Side of Fries, Hold the Heart Disease

February is not just for Valentine’s, it’s also American Heart Month. And this year both come at a time when new research tells us that fried foods might not be as bad for our hearts as we thought!

Fried foods have long been linked to high blood pressure, cholesterol problems and of course weight gain. These are all risk factors for heart disease, so common that every year, womens’ deaths from heart disease outnumber deaths from all cancers combined.

But recently, researchers in Spain finished a study that followed over 40,000 people for over 10 years, and tracked fried food intake and heart disease rates. The study found that foods fried in olive or sunflower oils were NOT linked to heart disease.

Yay! But can we all run out and get corn dogs on sticks? Not so fast.

First, our fried foods are not the same as the fried foods in Mediterranean countries like Spain. In fact, it’s been known for decades that many Mediterranean countries have very low rates of coronary heart disease. In these places, olive oil is the major source of fat in the diet.

But when we Americans eat out, olive oil is not always on the menu. For instance McDonald’s uses Canola blend cooking oil for their fried foods, which also contains soybean oil.

Yes, here in the U.S. we cook in lots of trans fats, lots of partially hydrogenated oils and saturated fats. That’s bad, because according to experts: “polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats decrease the risk of coronary heart disease, whereas trans fats and saturated fats increase risk.” 

Second, along with using lots of healthy olive oil, the Spanish study’s participants all lived the famous Mediterranean diet, eating lots of fish and vegetables every day. Researchers figure that overall diet had something to do with the results.

And third, fried foods are definitely associated with weight gain – at least in our experience! (Our thighs still RUE THE DAY we discovered those delicioso golden-brown, deep-fried bunuelos in the bakery down the street!)

How Using All-Natural True Citrus Flavors Can Help You Avoid Heart Disease

We’ll let you know when it’s definite that switching to an all-olive-oil-fried food diet is a healthy choice. In the meantime, you can cut your chances of getting heart disease by continuing to shake out your favorite True Citrus flavors.

As we noted above, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems and weight gain are big risk factors for heart disease. And when it comes to high blood pressure, lowering salt intake by just three grams a day could cut new cases of heart disease by a third! Try to avoid high-sodium foods in restaurants and packaged foods and use no-sodium True Lemon, True Lime, True Orange as seasoning instead of salt. 

Obesity is another risk factor for the silent killer. Drinking more water has been found to help people lose weight. Try upping your intake by drinking a glass before every meal and adding all-natural flavor, and no calories, with True Citrus flavors. True Lemon, True Lime and True Orange are proven to help people drink more water!

And you can cut your risk of stroke and heart attack even more by letting True Citrus flavors help you ditch soda. Switch to True Citrus flavors in water or sparkling water instead of high-calorie sodas or diet sodas, which are filled with chemicals and have been linked to strokes and heart attacks.

So pour on the olive oil and True Citrus flavors. Both are delicious and help with your heart’s desire to stay as healthy as it possibly can!