). He is also the editor of Good Medicine.