Dom Q Heart Disease

Heart disease is a major cause of death worldwide and can be prevented through dietary changes. The build-up of plaque in the arteries, caused by bad cholesterol, is a key factor in heart disease. Dairy, beef, and pork are common foods that contribute to increased bad cholesterol. Fast food and restaurant meals make up a significant portion of daily calorie intake, which can lead to heart disease. Saturated and trans fats found in processed and fried foods are harmful, while unsaturated fats found in nuts and fruits are healthy. Economic factors make unhealthy foods more accessible and affordable. Processed foods often contain added sugars, which can also lead to type 2 diabetes. Being conscious of food choices and incorporating fruits and vegetables can help prevent heart disease. Welcome back to the Heal Through Meals podcast, where we explore the relationship between what we eat and our health. Today, we'll be focusing in on heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, but many cases can be prevented through dietary changes. In this podcast, we'll hear from my good friend, Matthew Berger. Say hello, Matthew. Hey, hey, hey. We're going to discuss the latest research, kind of go through some of the myths around heart disease as well as diet, and give you some tips for incorporating some healthy foods into your daily life. Happy to be joining you wherever you are, whether it be in the gym, on a walk, or just on your way to work. So first, I feel like it's very important to just define what heart disease is, and I feel like the CDC has the best definition of it. They say that coronary heart disease is caused by the buildup of plaque in the wall of arteries that supply blood to the heart, and the plaque is made up of cholesterol. So the first issue with most people's diets is it's filled with foods that cause a buildup of a lot of this bad cholesterol. There are two types of cholesterol, and the CDC also has a nice little definition for those. So LDL is called the bad cholesterol, and it's really what we need to be looking out for in our diets that causes this increased risk for heart disease. And then there's also HDL, which is this good cholesterol that's really needed in a lot of our body's processes. So my first source, Jeremiah Stamler, kind of talks about a lot of the foods that people eat that cause an increase in this LDL. He says many foods include dairy products, beef, and pork. And for me, I was kind of stuck home, especially living in Wisconsin, I don't know what you meant, but I really like my beef and cheese. What about you? Yeah, I'm definitely a big into those meats and I guess maybe those fatty products that he's trying to call me out on eating, you know? Anyways, there was a study during about a 10-year time period where people cut back on these types of foods, and they saw a decrease in all types of heart risk, diseases, and other issues by 20%. I think that's very significant. Another issue, especially with today's culture, is a lot of this fast food and eating out at restaurants, I find it very hard, especially here on campus, that I can't really all too well choose what they're serving, so I have to get a lot of my meals from this fast food or takeout food. According to a study performed by researcher Kaya Duffy, she says that 30-42% of the average person's daily calories comes from faster restaurant food. I kind of want your input on that, Matt. Do you think that's low, or does that seem about right? I guess I'm kind of going through my day right now. I think that's even low, I think that's a low percentage. That's what I was thinking, I saw that and I felt like that was lower than I thought it'd be. I mean, to my opinion, I guess being here, the food provided here all seems like it's that, those fried options, that's something that I could order at a fast food restaurant, whether it's even a sub, a bagel, chicken tenders, a cheeseburger, even a pasta or something, you know, just something of that fatty content, and when I think about it, it does seem like that 40% is low, even. And I feel like, this study was performed in 2008, and I just feel like, even since then, I feel like people are more, you know, going to more fast foods, especially with things like DoorDash, Grubhub, like, there's just more access to this, you know, sit at home, get these types of foods that, you know, have a real bad risk of increasing your heart disease. Um, she also talks about how 50% of a person's daily energy is coming from this fast food, and I feel like that's very substantial because you're getting the energy that you put in, like, if you put in crap food that's been processed full of these bad cholesterols, you're going to get bad energy out, and if half of your energy is coming from fast food, you know, I feel like it'd be very hard to function. Um, I don't know about you, but especially with me, I, I like to like, I like to watch what I eat, I kind of like, I really like, want to, like, gain muscle, you know, lose fat, like everyone does, and I feel like there's this common myth that like, oh, like, fats are bad, like people read the nutrition label, they see high fats, and they just stay away, where the truth is, there's multiple types of fats, and only two of them are bad, while the other two are actually very healthy for you. Um, the two harmful fats, however, are saturated fats and trans fats, and those are often found, you know, processed foods, fried foods, you know, all the ones that like, I really enjoy, I can't lie. Um, however, the other ones, poly, mono, polyamino unsaturated fats, those are, you know, like, those are, you know, healthy fats that your body needs, and they're often found in things like nuts, fruits, vegetables, um, and it's like, it's a lot of those foods that people tend to avoid nowadays. I know you, you