Lean protein and some fats can boost health

To make better choices at holiday meals, just remember to go easy on the gravy -- and to have an extra serving of lean protein and maybe a handful of nuts.

A new study has found that turkey, nuts, avocados, beans, seafood and olive oil can reduce blood pressure and blood cholesterol. Turkey, nuts, beans and other forms of lean protein also help increase feelings of fullness, important for maintaining your weight.

Published earlier this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study pitted a diet proven to control blood pressure and known as DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) against two similar diets that had been tweaked to provide either more lean protein or more healthy fat. All three diets were low in sodium and rich in fruit, vegetables and whole grains. They included low-fat dairy products, lean meat, poultry and fish. As the researchers expected, all three effectively reduced blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels in a group of 164 adults age 30 and older.

But the diet highest in lean protein ¡ª 25% of total calories, half from vegetable protein ¡ª outperformed the other two in reducing blood pressure and blood cholesterol and kept participants feeling fuller and more satisfied. "This is a way to have a higher protein diet and do it in a healthy way with some documented benefits," said the study's lead author, Lawrence Appel, professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States.

The diet highest in healthy fat offered different benefits. The study found that it beat the regular DASH diet in controlling blood pressure and outperformed both other diets in maintaining levels of beneficial blood cholesterol ¡ª high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

"Here's the evidence for people to pay attention to what they are eating and to make wise choices based on their particular health needs," said Ed Roccella, coordinator of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's High Blood Pressure Education Program.

So if blood pressure control alone is the goal, then the high-protein approach is best. But if lowering blood pressure and maintaining healthy blood cholesterol levels are important, then the diet higher in healthy fats is best.

Either way, Roccella says, "it's really nice evidence that people can tailor their diets."

Here are some of the take-home messages from this study and other research to help you enjoy healthy holiday feasts.

Eat breakfast. It's easy to get so busy stuffing the turkey that you skip breakfast. But studies show that when you miss the first meal of the day, you're more likely to overeat later.

Make time for activity. Even a 10-minute walk helps burn calories. It also helps alleviate stress. And if bad weather keeps you indoors, just put on music and dance.

Plate it. This trick is used by chefs who might otherwise eat their way through the workday. Get a small plate. Fill it with healthy foods. Some possibilities: olives, baby carrots, hummus, slices of sweet red pepper, whole grain crackers plus some thin slices of smoked fish or low-fat cheese. Make it food that you like. Eat only from this plate while cooking or doing kitchen duties. When it's gone, well, it's gone.

Indulge in a first course. Just make it vegetables or salad. They're filled with flavor, fiber and are low in calories. Or have soup, preferably broth rather than cream-based varieties.

Editor: Donald