Plant To Animal Protein Ratio And Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease

The Study

Protein derived from plant sources has been shown in the research literature to be extremely health promoting. In this study, over 200,000 subjects from the Nurses’ Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study II and the Health Professional Follow-up Study had their sources of protein measured and were followed for 30 years.

Here is what was found:

-Subjects with the highest plant:animal protein ratio of .76 had a 19% lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to subjects with the lowest ratio (.24).

-They also had a 37% lower risk of coronary artery disease.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2024; 120:1373-86

Take Home Message

Good sources of vegetable protein are nuts, beans, lentils and whole grains.  

These proteins will generally be lower in saturated fat and higher in fiber and unsaturated fat.  This in turn will reduce incidence of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. All of these increase cardiovascular disease risk.

Do your best to substitute plant proteins for red meat, processed meats and other animal based proteins. 

Diet And Macular Degeneration

The Study

Age related macular degeneration is a disease that causes vision loss in millions of Americans. There is evidence that diet plays a role in the progression of this debilitating disease.

In this interesting study, 1,757 subjects (and 2,697 eyes) showed signs of early stage macular degeneration. Diet was measured with food frequency questionnaires and subjects were followed for 5 years to see if any foods were associated with progression of this disease.

-By the end of follow-up, subjects consuming greater than 2.5 servings per week of green leafy vegetables had a 25% lower incidence of progression of their macular degeneration. A serving was considered ½ cup.

-Subjects consuming 2 or more 4-ounce servings of fish had a 21% lower incidence of progression. 

-The researchers calculated that 41% of outcomes in this study could have been prevented if everyone in the cohort consumed adequate amounts of fish and green leafy vegetables.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2024; 120:1387-98

Take Home Message

Fish and green leafy vegetables should be a part of every healthy diet. If you have early stage or a family history of macular degeneration, these appear to be particularly important.

Product Review: The Good Bean Protein Snack Mix

Picking healthy sources of protein is relatively easy when at home. Most good sources, such as lean meats, fish, eggs and beans need to be cooked prior to consumption and refrigerated if not consumed right away. This makes picking good protein sources a little tricky when you are on the go and away from home.   

I recently came across a product called The Good Bean that comes in very handy when looking for a healthy source of protein that travels well. 

Pros

1) These baked legume snacks are really tasty and crunchy. It is almost like you are eating chips. We have tried the Chickpea and the Fava Bean/Split Pea varieties. Both are great.

2) This is a really good source of protein. 6-7 grams per ¼ cup serving. This amount is similar to a large egg.

3) This is vegetable and more specifically legume protein, which is widely considered the most healthy source of protein. It is also much easier on the environment than animal based protein.

4) It is highly portable. It does not need to be refrigerated, so it can go any where for any length of time.

5) It is low in sodium.

6) It is also a nice source of fiber, 3-5 grams per serving.

Cons 

1) The only con I can come up with is that it is a little pricey at just under $5 per bag. If you compare it to boxed or canned beans you buy at the supermarket, it is more expensive. If you compare it to sliced deli turkey breast, it is probably pretty similar in price per serving.

Do I Recommend The Good Bean Protein Snack Mix?

Absolutely. This is a healthy and portable protein source that will come in handy when you are on the go. Consider it another great tool for your nutritional arsenal.

Disclosure: I am not affiliated with the company that makes The Good Bean Protein Snack Mix and make no money if you buy it. 

How Often Should I Weigh Myself?

Weighing yourself regularly and with precision is an important component of any weight loss program. It serves 3 purposes: 

1) To measure your progress. If you are losing weight, you’ll know your program is working. If not, you’ll know that it is time to make some changes.

2) To refine and perfect your weight loss strategy. No two people lose weight the same way. It is a highly subjective process. When you weigh yourself weekly, you’ll start to see certain patterns. You’ll study what you did when you lost weight, and you’ll study what you did when you didn’t. Over time, you’ll refine your program with laser-like focus, knowing exactly what you have to do to achieve your goals.

3) To support weight maintenance. Once you hit your goal weight, weighing yourself weekly will keep you focused. Old habits will tend to creep back in. If you see small increases in your weight, you can make the necessary adjustments before they become a bigger problem that will take more time to correct.

Weighing yourself correctly is a bit more complicated than you may think. Here’s how I have my clients do it:

1) Make sure you have a research quality scale. I’m a big fan of the Tanita Iron man (www.tanita.com).  These are digital scales that are highly accurate and can even measure your body fat. They run around $120, but last forever.

2) Pick a day of the week that will be your regular weigh in day. Alcohol, salt, and refined carbohydrates make you retain water like crazy for up to 2 days after consumption. Many of my clients will see weight increases of 3 pounds after a cheat meal. This is not body fat, just water retention that goes away after a couple of days. 

