Heart-Healthy Diet Changes

Dave is a 46-year-old attorney with a family history of heart disease (his father had a heart attack at the age of 56) whose recent blood tests reveal high blood LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. His doctor has advised him to eat less fat in his diet. Dave is a self-confessed "foodie" and he enjoys wine and cheese at several social functions each week. He cooks with "real" butter at home and uses half milk and half cream in his coffee. Although fairly inactive, Dave keeps his weight stable at 170 pounds. He is 5 feet 10 inches tall.

1. What factors may be contributing to Dave's elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels?

2. From the history given, identify the main sources of saturated fat in Dave's diet. What are some reasonable changes he could make to lower his intake of saturated fat from these foods?

3. Assume Dave eats about 2000 kcalories a day and that his doctor has advised him to limit his fat intake to 35 percent of his daily kcalories. Refer to the "How to" feature (p. 155) of this chapter to calculate his personal Daily Value for fat.

4. According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, what is the maximum percentage of kcalories from saturated fat that Dave should consume each day? Remembering that 1 gram of fat contains 9 kcalories, calculate the maximum grams of saturated fat that Dave should eat each day based on his daily intake of 2000 kcalories.

5. Using information from Highlight 5, what additional advice would you offer Dave to improve his heart health?

6. Plan a one-day menu for Dave with higher amounts of healthful fatty acids and lower amounts of harmful fatty acids.