Root Vegetables & Chick Peas from the Kardea Gourmet

Makes about 8 servings

Parsnips star in this dish. A relative of the carrot, the cooked parsnip delivers a spicier, more pungent and sweeter experience. The carrots and turmeric add the color. The chick pea provides the body and the balance. The earthy notes of the porcini mushrooms complement the sweetness in this dish.

Nutritionally, a 5 ounce serving offers about 9g total fiber (about 3g of soluble fiber) and, thanks to the chick peas, 9g of protein. Low in sodium, this dish is a good source of potassium, delivering over 450mg/serving *.

2 Medium Sized Onions, Chopped
2 Clove Garlic, Chopped
2 Cups Chopped Parsnips1 Cup Chopped Carrots
2 Tablespoons Chopped Dried Porcini Mushroom
3 Cups Cooked Chick Peas
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
½ Teaspoon Tumeric
1 Teaspoon Paprika
Pinch of Coarse Ground or Kosher Salt
¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon (optional)

Heat a heavy skillet on a medium–low setting. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and immediately added onions and garlic. Cover. Sautee for about 4 minutes. If onions appear to be browning, lower heat. Add parsnips, paprika and turmeric and carrots. Cover pan again and cook until the parsnips are soft. Add porcini mushrooms and chick peas. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes.

Nutritional Profile Per Serving (about 5 ounces):Total Calories: 210Total Fat: 5gFatty Acid Profile: 2.5g mono, 1.5 g poly, 1g saturated, 0g transProtein: 9gCholesterol: 0Carbohydrates: 34.0gTotal Fiber: 9gSoluble Fiber: 3gVitamin A: 55% RDIVitamin C: 15% RDIFolic Acid: 40%Potassium*: 450mgSodium: 30mgVitamin A: 20%Vitamin C: 54% RDI

* Epidemiological and animal studies indicate that the risk of stroke-related deaths is inversely related to potassium intake over the entire range of blood pressures, and the relationship appears to be dose dependent. The combination of a low-sodium, high potassium intake is associated with the lowest blood pressure levels and the lowest frequency of stroke in individuals and populations. Although the effects of reducing sodium intake and increasing potassium intake would vary and may be small in some individuals, the estimated reduction in stroke-related mortality for the population is large

Cholesterol Lowering Videos-Web MD & Kardea Nutrition

Two videos --- one at Web MD and one at Kardea Nutrition --- offer insight into the power of nutrition to lower cholesterol. This power extends beyond avoiding foods high in cholesterol; it looks to nutritions that actively affect your body chemistry to improve (and lower) how you absorbs and metobolizes the cholesterol naturally produced by your body. These active nutrients include plant sterols, selected soluble fibers and selected fatty acids. Click on the links below to view.

Kardea Nutrition Video
Web MD Video

Report to Doctors: Dietary Interventions for Cholesterol Lowering Effective but Underutilized

Dietary intervention to lower serum LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) is effective, yet underutilzsed in general family practice, reports a June 2009 article published in the Australian Family Physicians journal.

A year long trial showed an average LDL cholesterol lowering of 13%, with about one-third of subjects achieving a reduction greater than 20%. An important difference in the results related to the individual's adherence to dietary advice. The most effective dietary strategies are replacing saturated and trans fatty acids with poly- and monounsaturated fats and increasing intake of plant sterols. Losing weight and increasing soluble fibre and soy protein intake can also lower serum cholesterol and may be considered when recommending a nutritionally balanced, cholesterol lowering diet.

Father's Day Gourmet & Cholesterol Management

The science is clear and convincing. Therapeutic nutrition---that incorporates 2g of plant sterols, over 10g of soluble fiber, monounsaturated fats replacing saturated and trans fats, and reduced animal sources of protein-- can achieve cholesterol reductions comparable to many of the widely prescribed medications.

With my daughter, we have created a delicious, natural, cholesterol-lowering Father’s Day menu.

We recommend recipes for lunch, a snack and dinner. With a single serving of each dish, you will enjoy:

• 2g of natural plant sterols from foods and taken through the course of the day.
• 30g of total fiber
• 7 grams of heart healthy soluble fiber.
• 1g Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA)
• Only 150mg of dietary cholesterol (from the chicken and salmon)
• Saturated fat is below 7 percent of total calories.
• Monounsaturated fats equal about 23% of total calories.

Overall, we are nearly in-line with the recommendations of the National Cholesterol Education Program, but we fall a bit short on the heart healthy soluble fiber.

So look to breakfast to finish your therapy. Here are some simple guidelines. A good morning start would be an oat cereal and fruit. If you are looking for something a bit more interesting, there are a number of oat pancake recipes that can be found online. Stay away from the ones with butter and lots of eggs in the ingredients. Either way, you should get you to the 10g minimum recommendations for soluble fiber.