For this reason, you want to eat very clean for 2 days before your weigh in day. That means no splurges, alcohol, or restaurant meals. Since most of my clients splurge on the weekends and get back on track Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday is a natural weigh in day. Personally, I like Saturday morning. I’m very tight with my diet on Thursday and Friday, so Saturday is my day.

3) Weigh yourself first thing in the morning, before you eat or drink anything, in your underwear. You wake up in a dehydrated state, which will help control for level of hydration, which is a confounder for accurate weight readings.

4) Record your weight so you can measure your progress and search for patterns.

Weighing yourself regularly and accurately is a vital tool in your arsenal when trying to lose or maintain your weight. Make sure you use it properly!

Lifestyle And Cognitive Decline

The Study

Research has previously shown that a healthy lifestyle can help maintain cognitive function as we age. In this interesting study, 754 deceased individuals from the Rush Memory And Aging Project Cohort were studied. These individuals had provided detailed information about their lifestyle and cognitive function up until they died. A healthy lifestyle score was computed for each subject. Researchers also conducted autopsies on these subjects after their deaths.

Components of the healthy lifestyle score included:

-Not smoking

-150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week

-Limiting alcohol consumption

-Following a Mediterranean diet

Subjects most closely following these lifestyle factors had higher global cognitive functioning prior to death and also had significantly lower beta amyloid plaques in their brain upon autopsy. Beta amyloid plaques are an indicator of Alzheimer’s disease.

JAMA Neurology 2024; 81:233-39

Take Home Message

This is the first study I have ever seen that did autopsies on subjects after they passed. These lifestyle factors are tried and true and have been shown to reduce risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, all cause mortality and as this study demonstrates, loss of cognitive functioning with age.

Make each of them a priority in the New Year!

Energy Density And Energy Intake

The Study

The energy density of a food is the number of calories delivered in 1 gram of that particular food. It has been theorized that if we eat high energy density foods, we will compensate by eating less at later meals that day.

In this interesting randomized crossover study, 34 men and women were served the same lunch and then were offered all you can eat desserts on 3 separate occasions.

The desserts were low energy density (vanilla yogurt), medium energy density (vanilla ice cream) and high energy density (vanilla cheesecake).

-Subjects consumed 186 calories when offered the low and medium energy density desserts.

-Subjects consumed 427 calories when offered the high energy density dessert. This was 241 calories more than the low and medium energy density desserts.

-Subjects did not eat less food later in the day to compensate for this increase in calories.

Appetite 2024; 200:107533

Take Home Message

The results of this study show that calories do matter and we are unlikely to compensate when eating high energy density foods.

Shoot for lower calorie versions of appetizers, main dishes, side dishes and desserts if you are trying to manage your weight.

Product Review: Life Fitness Home Elliptical Trainer

No matter what your fitness goals may be, it is critical to set up an environment where exercise is easy for you to accomplish. Nothing is easier than having exercise equipment in your home. Today’s review is for a piece of equipment that is near and dear to my heart.  

I have worked at a lot of gyms over the years. I have also belonged to a lot of gyms. The Life Fitness Elliptical Trainer is my absolute favorite cardio machine of all time. I picked up a home version as soon as we moved into our new house and let me tell you, it is awesome.

Pros

1) Extremely well made and durable: I have had mine for 8 years and it looks like I just took it out of the box.

2) Variable intensity: There are 20 levels of resistance as well as computer guided workouts included.

3) Quiet: This machine is very quiet. I can work out while my wife is sleeping and she won’t know it. 

4) Feels exactly like the more expensive commercial gym model. This is a great workout.

5) Extremely low impact: Elliptical training is my preferred mode of cardio for just about everyone. You burn a lot of calories with virtually no impact on your joints. It feels like you are running on air when on this machine.

6) Having any piece of cardio in your home allows you to avoid bad weather, which can make it very hard to get your cardio in consistently if you exercise outdoors. 

Cons 

1) On the expensive side. At the time of this writing, it goes for $2320 on the Life Fitness website. This price includes both shipping and assembly. This is a pretty big initial investment, but if you divide it by the number of years you will have it, this elliptical comes out to far less than you would pay in yearly dues to a nice gym. 

2) It takes up a lot of space. Having said this, I would recommend putting it someplace that you will use it, such as your bedroom or your living room. Exercise machines put in a damp basement have a tendency to disappear from your life. It is also helpful to put it in front of a TV so you can combine your cardio with your TV time.

Do I Recommend The Life Fitness Elliptical Trainer?

Absolutely. If you have the space and are able to make the financial commitment, there is no better option for cardio than this, in my opinion. You can check out this machine at Life Fitness website here

Disclosure: I am not affiliated with the company that makes the Life Fitness Elliptical Trainer and make no money if you buy it.