UF students looking for a healthier heart can add extra-virgin olive oil to their next meal.
Dr. Ramon Estruch, a professor of medicine in Barcelona, found that a diet characterized by Mediterranean foods is more effective in warding off heart disease than a simple low-fat diet.
According to the study, Estruch and his colleagues found lower risk of heart disease among their test subjects when they ate more olive oil, fish and poultry with meals.
Seeing these results have some local experts suggesting the diet as well. Anne Mathews, a registered dietician with UF’s department of food science and human nutrition, said most of the foods in the diet lead to decreased risk of diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Although some foods in the diet contain fats, Mathews said they can be beneficial to cardiovascular health in controlled portions.
“They’re not foods like a triple scoop of ice cream with a brownie on the side,” she said.
Wendy Dahl, another registered dietician with UF’s department of food science and human nutrition, said when it comes to cardiovascular risks, the Mediterranean diet will be more beneficial than just a low-fat diet. However, Dahl said she believes Americans will have a hard time following the diet because they are constantly on the go.
“You’re not going to be able to go through a drive-thru and get a meal with extra-virgin olive oil,” she said.
Brittany Wallrath, a 19-year-old UF civil engineering sophomore, recently started following the diet by eating chicken and fish instead of red meat as well as substituting breads and chips with fruits and vegetables.
“I kind of took the saying ‘you get out what you put in’ to heart,” she said, “and started to really pay attention to what I was putting in my body.”
