DIETS TO REDUCE HEART DISEASE AND CANCER

Your diet can drastically alter your chances of getting heart disease and cancer.

 The bad news is that the trans-fatty acids in hydrogenated vegetable oil and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil can have major harmful effects.

 Bread, biscuits, crackers, chips, candy bars, and many baked goods such as doughnuts have margarine as a common ingredient. Hydrogenated vegetable oils are mainly found in margarine and vegetable shortening.

 Many french fries are now cooked in hydrogenated vegetable oils/cottonseed oil. Cottonseed oil compared to other oils, requires less hydrogenation because it is naturally stable. Because of this, it has relatively lower levels of trans fat.

 Although high in vitamin E in it’s natural state it contains gossypol, the compound that causes the yellowish colour of the plant’s oil. It is toxic to non-ruminant animals and reacts with protein to reduce the oil's nutritional value. Ruminant animals have a stomach divided into four sections and chew the cud cattle, sheep, goats, deer, giraffes, antelopes, and camels. Although refined cottonseed oil is promoted to be pure and clean, the refining process alters the oil's structure entirely through processing where it is exposed to a number of chemicals.

 Also a high percentage of the cotton crop grown especially in America is genetically engineered which is thought to have the potential to cause many adverse health problems. Allergies may come from the high pesticide load and mold contamination that pervades cotton. People allergic to canola oil may also have allergies to cottonseed oil.

 If you eat a normal Western diet, it is hard to avoid large doses of hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils, but evidence would suggest they should be avoided whenever possible. Trans-fatty acids have been implicated in the deaths of thousands of persons every year according to Harvard school of public health.

 There is good news though. Eating monounsaturated fats - found in olive oil, and nuts- seems to have a protective effect against these major diseases. Hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, almonds, pistachios, Brazil nuts, walnuts, and peanuts are the highest in monounsaturated fats

 There are other dietary factors that can help prevent heart disease. In Mediterranean areas, geographic and agricultural factors seem to have fostered the adoption of diets relatively high in fibre and omega3 fatty acids, and low in artery-clogging saturated fats. The diet - rich in vegetables, fruits, grains, beans, and fish -- can reduce the risk of a heart attack.