LECTURES

Ottawa Heart Institute Alumni Fall Lecture
October 18, 2006

"Making Sense of the Foods You Eat"
Beth Mansfield, Registered Dietitian,
Sport Nutrition and Exercise Specialist, Lipid Clinic,
University of Ottawa Heart Institute

The UOHI Alumni welcomed Beth Mansfield as its speaker at the Fall Lecture that was held October 18, 2006. She is a Registered Dietitian, Sport Nutrition and Exercise Specialist with Peak Performance (www.peakperformance.ca) where she specializes in bridging the gap between the sciences of nutrition and exercise and the practices of healthy eating and active living. Beth maintains the Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC) Clinic for people with elevated cholesterol and other risk factors for heart disease at the Lipid Clinic of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. She also has a regular health segment on the CTV News at Noon the 1st Wednesday of every month.

Beth Mansfield

The presentation was absorbed with great interest by over 150 members and spouses who attended this stimulating event. Beth provided some excellent insights into healthy eating and selection of food. She stressed the importance of eating well for optimal health. Top contenders for nutritional health include brightly colored vegetables and fruits. For an anti-oxidant boost choose orange, yellow and red veggies and fruits. Processed tomatoes contain a higher content of lycopene, an important nutrient for prostate health. All berries are powerhouses of nutrition, so ensure that you have an ample supply of frozen berries on hand this winter. Fluids are important throughout your day and while water is an easy choice, milk, juice, soup and smoothies also count. Wet foods such as cereal with milk, fruit such as watermelon, grapes instead of raisins, oatmeal, tea, even coffee taken throughout the day will contribute to your optimal hydration.

"How much vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, do you get in the winter?" she asked the audience. Likely none if you live up here at this latitude. Normally we use radiation from the sun's rays to activate an inactive form of vitamin D that sits in our skin cells. We have recently discovered that here in Canada and the Northern United States, we do not get enough of the right type of radiation from the sun in the late fall, winter and early spring months. Vitamin D experts now believe that the current recommendation for adults, especially those over 50 years of age are too low to prevent health problems associated with a lack of vitamin D. Note also that vitamin D helps with the proper absorption of calcium to ensure that we, among other things, have strong bones, healthy teeth, and a normal heart rhythm. How can you get enough vitamin D? Make sure that you drink 2-4 glasses of vitamin D fortified milk or soy milk every day. If you are over 50, you should talk to your doctor and/or dietitian about taking a vitamin D supplement containing a minimum of 400 IU of vitamin D.

For those who are taking a calcium supplement, here are Beth's tips to think about:

• Spread calcium out over your day as the body can really only absorb about 500 mg of calcium at any one time.
• Use calcium citrate anytime, but preferably before bedtime.
• Use calcium carbonate only with meals.
• Choose a supplement with vitamin D, minimum 400 IUs.

Food sources of both vitamin D and calcium are still important. Milk has both, but yogurt and cheese only have calcium.

• Have a latte instead of coffee with cream.
• Make milk based soups instead of broths.
• Add powdered milk to foods.
• Top baked potatoes with thick plain yogurt instead of sour cream.
• Enjoy smoothies (yogurt and milk based blender drinks) for snacks.

And finally, Beth shared a recipe for a Bone Building, Heart Throbbing Fruit Smoothie.

Requiring a blender and 2 glasses (even if you live alone, you'll drink the second glass sooner than you think).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk or fortified soy beverage
• ¾ cup yogurt, any flavour
• 1 cup frozen berries
• 1 banana (this is where you can use your frozen bananas)

Blend together and pour into glasses. This is a yummy treat!

On behalf of the attendees, our President, Denny Doucette thanked Beth for her enlightening and practical presentation. We look forward to more goodies from Beth in the years to come.

Reported by Louise Guilbault

N.B. Please note that Beth runs workshops for "Coping with Cholesterol" and "PowerFuel Sport Nutrition" on Saturday mornings at the Heart Institute. Dates and times for all workshops are on the University of Ottawa Heart Institute's website at
 www.ottawaheart.ca/UOHI/doc/Calendar-Winter2007.pdf.

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