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Heart Healthy Diet & Exercise
Dr. Chetan Hampole shares his insight on how to keep the heart healthy with diet and exercise.
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Learn more about Chetan Hampole, MD
Chetan Hampole, MD
Chetan Hampole, MD, FACC, a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular medicine, nuclear cardiology and vascular interpretation. Dr. Hampole specializes in the full spectrum of heart diseases, as well as prevention.Learn more about Chetan Hampole, MD
Transcription:
Caitlin Whyte (Host): Fresh fish, produce, nuts and olives. Today we're talking about why the Mediterranean diet is good for your heart health with Dr. Chetan Hampole, a Board Certified Cardiologist with Baptist Heart Specialists. This is Baptist Health Radio. As the most preferred healthcare provider in Northeast Florida, we are here to help you stay informed with the latest news, views and resources for your health and wellbeing. Doctor, we know that the Mediterranean diet has been named the number one diet by US News and World Report time and again. Can you tell us more about it?
Chetan Hampole, MD (Guest): Sure. The Mediterranean-style diet, it comes from the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. And I would say that there is no one single Mediterranean style diet, but, there is a style. And we'll talk about it a little bit later, but it's broadly speaking, a focus on fresh fish, fresh produce, and trying to minimize typically what are considered unhealthy foods, particularly saturated fats and processed foods.
Host: Well, that does lead me into my next question. What sort of foods should I be eating on the Mediterranean diet and how much?
Dr. Hampole: So, I would say in a nutshell, the key points of the Mediterranean diet and the American Heart Association recommends the Mediterranean style diet, is a focus on oily fish. The gold standard for that is salmon. Other common examples are tuna, mackerel, but practically speaking, salmon is probably the easiest to get and the most loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. There's a huge emphasis on fresh fruits and fresh vegetables, small meals, more of them over the course of the day. So I think, you know, traditionally, most people in this country grew up believing that they should have three square meals a day breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The American Heart Association gets away from that and then thinks about more like five or six small meals, but eating every one to two hours, early dinners, trying to avoid post dinner snacking, very conservative with added sugars. Sugar itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Natural sugars like fruits, but added sugars, we try to stay away from and then there's a I wouldn't call it an emphasis, but it allows for small to moderate amounts of alcohol and specifically red wine.
Host: Now you mentioned sugar, but what are any other foods we should be avoiding on the Mediterranean diet? And tell us more about alcohol.
Dr. Hampole: Sure. So, in addition to added sugar as the number one, I think the most important part of the Mediterranean style diet is to really minimize or ideally eliminate saturated fats. And saturated fats are those fats that come from fried foods, processed foods, restaurant foods, as opposed to mono and polyunsaturated fats with omega-3 fatty acids being a type of polyunsaturated fats. And as far as alcohol goes, the American Heart Association doesn't recommend nor does it dissuade people from drinking alcohol, but they do say that if you're going to drink alcohol to try to keep low to moderate amounts.
So, typically for a man, one to two glasses of red wine and for a woman, one glass of red wine per day. And the red wine data is born out of the skin of the red grapes, which have polyphenols and those polyphenols are thought to be cardioprotective. But the data is a little bit controversial and that's why it doesn't get into the American Heart Association guidelines to do it. But it doesn't dissuade you from, uh, dissuade one from doing it.
Host: So, it sounds like a lot of the recommended foods are typically considered high in fat, like olive oil and salmon. Are you sure I won't gain weight because of this?
Dr. Hampole: So, you know, you're right. There is an emphasis on certain types of fats. And so it's not to say that the American Heart Association recommends a fatty style of diet. It doesn't. In fact, you know, it tries to dissuade people from fats, but if you are going to eat fats, then the best type of fats are going to be the mono and polyunsaturated fats with common sources being some fatty foods. So as you said, salmon, other ones, olive oils, avocados, certain nuts, which have a lot of poly and mono unsaturated fats, like peanuts, cashews, walnuts, as opposed to certain nuts that are loaded in saturated fats, which we try to avoid, which are pistachios, cashews. Delicious, of course, but not as healthy as some of those aforementioned nuts.
So it, no, you won't necessarily gain weight. In fact, a lot of people lose weight on the diet, but there are a certain amount of poly and mono unsaturated fats that we should have in our diet. And a certain amount of fat is good for our overall health. Good for brain health. Good for cellular health. But obviously overindulgence is where people run into problems.
Host: Now, how and why is this diet connected to my heart? What are some other health benefits that I can expect on it?
