Bay Roberts
             Seventh-day Adventist Church

DON'T SMOKE! The list is too long to name, but smoking also robs the body of important vitamins and minerals.

ALCOHOL:

Alcohol consumption raises blood pressure. It also has a great amount of calories and those calories can turn into excess weight, which raises the chance for strokes and heart attacks.

"Three or more alcoholic drinks a day is the most common cause of reversible or curable hypertension." N. M. Kaplan, University of Texas, Health Science Center, Dallas

According to the National Institues of Health--You cannot drink more than 2 drinks a day without it raising your blood pressure. Also, that drinking alcohol can cancel out the benefits of both a low-sodium diet and blood pressure medication.

SUGAR:

Dr Yudkin-University of London- His study revealed that men who suffered heart attacks ate twice as much sugar in their diets. Fat and sugar together elevate fatty substances higher than they do alone. (fat and sugar usually go together in cooking)

CAFFEINE:

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have found that five cups of coffee a day increase your heart-attack risk almost 3 times over that of a non-coffee drinker!

You say, "I don't drink coffee!"

Coffee isn't the only thing that contains caffeine or its close "relative" theobromine, which is still a stimulant.

Some Sodas contain caffeine or theobromine like Tea and Chocolate!! This includes, chocolate bars, hot chocolate, chocolate chips, etc.

Caffeine also can sap a lot of vitamins and minerals from your body.

WHAT ABOUT FATS??

Aren't all fats bad for you? NO.

There are 3 basic types of fats, the first one is:

• Saturated Fats: Usually comes from animal fats--meats, eggs, dairy products, but it is also found in coconut and palm oils. In your body, saturated fat increases the level of harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. THIS IS THE BAD FAT!!!
• Polyunsaturated Fats: This comes from vegetable oils. Polys, also called "essential fatty acids," help your body with cell production, growth, skin and other cellular processes. EAT IN MODERATION!!
• Monosaturated Fats: This one comes from olive oil, almonds, peanuts, and avocados. THIS ONE IS THE BEST!!
• Trans-Fatty Acids: Are formed when food companies solidify (or hydrogenate) unsaturated fat. The processing creates a semi hard substance that's cheaper and easier to work with. Unfortunately, the process also ensures that trans-fatty acids behave like saturated fat in our bodies.

WHAT ABOUT FISH?

Fish is full of Omega-3 fatty acids that are converted into substances that keep blood platelets from clotting, dilate blood vessels and reduce inflammation and cell damage.

"Saturated fats are 4 times more likely to raise blood cholesterol levels than dietary cholesterol itself." John LaRosa, cardiologist, George Washington University.

"If I had to tell people just one thing to lower their risk of heart disease, it would be to reduce their intake of foods of animal origin, specifically animal fats, and to replace those fats with complex carbohydrates--grains, fruits and vegetables." Ernst Schaefer, MD, USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

A study was done by Ian L. Rouse MD. He found that Seventh-Day Adventists who follow a vegetarian diet-tend to have lower blood pressures, so he decided to test a meat-free diet. He took 60 volunteers and switched them from a typical diet to a meat-free diet. After six weeks without meat, their blood pressures had fallen significantly!

What about those "good" fats?

Mediterranean peoples are less likely to die of heart disease or cancer because they eat mostly monounsaturated fats, like olive oils, nuts, etc.

Foods Highest in Artery-Protecting Fats: Percentage of fat as monounsaturated:

• Hazelnuts-------------81%
• Avocados-------------80%
• Olive oil---------------72%
• Almonds--------------71%

In a study of 31,208 Seventh-Day Adventists, Dr Fraser of Loma Linda (California) University, found that nuts stood out as the number-one food among those who did not suffer heart attacks. Those who munched on nuts 5 times a week had roughly half the chance of heart attack and coronary death as those who ate nuts less than once a week.

Adventist men who don't drink or smoke and ate a "heart smart" diet live 7 years longer.

"Meat contains 14 times more pesticides than vegetable foods." Kay S. Nelson, MPH Vegetarianism. pg.1

WHAT DO I DO ABOUT IT?

• Lower cholesterol/bad fats in your diet by replacing high fat foods or meat products to vegetable/fish.
• Use nut milks, soy milk or skim milk vs. whole milk and limit things like cheeses, eggs(yolks especially), high fat sour cream, cream cheese, etc.
• Lower or eliminate the use of fried foods.
• Control the intake of sugar.
• Eat a wide variety of fruits, nuts, grains & vegetables.
• Limit the use of salt and high sodium foods.
• Limit the use of caffeinated beverages and foods. (Carob products are a good substitute for chocolate. Grain beverages are a good substitute for coffee.)

Personal Habits:

• Get regular exercise, 30 minutes, at least 3 - 5 times a week.
• If you smoke, quit.
• Do not drink alcohol.
• Keep as close to your ideal weight as possible.

What about Protein?

Meat has all 22 of the essential amino acids. However it carries a liability, fat. Pork carries the highest fat of all.

Meat carries many liabilities, pork for instance carries one called trichinosis. Trichina are parasite worms. If you study pig meat under a microscope, you'll see the trichina larvae, which may have millions of little eggs. Those eggs hatch in your stomach and invade your muscle tissue, causing symptoms that are similar to arthritis. "But we cook our meat hot so it will kill them all!" Does it give us comfort to be eating dead worms rather than live ones? Many people who think they have cooked it good enough still contracted trichinosis.

Nuts, Legumes (beans) and Grains, when combined can provide these amino acids and become a complete protein. However, it does not carry that liability of saturated fats.

WHAT DO I EAT?

Fish high in Omega-3 fatty acids like sardines, mackerel, herring, salmon and tuna.

Fruits---Vegetables---Nuts---Grains

Legumes---Olive oil---Foods high in Vitamin C, E and Beta Carotene.

Garlic---Can deter artery-clogging and even reverse the damage by helping to heal your arteries. It can also assist in lowering cholesterol levels.

Dr. Bordia from Tagore Medical College in India did a study on garlic and heart disease and found that garlic had many antioxidants that neutralized artery-destroying agents. (It also had an unexpected health benefits, less joint pain, body aches, less asthmatic tendencies and more vigor, energy and libido; as well as a better appetite was observed)

Onions---Raw onions are one of the best treatments for boosting that good cholesterol in your system.

MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES!

Frank M. Sacks, MD Harvard Medical School says that to up your intake of fruits and vegetables will noticeably aid in lowering your blood pressure. But to also limit your intake of animal fats which can cause it to be elevated.

Vitamin C assists in lowing blood pressure---eat those fruits and veges high in Vitamin C: oranges, tomatoes, grapefruit, cantaloupe, green and red peppers, strawberries, kiwi fruit.

Potassium lowers blood pressure too! Foods high in potassium: Black strap molasses, potatoes, avocados, salmon.

Calcium lowers blood pressure. Foods high in calcium: Skim milk, Mackerel canned w/bones, turnip greens, tofu.

Olive oil has been proven in studies to lower blood pressure, boost levels of good cholesterol and to lower levels of bad cholesterol. It has also been shown to improve the arteries. Doctors say that taking small doses of olive oil every day helps to dislodge the fatty deposits that have built up inside the arteries, and then helps flush them out of the body.