In my life, I actually shoot for the higher, 20-25g recommendation. The only way I have been able to achieve this goal is with psyllium husk or concentrated oat bran. I dissolve a tablespoon of one of these fibers into my morning juice. A heaping tablespoon of the psyllium husk, for instance, delivers 9g of heart health soluble fiber. Most people can tolerate such a dosage, but it is probably something you need to work up to.

The Menu

Luncheon
Mediterranean Salmon Salad
Chick Peas with Oregano
Roasted Asparagus
Whole Grain Bread or Whole Wheat Roll

Snack
Kardea Gourmet Nutrition Bar with 1g plant sterols, 7g fiber, and 7g protein.

Dinner
1st Course
Gazpacho: Quick, Bold & Delicious

2nd Course
Chicken Balsamic Reduction
Steamed Broccoli
Barley Pilaf

Dessert
Sorbet of Your Choosing
Fresh Berries or Sliced Ripe Peaches.

Viscous Soluble Fiber: Recommendations from the National Cholesterol Education Program

NCEP Discussion (excerpt): Because of the favorable effects of viscous fiber (soluble fiber from oats, fruit pectins, guar, beans and psyllium) on LDL cholesterol levels, the NCEP recommends that the therapeutic diet be enriched by foods that provide at least 5-10 grams of viscous fiber daily (Source of Soluble Fiber Chart). Even higher intakes of 10-25 grams per day can be beneficial.

NCEP Evidence Statement: 5-10 grams of viscous fiber per day reduces LDL cholesterol levels by approximately 5 percent (Strength of Evidence: A2, B1).

NCEP Recommendation: The use of dietary sources of viscous fiber (soluble fiber from certain sources) is a therapeutic option to enhance LDL lowering.

Cumin Spiced Black Beans-Quick & Delicious

A great pleasure in the culinary arts is stumbling on an incredibly easy, quick and flavorful recipe. I can devote hours to the preparation of some dishes only to receive praise for a five minute side. Everything may taste great, but sometimes these easy dishes find their way to top honors. A spiced black bean salad falls into this category.

Spiced Black Bean Salad

How to Make
Ingredients
16 ounce Canned Black Beans
2 -3 Tablespoons White Distilled Vinegar
1/3 Cup Green Olives-Pitted & Chopped(with or without pimentos)
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil fortified with Plant Sterols
3-4 Tablespoons Chopped Onion or Scallion
1/8-1/4 Teaspoon Cumin
Hot Sauce to Taste

Rinse beans until water flows clear and drain. This freshens the canned beans and provides a more natural flavor. It also reduces the amount of salt added by the manufacturer. Add all the other ingredients. It best if you let this marinate for about an hour or two, but it can be served immediately.

Depending on the availability of fresh produce, you can build this into a main dish that’s great for a summer lunch. Add cucumber, tomato, zucchini, radish, apple, pear.... let me know what's working.

Spiced Black Beans & Natural Cholesterol Management

As we have emphasized, natural cholesterol management (NCM) targets a daily intake of 10-25g of soluble fiber, 2-3g of plant sterols and at least 500mgs of Omega-3 fatty acids from marine sources. You also want to replace saturated fats with monounsaturated fats. Collectively, these nutrients can drop your LDL cholesterol by 30%.



For a 5 ounce serving, this spiced black bean salad delivers 2g soluble fiber and .25g of plant sterols. Utilizing only olive, this dish is high in monounsaturated fats and saturated fats are held to 5.6% of total calories, less than the 7% recommended by the National Cholesterol Education Program. (see chart above for % of therapeutic levels achieved with a single serving)

The spice black beans also complement a tumeric barley pilaf (see barley pilaf blog for recipe and NCM nutrient levels). To round out this meal, serve with a grilled chicken with a raisin port reduction (blog post coming).

"Cholesterol Drug Bombs"-New York Times Editorial Misses Opportunity

Yesterday, the New York Times editorial board wrote "there have long been suspicions, but it was still very disturbing to learn this week that a heavily promoted cholesterol-lowering drug had flunked a clinical trial of its effectiveness in reducing fatty deposits in arteries....The drug, Zetia, and a combination pill that contains it, Vytorin...generated more than $5 billion in sales last year."

You probably know the ads for Vytorin. They have run on T.V., in magazines and on-line. They certainly are clever, creative and very expensive. According to Nielsen Monitor-Plus, in 2006 the companies spent $136.3 million to advertise Vytorin and $115 million from January to October of 2007.

