Heart Healthy Eating Style The Omni Heart Diet

Heart Healthy Eating Style: The Omni Heart Diet Cindy Sass, RD, CDE Registered Dietitian Carleton University Healthy Workplace Tuesday February 11, 2014

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) in Canada �Has been in decline �Since 1952 the rate has declined by more than 75% �Largely due to research, advances in surgical procedures, drugs and prevention efforts. �But still. . . �Heart attack and stroke are 2 of the 3 leading causes of death in Canada. �Account for ~29 % of all deaths in Canada.

Risk Factors for Heart Disease and Stroke Risk Factors �Smoking �Alcohol consumption �Physical inactivity �Obesity �High blood pressure �High blood cholesterol �Diabetes

Healthy Diets can lower the risk of CVD What does a healthy diet look like? �Despite all of the diet books, food guides and expert advice, most people are still confused! �Gluten free, Paleo, low carb, no carb, low fat, Aitkens?

Heart Healthy Eating �Omni Heart Study �O- optimal �M- macro �N- nutrient �I- intake �For heart health

Omni Heart Study diet �Compared the effects of 3 heart healthy diet approaches. �Based on variations of the DASH diet which is a vegetable and fruit rich diet.

Each of the 3 diets was higher in one of the following: �Carbohydrates - mostly from foods, containing a total of 5 tsp. of sugar a day. �Protein – more than half from beans, nuts, seeds, tofu and other non – animal sources. �Unsaturated fats - mostly from Canola and Olive oil.

The diets were remarkably effective! �Lowered blood pressure: �By 13 to 16 points in people with hypertension, � 8 points in people with pre-hypertension �“The diets lowered blood pressure more than most Blood Pressure drugs.

The diets were remarkably effective! �Lowered LDL (bad) cholesterol �Lowered damaging triglycerides �Reduced the risk of heart disease and stroke over 10 years by 20 -30%.

What made the Omni heart diet so potent? �Low levels of �High levels of sodium? �Low levels of saturated and trans fats? �Low levels of added sugar? potassium? �High levels of magnesium? �High levels of calcium? �High levels of fibre?

And the winner is. . �There was a tie between the omni heart diets higher in protein and saturated fat. �Both were a little better at reducing heart disease risk than the higher carbohydrate diet.

A Day’s Worth of Food The Omni Heart Diet 2000 calories

Vegetables and fruit 11 servings per day Try: �A main dish (4 cup) �What is a serving – ½ cup raw, cooked vegetables � 1 cup salad greens � 1 piece fruit �½ cup fresh fruit �¼ cup dried fruit salad for lunch is 4 servings. � 2 cups of stir fried veggies for supper is another 4 servings. �Add 3 pieces of fruit, one for breakfast and 2 others for snacks and you’ve got 11 servings.

Grains 4 servings per day: Try: �What is a serving: �½ cup cereal with � 1 slice of bread �½ cup cereal �½ cup cooked pasta or rice breakfast � 2 slices of bread with lunch �½ cup rice or pasta with dinner �This adds up to 4 servings �Choose whole grains whenever possible

Low – Fat Dairy 2 servings per day Try: �A serving is: �½ cup of milk with � 1 cup skim or 1% milk, � 1. 5 oz (40 grams) cheese, � 1 cup yogurt cereal for breakfast � 6 oz. yogurt for lunch or a snack � 1 oz cheese for salad or vegetables

Legumes and Nuts 2 servings per day Try: �What is 1 serving: �You can have ½ cup �¼ cup of nuts �½ cup cooked beans � 120 grams tofu of beans on salad or with dinner and ¼ cup of nuts on cereal, salad, grains or as a snack. �That comes to 2 servings.

Poultry, Fish and Meat 1 serving per day Try: �What is a serving: �Start with 6 oz of raw �¼ lb cooked or 120 grams cooked or 4 ounces poultry, fish or meat to get 4 ounces cooked. �That is about the size of a deck of cards.

Desserts and Sweets 2 servings per day Try: �What is a serving: �Count each oreo sized � 1 small cookie � 1 tsp. of sugar cookie as about 1 tsp of sugar. �Many breakfast cereal have 1 -2 tsp of sugar �Note: a 175 ml fruit yogurt or ½ cup of ice cream has 4 -5 tsp of sugar.

Oils and Fats 2 servings per day Try: �What is a serving? �Use 1 Tbsp. to saute � 1 Tbsp. of oil � 1 Tbsp. of margarine or mayonnaise vegetables and 1 Tbsp. in your salad dressing (2 Tbsp. of dressing usually contain 1 Tbsp. of oil)

Wild Card 1 Serving per day Try: � 1 more serving of �About 120 calories’ poultry fish meat, oils and fats, grains, or desserts and sweets worth of any category previous.

The tricky part. . �The tricky part is summing up a entire diet in simple, easy to remember advice �You probably won’t follow this diet every single meal �Think of it as an ideal.

Rules of the Road �Make vegetables a main course. �Fill at least half of your plate at lunch and dinner. �Have fruit for snacks or with breakfast and lunch. �Make vegetables part of your main dish like stir fry, vegetable curry, vegetable fajitas.

Keep saturated fat and cholesterol low �This means just a small portion of poultry, fish, lean meat per day. �Use more beans, tofu. �Use eggs and low fat cheese sparingly. �Egg whites are ok.

Don’t overdo grains �Limited to 4 servings a day if you are shooting for 2000 calories, 3 if you are shooting for 1600. �A serving is a thin slice of bread, not a 4 oz. Bagel. �½ cup cooked is not much, it’s the volume of 2 golf balls.

Minimize added sugar �A 2000 calorie diet allows for 2 tsp. (8 grams) of added sugar a day. �There’s no room for more empty calories.

Keep a lid on sodium �Avoid high sodium processed foods like: �Deli meats �Canned soups �Heat and serve entrees �Chips, snack foods

Eat Beans and Nuts �In the Omni heart study people reported feeling more full when they ate a diet rich in beans and nuts. �Add beans to soups, stews, casseroles, stir fries. �Have ¼ cup nuts on your cereal, as a snack. �Don’t over do nuts, their calories can add

Eat Real Food Not Junk! �Notice what is missing in this diet? �Sweets, cookies, cakes �Big bowls of pasta �Big bagels, muffins �Most pizzas, wraps, burritos, Panini sandwiches are too big �Gone are granola bars, energy bars, pita chips and junk disguised as health foods �Think of them as an occasional splurge!

In Conclusion �You probably won’t follow this diet every single meal �Think of it as an ideal �Take parts of this diet, what seems easiest to you and start making changes �Change is a process accomplished over time.

Questions?