Structure House Nutritionist shares guidelines for a heart-healthy lifestyle - DURHAM, N.C.

Structure House Nutritionist shares guidelines for a heart-healthy lifestyle
Posted: 02-09-2010 : DURHAM, N.C.

DURHAM, N.C. — February is American Heart Health month and nutrition experts at Structure House, the renowned weight loss center in Durham, N.C., offer advice on maintaining a healthy heart with proper nutrition and exercise.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes coronary heart disease (CHD), is still the number one killer and a major cause of disability in the United States. The good news is that you can make changes to reduce your risk factors. Maintaining a normal weight, controlling blood pressure, controlling blood sugar and watching cholesterol are excellent ways to decrease chances of developing CVD. Regular exercise (30 minutes most days of the week to maintain weight) can improve all issues listed above.

Eating a heart-healthy diet helps with weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. Small changes can make a big difference. Studies show that losing just 10 percent of your weight can significantly reduce the risk of CVD, diabetes and a number of other diseases.

Marlene Lesson, M.S., L.D.N., C.D.E., registered dietitian and nutrition director for Structure House, recommends the following guidelines for choosing foods that will help achieve weight loss, keep cholesterol levels low, and improve heart and overall health:

Eat only five ounces of lean meat, poultry or seafood per day. How do you know if these animal proteins are heart-healthy? Just look for the American Heart Association logo on the package. Selections that have the logo must meet American Heart Association criteria.*
Eat at least two servings of fish, preferably fatty fish, per week. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish are associated with lower risk of death from coronary artery disease. Fatty fish like salmon, sardines and char are particularly rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Limit yourself to four egg yolks per week in order to control your intake of dietary cholesterol.
Choose polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (such as soft margarine, canola and olive oils) rather than saturated fats (like butter) in order to reduce blood levels of harmful LDL cholesterol.
Include at least three servings of a whole grain food each day in your meal plan. Whole grain products, like whole-wheat bread and brown rice, appear to protect against heart disease.
Eat water-soluble fiber foods such as oatmeal and dried beans to further reduce the amount of detrimental LDL cholesterol in your blood.
Select fat-free and low-fat dairy products such as skim milk, and low-fat or non-fat yogurt.
Eat at least four servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables per day. Make sure half of your lunch or dinner plate is covered with vegetables and include a fruit at every meal.

American Heart Association criteria: <5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat and 95 mg of cholesterol in a 3 ½ ounce raw portion with the fat trimmed off.

*Ms. Lesson is available for interviews or live cooking demonstrations. Please contact Paige Parker at (919) 277-1162 to schedule.

About Marlene Lesson
Marlene Lesson, M.S., R.D., L.D.N., C.D.E., is a registered dietitian and has been the nutrition director at Structure House since 1983. In 2006, she earned her Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) status from the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators.

A member of the American Dietetic Association, Marlene participates in several of the Association’s special practice groups – weight management, diabetes care and education. In addition, she belongs to the Durham/Chapel Hill Dietetic Association. As part of Structure House’s multidisciplinary treatment team, Marlene directs the nutrition program as well as teaches numerous workshops and conducts individual nutrition and diabetes counseling sessions.

Marlene has a graduate degree in human nutrition and foods from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She has published numerous articles on nutrition and has been featured in academic journals as well as the popular press. She is a co-author of the professional paper, "Weight Loss Expectations of Obese, Residential Treatment-Seeking Men and Women," presented at the meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

About Structure House
Structure House®, an internationally recognized residential weight loss center in Durham, N.C., offers a unique, behavioral approach to weight loss and healthy lifestyle change. The program, recognized by Health magazine as “America’s Healthiest Diet,” integrates principles of nutrition and exercise with psychology in a treatment approach designed to transform the eating habits and lifestyles of overweight individuals. Since 1977, Structure House has helped more than 30,000 people from all 50 states and 35 nations battling obesity. The name Structure House underscores the critical role structure plays in achieving long-term weight loss.

Gerard J. Musante, Ph.D., one of the nation’s leading experts on obesity and weight loss, is the founder and director of Structure House. A renowned clinical psychologist, Dr. Musante was the first person to adapt the principles of behavior modification to the eating habits of significantly overweight people and food abusers. Dr. Musante is the author of The Structure House Weight Loss Plan. For more information, visit www.structurehouse.com.