Vytorin combines Zocor, a statin produced by Merck (and also marketed by generic drug manufactures and sold at lower prices) with the Schering-Plough's Zetia. Statins work by reducing the production of cholesterol in the liver. Zetia works to reduce the absorption of dietary and liver-produced cholesterol from the intestines into the blood stream.

The study compared the effects of treating patients with Vytorin, the combination drug, with a statin alone. The patients all had abnormally high LDL cholesterol. In the study, LDL cholesterol was reduced more significantly by Vytorin than with the statin alone. These results are consistent with the results of a number of other studies.


It also was hypothesized that the added cholesterol-lowering effect of Vytorin would lead to a more significant reduction of arterial plaque growth. This relationship did not hold. The lower cholesterol achieved by the Vytorin did not yield a reduction in plaque build-up as compared to the statin only. In fact, the Vytorin group was found to have a more rapid development of plaque than the statin-only group.

The Times reports that these companies had been “cynically sitting on the results for more than a year” while spending hundreds of millions of dollars to convince consumers that the Vytorin is a preferred cholesterol drug. This certainly is a very legitimate criticism.

The Times continued that "the findings also raise doubts about the current belief that lowering cholesterol is the key to cardiovascular health. The study showed that Vytorin reduced bad cholesterol significantly more than Zocor alone. The problem was that it failed to reduce the formation of plaque."


And here is perhaps were the Times should have been somewhat more careful. This study now represents a single set of data among a sea of data that concludes lower LDL cholesterol lowers the risks of heart attacks and strokes. Numerous studies also indicate that LDL cholesterol above 100mg/dl will lead to the development of arterial plaque.

Instead of casting doubt on the general wisdom of cholesterol management, the Times would have served the public well by offseting the barrage of pharmaceutical advertising and reinforce the well-documented science regarding natural alternatives to cholesterol management. An extensive NIH report (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/chol_tlc.htm), for instance, concludes that the "amount of LDL reduction from Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes compares well with many of the cholesterol-lowering drugs." Among the recommendations are the consumption of certain positive nutrients such as plant sterols, soluble fibers, monounsaturated fats in place of saturated and trans fats, and Omega-3s. Needless to say, weight management and exercise is part of the NIH recommendations.

For more information on natural cholesterol management nutritients: http://www.kardeanutrition.com/cholesterol/program.aspx

Soluble Fiber--From Hype to Health

Take a walk through the grocery aisle, and you will quickly find many products claiming to be heart healthy.

For many of these products, the heart healthy claims flows from two essential nutritional characteristics. They are low in saturated and trans fats, and they deliver levels of soluble fiber sufficient to meet certain FDA-allowed heart health claims. To make these claims, the FDA requires that the products deliver in each serving at least .75 grams of soluble fiber from oats or barley, or 1.7 grams of soluble fiber from psyllium.

For those of us seeking measurable improvements in our cholesterol levels, success requires consuming substantially greater levels of soluble fiber. The National Cholesterol Education Program of the National Institutes of Health recommends 10-25 grams per day. Depending on your chemistry, consumption at these levels can lower LDL cholesterol by up to 8-10%. Some studies have suggested that results could be more significant.

How much oatmeal is required to reach 10 grams of soluble fiber? Roughly 5 servings, or about 2 lbs of prepared oatmeal. For 25 grams, you would need to consume about 5 lbs of prepared oatmeal, or about 2000 calories per day from oatmeal. Nay!

While oats certainly are a good starting point, I begin the day with a heaping tablespoon (=3 teaspoons) of whole psyllium husk. Psyllium seed husks are nature's most concentrated source of cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber. Where oats are only about 5% soluble fiber, psyllium husks are about 60%. With a tablespoon of psyllium husk, I start the day with 9 grams of soluble fiber (note: start with a teaspoon and work your way up).

5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables through the course of the day gets me another 5-6 grams.

From here, I shoot for the upper levels of the cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber targets. Success typically requires some culinary creativity and an understanding of the sources of soluble fiber.



Here is one recipe that you may find a useful addition to your weekly food choices:

Barley Pilaf
4 Servings of About 1 Cup Each

Barley never came to my mind as something I would crave. Yet, I discovered that barley stands side-by-side with oats as an FDA-endorsed food for promoting heart health by lowering cholesterol. I have since set out to explore how barley could be enjoyed in something other than a malted beverage.

As it turns out, a barley pilaf can be a delicious alternative to the rice, potato or pasta “starch” in protein/starch/vegetable triad my mom insists constitutes a meal.

A pilaf can be cooked to complement any number of dishes. Adapt by incorporating any number of spices. Start with the basic pilaf and create from there.

So, you ask "why don't more people eat barley." Part of the answer lies with the fact that cooking barley can be a bit tricky. If you're not careful, you might find your pilaf with hot cereal qualities---perhaps great for a cold morning but not the best for a dinner. But if you take a bit of care, you barley pilaf can be a great nutritious alternative to high glycemic, low fiber carbs.