Dr. Hampole: Sure. So, the major benefits are tied to outcomes. So less heart failure, less heart attack, less mortality, and then also an improvement in modifiable risk factors. So, things like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. There's data to show that even outside of heart health and there's extensive data to show that the Mediterranean-style diet supports heart health, but there is data to show that it supports non cardiac health, specifically brain health. And there's data to show that people on Mediterranean style diet are less likely to develop dementia, specifically Alzheimer's dementia. So, in addition to the sort of robust cardiac and cardiac related outcomes, there's also non-cardiac important outcomes like brain health, which are related to the Mediterranean style diets as well.
Host: Well wrapping up your Doctor, are there any other tips or advice you have about heart-healthy diets and exercise?
Dr. Hampole: Yeah, I, you know, I, I, I'm leery to use the word diet. I like the idea more of lifestyle and more of nutrition. And I think of it in that way for myself, you know, obviously nutrition or we'll call it diet is important for what I do professionally, but just speaking personally, it's something that I spend a lot of time thinking about and trying to be adherent to. And I would say the main things that I have sort of evolved over the years, and this is just personally speaking; I did not grow up eating a what you traditionally call Mediterranean-style diet. Then it sort of evolved into it. I do now. But you know, it took years. And I would say the main thing for me was having a plan.
And that is that it's, you know, how am I going to as a busy person? I think a lot of people are busy and they find that difficult for them to make time, uh, to eat this sort of healthy diet. It takes organization. I think it takes a plan. In fact, even writing down your plan and then really trying to faithfully execute that plan. One thing that I did that was really helped me was I started meal prepping on the weekend. So, specifically on Sundays, I would make a few items and these are items that you know, I could eat over the course of a few days, things like that would stay fresh. And so it would really reduce the amount of time I had to spend cooking on the weekdays and but still cook some healthy things that did that take a lot of time.
It's like fish, for example. So, I could put fish in the oven, broil it or grill it. And, you know, it takes less than 15 minutes. But as far as my breakfast, my lunches, my oatmeals, my soups, and all of those things were made on Sunday. So, it really just reduces the amount of time that I have to spend during the weekdays and helps me stay faithful with a healthy diet. So it is a, you know, to be honest, it is a lot of work, but I think, you know, there's the obvious benefits down the road. Just takes a little bit of planning, I would say organization, and then just consistency,
Host: Some great tips we can incorporate into our daily lives. Thank you so much, Doctor for joining us and thank you for listening to Baptist Health Radio. For more information, visit Baptistheartspecialists.com or call (904) 720-0799. That's (904) 720-0799 to book an appointment with Dr. Hampole. This has been Baptist Health Radio. I'm Caitlin Whyte. Stay well.
Caitlin Whyte (Host): Fresh fish, produce, nuts and olives. Today we're talking about why the Mediterranean diet is good for your heart health with Dr. Chetan Hampole, a Board Certified Cardiologist with Baptist Heart Specialists. This is Baptist Health Radio. As the most preferred healthcare provider in Northeast Florida, we are here to help you stay informed with the latest news, views and resources for your health and wellbeing. Doctor, we know that the Mediterranean diet has been named the number one diet by US News and World Report time and again. Can you tell us more about it?
Chetan Hampole, MD (Guest): Sure. The Mediterranean-style diet, it comes from the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. And I would say that there is no one single Mediterranean style diet, but, there is a style. And we'll talk about it a little bit later, but it's broadly speaking, a focus on fresh fish, fresh produce, and trying to minimize typically what are considered unhealthy foods, particularly saturated fats and processed foods.
Host: Well, that does lead me into my next question. What sort of foods should I be eating on the Mediterranean diet and how much?
Dr. Hampole: So, I would say in a nutshell, the key points of the Mediterranean diet and the American Heart Association recommends the Mediterranean style diet, is a focus on oily fish. The gold standard for that is salmon. Other common examples are tuna, mackerel, but practically speaking, salmon is probably the easiest to get and the most loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. There's a huge emphasis on fresh fruits and fresh vegetables, small meals, more of them over the course of the day. So I think, you know, traditionally, most people in this country grew up believing that they should have three square meals a day breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The American Heart Association gets away from that and then thinks about more like five or six small meals, but eating every one to two hours, early dinners, trying to avoid post dinner snacking, very conservative with added sugars. Sugar itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Natural sugars like fruits, but added sugars, we try to stay away from and then there's a I wouldn't call it an emphasis, but it allows for small to moderate amounts of alcohol and specifically red wine.
Host: Now you mentioned sugar, but what are any other foods we should be avoiding on the Mediterranean diet? And tell us more about alcohol.
