Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 5, 1 May 2017 — Choices that can beat heart disease [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Choices that can beat heart disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, as well as in Hawai'i. A total of 610,000 people died of heart disease in the U.S. last year. Researchers found that more than 400,000 of the U.S. cardiovascular deaths were linked directly to unhealthy diets, whieh claimed approximately 222,100

men and 193,400 women. The researchers strongly suggest that a "substantial portion" of those deaths could have been prevented by healthier eating. It is well-known that certain dietary changes ean significantly reduce heart disease symptoms. These food and dietary changes ean be difficult to make, though, as adult food choices are influenced by long-term personal preferences and habits. Our food preferences and habits begin developing in childhood and are well entrenched by the time we are adults. As parents, we use our own well-developed food preferences to make food choices and guide family's food habits. Food availability and affordability in our supermarkets are also strong influ-

ences on family food choices. As we mature, changes in taste preference ean reduce food choices, as well. In addition, many Hawai'i families have parents who work outside the home, and that ean affect meal choices. Meals may be prepared hurriedly or purchased along the route home from work, whieh ean result in less variety and ehoiee. A heavy reliance on foods prepared in someone else's kitchen raises questions about cost, ingredients and freshness. Today, ready-to-eat "convenience-foods" are available in supermarkets, and make meal preparation faster. However, some ingredients listed on their labels are unfamiliar to us. For example, what is tapioca syrup? And, even further, there is no way to know exactly when

this food was prepared: Last week? Last month? Last year? Conveniencefood products also cost more than home-prepared recipes and offer no control over the ingredients used, like salt. These are important factors influencing family food choices. In 2015, the cardiovascular researchers studied patient-diet information and found the "unhealthy diets" lacked sufficient amounts of vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains and fruit, and included too mueh salt and too many sugary drinks. The "unhealthy diets" also lacked omega-3 fatty acids, found in seafood. They determined that among the "poor" daily choices were foods too high in trans-fats and salt, like processed meats. Researchers suggested that when discussing cardiovascular disease, instead of always focusing on "poor choices," it may be better to emphasize the low intake of protective and

healthy foods. Their suggestion may seem easy but not everyone ean identify "protective foods." And if the "unhealthy" foods aren't specifically named, choices will not be clear. So here is the new deal: As often as is possible, choose to eat fresh meats (fish, ehieken and other low fat meats), as well as fresh fruit and vegetables. Children should choose milk as a regular meahime beverage, or eat a lot - and a lot more - of leaves like lu'au, spinach and kale on a daily basis. These are critical foods in developing strong bones and teeth that will last a lifetime, especially when planning to participate in contact sports. Adults should also eat yogurt, cottage cheese and milk, whieh are important to keep those bones strong. In addition, drink lots of fresh Hawaiian water. Have you read or heard this emphasis on healthy food before? I hope you have. ■

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By Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes, Dr. PH„ R.D.