Ingredients
1 Cup Rinsed Pearled Barley
2 Cups Water
1 Small Onion-Finely Chopped
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (preferably fortified with plant sterols)*
½ Teaspoon Turmeric
Salt & Pepper to Taste

*to double-up on the cholesterol lowering abilities of this dish, I formulated an extra-virgin olive oil with added plant sterols. This olive oil is available through the Kardea Nutrition website
http://www.kardeanutrition.com/products/food.aspx . If you want to reduce total fat, cut recipe to 1 tablespoon of oil.


Direction
Heat a sauce pan over medium heat. When pan is hot, add olive oil and chopped onion. Saute for a few minutes. Add rinsed pearl barley and saute for 5 or so minutes, stirring regularly and making sure that barley does not burn or stick to bottom of pan. Add turmeric and then water to the hot barley and stir. Cover, lower heat and cook until tender but still a bit chewy (30 minutes). Remove cover and on very low heat, let steam escape. Periodically fluff to prevent sticking to bottom of pan. Serve when barley appears about the consistency of steamed rice. This all may sound a bit cumbersome, but it works. The turmeric also give the barley a beautiful yellow color, accenting the visual appeal of an entire meal.


Nutritional Facts
(about a cup of cooked barley pilaf)
Calorie: 240 Calories from Fat: 70
Total Fat: 8g from olive oil; monounsaturated: 5.7g; polyunsaturate fat: 1.15g; saturated fat: 1.15g (4.3% of total calories); Trans fat: 0.0g.
Cholesterol: 0.0
Total Carbohydrates: 40g; Total Fiber: 8g; Soluble Fiber: 2g.
Protein: 5g.
Plant Sterol: .25g

Stepping-Up
You can try adding any number of spices. Try curry or cumin when serving lean meats or roasted root vegetables. Try ginger and currents when serving fish. Serve with a kidney bean chili or black bean salad (recipe in next blog) to create a meal that delivers 3-4g of soluble fiber.

Do You Have A Great Barley Recipe? Can you improve this recipe? Post your thoughts and recipes to this blog to share with the Kardea community.

Natural Cholesterol Management - Numbers are In

In a four month period, I naturally lowered my LDL (bad) cholesterol from 161mg/dl to 131mg/dl (about 19% improvement), increased my HDL (good) cholesterol from 55 to 61 (about a 10% improvement). Total cholesterol was reduced from from 228 (it had been as high as 239) to 201. I am not yet at the "under 200" target, but with my relatively high HDLs and declining LDLs, I was now closing in on some desireable cholesterol levels.

I achieved these goals with a less-than-disciplined, natural approach combining plant sterols, viscous soluble fiber and low levels of immediate release niacin from nicotinic acid.

I always have eaten fairly well. Low in terms of red meat and dairy, low in terms of saturated fats, processed foods and dietary cholesterol. Mediterranean cuisine also has long been a personal preference, and I use olive oil (and occassionally canola oil) in all cooking and food prep. I also eat a fair amount of vegetables and whole grains, and lots of fruit.

My internist had suggested that I might need to consider the use of a medication to achieve better cholesterol levels. As an otherwise healthy 49 male, I was not ready to start a lifetime of medication to create healthier cholesterol levels. I began a search for the alternatives, and found that a number of nutrients ---viscous soluble fibers, plant sterols, niacin and Omega-3 fatty acids --- can collectively enable an individual to substantially improve one's blood lipid profiles.

So, I began developing a personal program that incorporates these nutrients in foods and supplements. More importantly, I was looking to enjoy these foods (food and cooking are my pre-occupation and a source of daily joy). With my somewhat less-than-disciplined approach to consuming soluble fiber, plant sterols and niacin, I achieved the results noted above.

Note on full disclosure: While I weigh about the same amount, I did increase the frequency of exercise from 2 to 4 days per week. My workout intensity also increased.

I am now looking to refine my approach to further improve my blood lipid levels. As someone with year's of experience in the natural and gourmet foods, I also decided to create Kardea Nutrition to develop products that comfortably fit into my daily eating habits (and hopefully yours!). I also do not want these foods to lead to an increase in the total level of calories I take in each day.

My first set of products should be available in early February, but early in Janary, you will be able to log onto my website to see what's coming (http://www.kardeanutrition.com/).

Overall, I am sincerely interested in networking with others that are attempting to manage cholesterol levels naturally. Let's share what is working.....and based in part on these exchanges, I will be developing other foods and supplements that strive to meet the combined goals of delicious, natural, calorie-mindful and effective in terms of natural cholesterol management.