Consumption of white potatoes is linked to increased intake of potassium, a new study has revealed.

For each additional kilocalorie of white potatoes consumed, there was a 1.6 mg increase in potassium intake among adults 19-years-old and older, and a 1.7 mg increase among children and teens from 2 to 18 years of age.

Gender, age, race/ethnicity and educational attainment, but not income or body mass index, were also highly predictive of potassium intake.

Potassium is considered a shortfall nutrient of public health concern because 97 percent of Americans do not have an adequate intake of potassium.

Maureen Storey, PhD, co-author of the study and president and CEO of the Alliance for Potato Research and Education (APRE) noted, “Very few Americans get enough potassium, which is a key nutrient that helps control blood pressure. Our study shows that the white potato is a particularly nutrient-rich vegetable that significantly increases potassium intake among adults, teens and children.”

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An understanding of fats and oils in our daily life is important to maintain a good general health. Just as choosing the right kind of carbohydrates and proteins to eat, we need to keep a big check on the medium of fats we use for cooking.

From the nutrition aspect, fats may be segregated as healthy and unhealthy fats. We have monounsaturated fats (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) which are the healthy fats and which we should use more of daily. Of these two, we should consume more of MUFA.

Of the unhealthy fats, which are of two kinds, trans fats and saturated fatty acids (SFA), trans are the worst kind and that which should be totally avoided. We may totally avoid or restrict saturated fats as we choose.

The ratio of SFA, MUFA and PUFA should ideally be 1:1.5:1. No oil is fully saturated or unsaturated. All oils contain a certain amount of all fatty acids. Thus olive oil though predominantly MUFA, will have small amounts of SFA. And sunflower though more of PUFA, will contain MUFA also. This is why we need to use different oils – at least 2 kinds – in our cooking. And as the ratio suggests, use more of oils with MUFA.

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Triacylglycerols or triglycerides (TG) as they are commonly known are a kind of fat found in our body that the body uses for energy. Whatever we eat in excess of our immediate needs is finally converted to triglycerides, and carried in the blood for storage in the fat cells throughout our body as energy reservoir.

There is hue and cry about how bad cholesterol is for our heart but we do not hear much about triglycerides. The truth is, high TG levels also risk the chance for heart attacks and are an indication of metabolic syndrome which again increases risk for being diabetic , getting a stroke or heart diseases.

How does blood triglyceride go high? A high triglyceride level in our blood depends a great deal on an excess of total calorie intake, excess of fat, sugar and alcohol intakes. Triglyceride is also made from saturated fats, trans fatty acids and refined starchy foods. Excessive intake of natural sugar also increases triglyceride levels.

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Statins are not the safest way to prevent heart disease, a study including an Indian-origin researcher has revealed.

Scientists say that changing diet is more effective than the cholesterol-lowering pills in helping the heart and staving off strokes, the Sun reported.

The warning comes as figures show statins have had no effect on Britain’s heart disease rate.

Cardiologists say the drugs have a role to play, but are not a cure-all.

“Statins are an effective, cheap treatment but I’m not in favour of mass medication because everyone should be treated on an individual basis,” the Sun quoted Prof Kausik Ray, of St George’s Healthcare Trust, London, as saying.

“For people with no family history of heart problems and others deemed a low risk, other approaches should be used, like eating a good diet full of fish, lean meat, vegetables and low in saturated fat.”

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Eating fruits and vegetables every day can reduce your risk of developing heart disease by 20 percent, a World Health Organization (WHO) study showed.

Death rates from heart disease are twice as high among people who eat diets high in saturated fat, trans fats and salt such as junk food, Xinhua quoted the study as saying.

More people around the world die from cardiovascular diseases than any other causes.

Food tips to protect your heart

These diseases were responsible for 17.3 million deaths in 2008, representing 30 percent of all global deaths, WHO said Wednesday.

The major causes of cardiovascular disease are tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and harmful use of alcohol.

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Boil a handful of fresh mint leaves in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes and drink to remove bad breath.

Fat is the most concentrated source of energy. We could all do with eating a lot less than we do, even ‘good’ fats such as olive oil should be used sparingly. Fat comes from meat products, fish, chocolate, biscuits or chips as well as oils that we use in cooking.

A healthy diet should provide no more than 35 per cent of the total calories consumed from fat. For the average man this is approximately 90g of fat per day and for women it is around 70g per day. Fats supply the body with fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids.

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A handful of lifestyle changes like exercise and a healthy diet are key to beating heart disease, experts have said.

Taking more exercise, eating more fruit and vegetables, reducing alcohol intake and slashing the amount of saturated fat in our diet could drastically reduce the rate of deaths caused by the disease.

This healthy living plan could slash the amount of bad cholesterol in the blood – that triggers heart attacks and strokes – by up to a third.

7 ways to heart health

`We know people often find diets difficult to stick to but this is more of a general lifestyle plan. It is flexible, easy to follow and can have dramatic results,` the Daily Express quoted the organisation`s chief executive Jules Payne as saying.

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Nutrition and Dietetics expert, Parvathy Radhakrishnan answers readers’ questions on nutrition. Get your doubts cleared and see them featured on our FAQ page every Wednesday.
This week’s answers:

1. hi. What is the difference between brown and white sugar. Can brown sugar be used instead of white in all recipes?
Prerna,sj
While white sugar is refined sugar, brown sugar is unrefined sugar that contains a little of the molasses and hence the brown colour. Depending on the molasses content the colour maybe mild or dark.
Both white and brown sugar have more or less same calories. Though the brown sugar contains minerals like iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium it is insignificant nutritionally.
You cannot use brown sugar in all recipes. The texture of baked products will vary because brown sugar is moist.

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What counts as fat? Are some fats better than other fats? While fats are essential for normal body function, some fats are better for you than others. Trans fats, saturated fats and cholesterol are less healthy than polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.

How much total dietary fat do I need?

Age Group Total Fat Limits
Children ages 2 to 3                                    30% to 35% of total calories
Children and adolescents ages 4 to 18     25% to 35% of total calories
Adults, ages 19 and older                           20% to 35% of total calories

You can meet this recommendation by following a healthy meal plan that meets your calorie needs and is designed to provide 20% to 35% of calories from total fat.

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