mentioned cholesterol earlier, um, so what is cholesterol, and I mean, how does that apply to my heart, and my blood pressure, um, heart disease, and kind of that aspect of it? Um, it's kind of like, cholesterol itself is like this little placky substance, um, HDL, you know, is the good cholesterol, really, really needed, it helps carry, like, other nutrients, and is really needed for, like, your body to function well, however, LDL is this, like, really thicker type of cholesterol, and this is what causes, um, like, buildup in the major blood vessels around your heart, and it's when this LDL, you know, builds up so bad that it blocks off, um, blood flow to the heart is when you see things like stroke, heart attacks, the things you really don't want to see. I know it's easy to, you know, talk about how, all of, like, these foods you should be avoiding, you know, fast food's bad, but the truth of it is, it's really an economic problem, like, these foods that are not, you know, not as good for us, are just being brought down to such, like, a cheap price that, you know, it's a lot easier for families and people to afford, and then, you know, more easily access, and I think that's the true problem, I don't, I feel like people don't necessarily choose that, they want to, you know, send, eat fast food for every meal, but, you know, when that's the only thing you can afford is really kind of the issue. Um, where do you see that play into your life? I mean, in your dietary actions, in your decisions, um, whether it's cost or expense, like, when you go to the, or you or your parents, or whatever, you go to the grocery store, do you notice that you or your parents would buy a cheaper, unhealthy option, or, I mean, how does that apply to you? Well, you know, usually when my parents shop, we usually get, like, the off-brand, like, no-name, because it's cheaper, but then, often, like, with that issue is often, it's still just as processed as, like, the name brand, um, but also, I find that, like, fresh fruits and vegetables, like, really getting them fresh, like, they're way more expensive, like, it's way, it's also way harder to access, things in stores have been packaged and processed with, like, all sorts of things. That's another thing, is, um, like, the process of actually, you know, like, processing, like, a food, packaging it, like, what they do is they, like, take out key components of, like, the food, and replace it with things that are, like, addictive, or make it easier for it to last longer on shelves, and that's kind of what makes, like, processed foods, you know, really harmful for the body, it's because it's, you know, manipulated and replaced with things that, like, the body isn't naturally meant to, like, digest, but anyways, I completely avoided your question. I would say, like, I don't know, at work, like, during my lunches, I find it way easier to just buy something there than it is to, like, make a meal beforehand, pack it, like, pack it, and, I don't know, it's really frustrating, because at work, they, like, there's no healthy options, like, you look in there, it's pre-packaged sandwiches, chips, like, candy bars, and it's, like, it's really frustrating if you want to make those healthy choices, because they're just not available. I definitely agree. I guess for me at work, it's like a vending machine, you know? Yep. Oh, nice, that's $1.50, $2, cool, I'll get that, but I guess that fat intake does, I mean, it's even the slow intake, it just slowly builds up to where it does affect your heart. I think you're right, I think it is very overlooked in the dietary aspect of things, but what I also think is very overlooked is the fact that, like, eating these types of foods that not only have, like, a bad effect on your heart, also have bad, like, bad effects generally to your body. According to GMAN, issues that cause coronary heart disease also have a very strong correlation with the cause of type 2 diabetes. The reason for this is many of these highly processed foods and, you know, the foods that people generally like to enjoy have a lot of added sugars to them to make them, one, more addictive, and two, kind of just to taste better, which is really a really strong issue. Because, one, it's, like, not only horrible for your heart, but it's also this general health, and there needs to be a change. Do you have any final questions with us today, Matthew? I do not. I mean, my knowledge on heart disease is kind of minimal. I mean, there's heart disease in my family, it's something that we kind of battle just genetically and stuff like that, and I guess trying to avoid it based on your, you know, obviously food recommendations and just knowing what you're eating and knowing what you're interacting with is really important. And so, I guess my knowledge has grown, so I don't really have much else to ask. I mean, I appreciate you adding that, you know, heart disease runs kind of in your family, because it's the same thing for me, which caused me to kind of be more conscious of what I'm eating. And I'm hoping I can get people to be more conscious about what they're eating, especially with the heart disease being, like, the number one cause of death in the world. Anyways, kind of just to summarize what we talked about here today, heart disease is the cause of buildup of bad cholesterol around the arteries of your heart. There are two different types of cholesterol, you know, good cholesterol, bad cholesterol, LDL being the bad. Also, to not avoid all types of fats, because, you know, there are good fats, but then there's also these very harmful fats. And kind of just some tips to leave you guys with today, trying to avoid these highly processed foods, and get your fruits and vegetables in. Anyways, thank you for joining me on the Heal Through Meals podcast. Yeah, thank you for having me.