Traditional high-protein
diets are heart killers, clogging the arteries with saturated fat from
meat, eggs and cheese. But, according to a report from Harvard Medical
School, a large study shows that there is such a thing as a heart-healthy
high-protein diet that can lower harmful LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and
blood pressure.
The diet described in Healthy Eating: A Guide to the New Nutrition
offers a healthful alternative to the old-fashioned Atkins-style diets that
ooze artery-clogging saturated fat with every bite. Instead, this eating
plan, one of several studied in the OmniHeart trial, includes high-protein
foods from both animal and plant sources that are lower in saturated fat.
Along with chicken and fish, dietary sources of protein include nuts,
beans, whole-grain cereals and fat-free dairy products.
A high-protein diet doesn't have to be all steak and eggs, according to
Dr. Frank M. Sacks, the editor of the report and Professor of
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Harvard Medical School. And not all
low-carb diets are the same. The most successful diet plans of any type
have certain elements in common, including an emphasis on vegetables,
fruits and whole grains.
Healthy Eating is a 48-page report that includes a full discussion of
the latest scientific developments in the field of nutrition. Diet
influences your risk for many diseases and conditions, including heart
disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, eye disease and some
forms of cancer. The report includes information on what foods can help
protect you from certain diseases -- or make you more prone to them.
Also in this report:
The Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid; Vitamins and
minerals that have extra health benefits; Additives to avoid; Food safety
tips; and the soy-health connection
Healthy Eating:
A Guide to the New Nutrition is available for $16 from
Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical
School. Order it online at health.harvard.edu/HE or by calling
1-877-649-9457 (toll free).
Harvard Health Publications
health.harvard.edu/HE