Olive Oil and Sweet Potatoes #57

From our last post we will clear up some information that came up when discussing the Mediterranean diet.   Cartenoids, what are they?  Pigments found in fruits and vegetables that when eaten provide us with vitamin A.   Lycopenes are powerful antioxidants which help protect our bodies from some chronic diseases.   Phytochemicals are plant chemical compounds found in vegetables which are beneficial in preventing some cancers and heart disease.  And some examples of unrefined cereals are oatmeal, beans, lentils, barley, couscous, nuts, and seeds.

Extra virgin olive oil contains less than 0.8% acidity while virgin can contain up to 2.0%..  Olive oil contains antioxidants not found in other oils.  It reduces inflammation in your body's blood, and protects the cells that line the blood vessels.  Olive oil is considered a major contributor in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

We do not fry or eat any fried foods where we would use olive oil in that manner.  However used over salads and vegetables, or brushed over fish before grilling or baking would be a good way to use and consume olive oil.

This is the holiday time of year when many of us eat sweet potatoes and then mostly don't have them again until next holiday season.   Sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene, a cartenoid, high in vitamin A.  Sweet potatoes contain antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory properties.  They contain dietary fiber which help stabilize blood sugar levels.  Cindy will laugh if she gets the idea that I am trying to give you some recipes, or tell you how to cook something.  I do a great job of cooking my oatmeal every morning,  pass that and my cooking skills are pretty low.  The best I can tell from reading up on sweet potatoes is that they can be used in about any manner as any other potato.  Mashed, baked, roasted, in stews, or salads.   I subscribe to a fitness magazine and this month they have an article on sweet potatoes being a very healthy food.  We do eat sweet potatoes, as a matter of fact Cindy is down in the kitchen now making a sweet potato casserole.   We occasionally  eat them baked. Well I do, she doesn't care for them baked.  They are sweet in taste and I especially like them prepared as a casserole.

So there are many healthy foods you can change to that will hopefully do two things for you, help you begin to make the transition to heart healthy foods, and with your weight loss or weight control.  To me if you are a heart patient, have had heart disease, heart surgery, heart attack, bypass, stints, from here on everything should be changing in your lifestyle in you want to live as normal a life as possible.  Exercise, diet, and weight control will be the key to you living a better health quality of life.  

I go to my cardiologist in a couple of weeks.  I am always nervous about it, concerned about test results, is everything okay? I will give you a full report as soon as I know which probably will be around Christmas.

Eat and exercise well.