Ladies, eat your veggies to live longer
Women can protect themselves against heart disease and other deadly illnesses by sticking with a diet that is low in saturated fats and sugar and high in vegetables, fruits and whole grains, a new study suggests. “We investigated a Western eating pattern – lots of red and processed meat, french fries, refined grains and sweets – and a prudent pattern – lots of fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish and poultry – in relation to mortality,” explained study author Christin Heidemann, who conducted her research while in the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. She is now a research scientist in the department of epidemiology at the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Nuthetal, HealthDay.com reports. “[Women] with a high adherence to the prudent pattern had a 17-percent lower long-term risk of premature death from all causes, and a 28-percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, compared with women with a low adherence to this pattern,” Heidemann said. The researchers noted that what they defined as a prudent diet closely reflects dietary recommendations from the American Heart Association that target all healthy men and women, including taking steps to limit saturated fats, cholesterol, and sodium; to lower sugar consumption; to eat fish twice weekly; to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole-grain and high-fiber foods; and to eat fat-free and low-fat dairy products. The findings were expected to be published in the July 15 issue of Circulation. For more on what disease-fighting foods are best, go to BET.com/Body & Soul.

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