Dr. Hampole: Sure. So, in addition to added sugar as the number one, I think the most important part of the Mediterranean style diet is to really minimize or ideally eliminate saturated fats. And saturated fats are those fats that come from fried foods, processed foods, restaurant foods, as opposed to mono and polyunsaturated fats with omega-3 fatty acids being a type of polyunsaturated fats. And as far as alcohol goes, the American Heart Association doesn't recommend nor does it dissuade people from drinking alcohol, but they do say that if you're going to drink alcohol to try to keep low to moderate amounts.
So, typically for a man, one to two glasses of red wine and for a woman, one glass of red wine per day. And the red wine data is born out of the skin of the red grapes, which have polyphenols and those polyphenols are thought to be cardioprotective. But the data is a little bit controversial and that's why it doesn't get into the American Heart Association guidelines to do it. But it doesn't dissuade you from, uh, dissuade one from doing it.
Host: So, it sounds like a lot of the recommended foods are typically considered high in fat, like olive oil and salmon. Are you sure I won't gain weight because of this?
Dr. Hampole: So, you know, you're right. There is an emphasis on certain types of fats. And so it's not to say that the American Heart Association recommends a fatty style of diet. It doesn't. In fact, you know, it tries to dissuade people from fats, but if you are going to eat fats, then the best type of fats are going to be the mono and polyunsaturated fats with common sources being some fatty foods. So as you said, salmon, other ones, olive oils, avocados, certain nuts, which have a lot of poly and mono unsaturated fats, like peanuts, cashews, walnuts, as opposed to certain nuts that are loaded in saturated fats, which we try to avoid, which are pistachios, cashews. Delicious, of course, but not as healthy as some of those aforementioned nuts.
So it, no, you won't necessarily gain weight. In fact, a lot of people lose weight on the diet, but there are a certain amount of poly and mono unsaturated fats that we should have in our diet. And a certain amount of fat is good for our overall health. Good for brain health. Good for cellular health. But obviously overindulgence is where people run into problems.
Host: Now, how and why is this diet connected to my heart? What are some other health benefits that I can expect on it?
Dr. Hampole: Sure. So, the major benefits are tied to outcomes. So less heart failure, less heart attack, less mortality, and then also an improvement in modifiable risk factors. So, things like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. There's data to show that even outside of heart health and there's extensive data to show that the Mediterranean-style diet supports heart health, but there is data to show that it supports non cardiac health, specifically brain health. And there's data to show that people on Mediterranean style diet are less likely to develop dementia, specifically Alzheimer's dementia. So, in addition to the sort of robust cardiac and cardiac related outcomes, there's also non-cardiac important outcomes like brain health, which are related to the Mediterranean style diets as well.
Host: Well wrapping up your Doctor, are there any other tips or advice you have about heart-healthy diets and exercise?
Dr. Hampole: Yeah, I, you know, I, I, I'm leery to use the word diet. I like the idea more of lifestyle and more of nutrition. And I think of it in that way for myself, you know, obviously nutrition or we'll call it diet is important for what I do professionally, but just speaking personally, it's something that I spend a lot of time thinking about and trying to be adherent to. And I would say the main things that I have sort of evolved over the years, and this is just personally speaking; I did not grow up eating a what you traditionally call Mediterranean-style diet. Then it sort of evolved into it. I do now. But you know, it took years. And I would say the main thing for me was having a plan.
And that is that it's, you know, how am I going to as a busy person? I think a lot of people are busy and they find that difficult for them to make time, uh, to eat this sort of healthy diet. It takes organization. I think it takes a plan. In fact, even writing down your plan and then really trying to faithfully execute that plan. One thing that I did that was really helped me was I started meal prepping on the weekend. So, specifically on Sundays, I would make a few items and these are items that you know, I could eat over the course of a few days, things like that would stay fresh. And so it would really reduce the amount of time I had to spend cooking on the weekdays and but still cook some healthy things that did that take a lot of time.
It's like fish, for example. So, I could put fish in the oven, broil it or grill it. And, you know, it takes less than 15 minutes. But as far as my breakfast, my lunches, my oatmeals, my soups, and all of those things were made on Sunday. So, it really just reduces the amount of time that I have to spend during the weekdays and helps me stay faithful with a healthy diet. So it is a, you know, to be honest, it is a lot of work, but I think, you know, there's the obvious benefits down the road. Just takes a little bit of planning, I would say organization, and then just consistency,
Host: Some great tips we can incorporate into our daily lives. Thank you so much, Doctor for joining us and thank you for listening to Baptist Health Radio. For more information, visit Baptistheartspecialists.com or call (904) 720-0799. That's (904) 720-0799 to book an appointment with Dr. Hampole. This has been Baptist Health Radio. I'm Caitlin Whyte. Stay well.