Trans Fats Are Everywhere

Trans fatty acids are harmful, even in small amounts. An example is that for every 2 percent of consumed calories from trans fat, the risk of heart disease rises by 23 percent. That’s quite a ratio. The problem is that trans fats are ubiquitous in bakery goods, microwave popcorn, whipped toppings and French fries.

Trans fats increase the amount of fatty lipids and cholesterol in the blood, making them thicker and stickier. A study by the University of North Carolina demonstrated that women who ate the equivalent of two donuts a day had a 30 percent increase in the risk of ischemic strokes -- those that struck the brain.

Red Meat and Egg Yolk

We have all heard the warnings about eating too much red meat. But a 10-year study following women who ate large amounts of red meat seemed to confirm those warnings. Those women had a 42 percent higher chance of stroke due to the gradual clogging of arteries with protein plaque deposits. But here’s another warning to heed: Hemoglobin in the blood of red meat may pose a newly discovered threat to red meat eaters.

Researchers are looking into whether blood becomes thicker and more viscous because of the heme iron in red meat, thus increasing the chances of a stroke.

By getting informed about nutrition and getting familiar with your body’s needs, you can make healthy choices about what you put in it. Good health is more than luck; it is making informed choices to minimize the bad stuff and optimize healthy choices.