Posted Mar 20, 2010
U.S. President Barack Obama needs to cut back on the huckleberry cobbler with caramel ice cream — the first family’s favorite dessert — and eat a few more vegetables from the White House garden.
After a medical check-up, doctors told President Obama he needs to modify his diet and lower his overall cholesterol level, which was borderline high-risk at 209. (Doctors suggest 200 or below). The president specifically needs to pay attention to how much LDL or “bad cholesterol” he’s consuming.
The president isn’t the only American who needs to be limiting cheeseburgers and desserts: Thousands of us need to change our eating habits. That prompted The Salt Lake Tribune to consult health experts at the new Park City
Medical Center for some simple, yet presidential, suggestions on what to eat and what to avoid to beat high cholesterol. Chef Jason Kieffer, a holistic chef and wellness coach, supplied cholesterol-lowering recipes.
–
Eat more of these
1. Vegetables At mealtime, 1/2 of your dinner plate should contain spinach, kale, peas, broccoli, carrots or other vegetables, steamed in a small bit of water or sauteed in vegetable oil — not butter.
2. Fish Eat fish and seafood at least two times a week, as it contains Omega-3 fatty acids which help reduce inflammation. Bake, broil, grill or poach your fish instead of frying.
3. Fiber Eat the fiber found in plant-based foods: vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans,
legumes and whole grains, such as oats, barley, quinoa, flax seed, brown rice. Buy breads and pastas made with whole wheat or whole-grain flour.
4. Good fats Use liquid vegetable oils such as olive, canola, safflower, sunflower and soybean instead of solid fats (butter, lard or shortening.)
–
Do this
1. Exercise Walk, run, bicycle, swim — anything that gets your heart pumping — for at least 30 minutes a day, five times a week.
–
Eat less of these
1. Refined sugar The white sugar in cookies, cakes, pies and other baked goods increase the level of triglycerides (another blood fat) in our body that affects cholesterol levels.
2. Meat Eat no more than a 4-ounce portion, the size of a deck of cards, for a meal. Choose chicken, turkey and leaner cuts of beef (round, chuck, sirloin). Avoid sausage, bologna, salami, hot dogs and other processed meats.
3. Refined grains White rice and foods made with white flour — breads, pasta and baked goods — contain little or no fiber.
4. Bad fats Saturated or “bad” fats come from animals. Trim visible fats from beef, chicken and pork before cooking. Limit intake of cheese and butter, and drink 1 percent milk instead of whole milk.
–
Stop this
1. Smoking Smoking lowers HDL or “good” cholesterol levels. It also makes it difficult to exercise.
Sources: Experts from the Park City Medical Center including Liz Bynan, a registered dietician; executive chef Jason Kieffer; and Justin Barratt, internal medicine. Also the American Heart Association website: www.americanheart.org
Recipes
Vegetarian spaghetti sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/4 cups zucchini, sliced
1 tablespoons oregano, dried
1 tablespoons basil, dried
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup water
Spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
In a medium skillet, heat oil. Saute onions, garlic, and zucchini in oil for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer covered for 45 minutes. Serve over spaghetti.
Servings 6
Source DASH Eating Plan
Green Mountain High Smoothie
1 cup fresh cactus leaves with thorns removed (available in Latin markets)
1/2 cup fresh cucumber with peel on
1/2 cup fresh pineapple chunks
2 medium red apples with peel, core and seeds removed
1/4 cup fresh squeeze lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, rinsed
1 tablespoons fresh mint, rinsed
1/2 cup ice cubes
1 cup filtered water
1 teaspoon Stevia powder
1 tablespoon walnuts, optional
Place all the ingredients in the container of a blender. Blend until smooth.
Servings 3 to 4
Source: Chef Jason Kieffer, Park City Medical Center
Warm roasted fingerling potatoes
8 ounces fingerling potatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1 teaspoons white miso paste (available in Asian Markets)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper–
1 teaspoon fresh dill chopped
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss cut potatoes with the miso paste, olive oil, salt and cayenne pepper. Place on a sheet pan and roast until potatoes are fork tender and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and toss with the fresh dill. Serve warm.
–Healthy tip: Cayenne pepper increases circulation and is more digestible than ground table pepper.
Servings 4
Source: Chef Jason Kieffer, Park City Medical Center
Wild salmon salad
8 ounces, fresh arugula (rocket) greens, washed
1 pound fresh or frozen wild salmon–
1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Pomegranite and flax vinaigrette:
2 ounces pomegranate juice
2 ounces pure apple cider vinegar
2 ounces filtered water
2 tablespoons flax oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon Stevia powder
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum–
Garnishes:
1 blood orange, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon whole red flax seed
Warm roasted fingerling potatoes (see accompanying recipe)
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Season salmon with salt and cayenne. In a oven-proof saute pan over high heat, sear the salmon on both sides for 1 minute. Place salmon in the preheated oven until the salmon is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. It should be crisp on the outside and moist in the middle.
While the salmon is cooking, place all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a bowl. Whisk until the xanthan gum becomes active and thickens the dressing.
Toss the fresh arugula with 6 ounces of the prepared pomegranate dressing. Place greens on a platter top with warm roasted fingerling potatoes. Place salmon to the top and garnish with the remaining 2 ounces of dressing. Garnish with slices of blood orange. Sprinkle with whole red flax seed. Serve immediately.
–Health tip: Salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation in the body.
–Xanthan gum is produced from the fermentation of corn sugar and is used as a stabilizer and thickener. It can be found in the health food aisle of most grocer stories.
Servings 4
Source: Chef Jason Kieffer, Park City Medical Center
Cholesterol and eggs: It’s no yolk
The cholesterol in eggs is all in the yolks, according to the American Heart Association.
Egg whites are a heart-healthy source of protein. In recipes calling for whole eggs, substitute egg whites or cholesterol-free egg substitute. Replace each whole egg with two egg whites. When baking, add a tablespoon or less of liquid vegetable oil such as canola, safflower, sunflower or soybean for a moister consistency.
—–
To see more of The Salt Lake Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sltrib.com.
Copyright © 2010, The Salt Lake Tribune