Page 2 - TriLakes Extra January 2016

2TT • FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2016 EXTRA ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE TRI-LAKES EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
savoring more, eating less}
Eating healthy doesn’t have to mean eating boring.You can add diverse foods to your diet such as bruschetta with tomatoes, herbs and oil on garlic cheese bread.
HEART-HEALTHY
FOODS
for the year ahead
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. Certain factors beyond an individual’s control, such as family history and age, affect his or her risk of develop- ing heart disease. But men and women are not helpless against heart disease.
taking new paths}
Left: Before Taylor had the Lap-Band, she weighed nearly 300 pounds and was struggling with diabetes and high blood pressure, she said. Now that her weight is about 150 pounds, her blood pressure is normal and she may be able to stop taking her diabetes medicine, she added. Right: Taylor said that the Lap-Band helped her manage her appetite, which allowed her to control her eating. She added that she walks 5 or 6 miles a week to stay active.
AWESOME
JOURNEY
woman turns to surgical procedure to lose weight, improve health
Ten years ago, Patricia Taylor, now 56, a music minister at Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, had tried almost every weight-loss program available.
Diet can be a friend or foe in regard to heart disease. A bad diet may elevate a person’s risk for high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke, while a diet rich in heart-healthy foods can lower that risk. The following are a handful of heart-healthy foods for men and women who want to begin the new year on a nourishing foot.
Raisins
Researchers from the Lou- isville Metabolic and Ath- erosclerosis Research Center found that consuming raisins three times a day may signifi- cantly lower blood pressure among individuals with mild increases in blood pressure. Raisins can help combat the growth of a type of bacte- ria that causes gum disease, which few people may know is linked to heart disease. In lieu of reaching for cookies or potato chips come snack time, opt for heart-healthy raisins instead.
Salmon
Though its label as a fatty fish may lead some to question its nutritional properties, salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can decrease a person’s risk of developing an abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia), slightly lower blood pressure and slow the growth of atherosclerotic plaque, the buildup of which can contribute to heart attack, stroke or even death. Albacore tuna, herring and lake trout are additional examples of heart- healthy fatty fish.
Whole grains
Whole grains help men and women maintain healthy weights while lowering their risk for heart disease, making grains perfect dietary additions for anyone who resolves to lose weight and protect his or her heart in the year ahead. Accord- ing to the American Heart As- sociation, whole grains — such as whole wheat, oats, rye, bar- ley and brown rice — are great sources of dietary fiber, while
refined grains such as white rice and enriched bread contain lit- tle fiber. That’s an important distinction, as dietary fiber can improve blood cholesterol levels and lower risk of heart disease and stroke.
Tomatoes
Researchers at Boston’s Tufts University analyzed more than a decade’s worth of data in an effort to discover the effects of lycopene, the antioxidant re- sponsible for giving tomatoes their familiar red color, on the cardiovascular system. They ul- timately discovered that people who regularly consumed foods with lycopene over an 11-year period reduced their risk of coronary heart disease by 26 percent. The lycopene found in tomatoes may be even more ac- cessible when they are cooked.
Aspiring to eat healthier is a goal for many people for the new year. For more information about heart-healthy foods, visit www.heart.org.
—Courtesy of Metro Creative
By Sarah DeClerk
SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
“You name it, I’ve done it,” she said. But nothing worked, and at 300 pounds, her health was suffering. Taylor said she had diabetes, high blood pressure, varicose veins and chronic bronchitis. She attributed her size to ge- netics and her sole vice: food.
“It has been a crutch for me all my life. When I’m super sad and depressed, I eat. When I’m anxious, I eat. When I’m happy, I eat,” she said.
A series of stressful events brought Taylor to the break- ing point. Her marriage end- ed, she said, and then her sister died.
“It was at that point that I finally had enough strength to face the fact that I needed help and that I couldn’t do it alone,” she said.
In 2005, a godsend came, she said. A friend directed Taylor to a Little Rock-based doctor, who then sent her to Dr. Rex Luttrell, medi- cal director for the surgical weight-loss center at Saline Memorial Hospital in Ben- ton, she said.
“Dr. Luttrell was so kind and compassionate and un- derstanding of my situation, and I’m just so grateful for him,” she added.
Although she initially sought a gastric bypass pro- cedure, Taylor said Luttrell introduced her to the Lap-
Band, a silicone strap that buckles around the upper stomach. Surgeons can ad- just the band’s fit by inflating its attached balloon with sil- icone using a port under the patient’s skin, Luttrell said.
Tightening the passage between the upper and low- er stomach creates restric- tion, causing food to sit in the small, upper pouch and stretch the stomach walls there before working its way into the lower stomach and being digested normally, he said. This causes the pa- tient to feel full after eating a small amount of food, he added.
The surgery is laparo- scopic, meaning the band is installed using small inci-
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