Health
Corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day may serve up some nutritious benefits
St. Patrick’s Day holiday menus often include the traditional corned beef and cabbage meal. Despite the calories and fat content, some nutritional experts say there may be certain health benefits to this savory dish.
“With any special meal and holiday such as St. Patrick’s Day, we should not deny ourselves these delicious meals,” Karina Chiddo, a registered dietician and pediatric nutritionist with Cohen Children’s Medical Center at Northwell Health on Long Island, New York, told Fox News Digital.
“We should be mindful that special meals can be a part of a healthy lifestyle when eaten in moderation,” she said.
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The cornerstone of the traditional meal — which is a nod to Irish heritage — is corned beef, which is a cut of meat cured with salt, much like brisket.
It is typically served with cabbage on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day.
A festive St. Patrick’s Day dinner of lean corned beef with cabbage, carrots, and baby Yukon Gold potatoes, garnished with a shamrock made of baby spinach leaves. The serving size for corned beef is about 3 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards, a nutritionist said. (iStock)
“Cabbage has some great benefits as an affordable vegetable,” Chiddo pointed out.
“It is a good source of vitamin C, manganese and folic acid, and is great for phytonutrients and antioxidants.”
Those antioxidants can help to reduce the inflammation that is linked to heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases, she added.
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Red cabbage can also raise levels of heart-protective antioxidants and has other benefits, according to Chiddo.
“Cabbage can be beneficial for our gut, especially when it’s fermented as kimchi or sauerkraut,” she said.
Corned beef can be a great source of protein, zinc and B vitamins — although it’s important to watch your portions, Chiddo advised.
Corned beef can be a great source of protein, zinc and B vitamins — although it’s important to watch your portions, an expert advised. (iStock)
“Be mindful that the serving size is about 3 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards,” she said.
“Like any animal protein, it can be high in saturated fats.”
Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic Center for Human Nutrition, commented on this Irish tradition as well.
She said cabbage is high in vitamin C, vitamin K, polyphenols and sulfur compounds, while corned beef is a source of vitamin B12, iron, selenium and protein.
How to make corned beef and cabbage healthier
The traditional corned beef and cabbage served on St. Patrick’s Day can be high in saturated fat and sodium, Zumpano noted, but there are ways to reduce those levels and make the meal healthier.
“If you’re preparing the meal, choose a lean cut of beef and trim all fat, limit the amount of sodium added, and include additional vegetables, such as carrots and parsnips,” she told Fox News Digital.
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Cabbage may contain high amounts of sodium as well as saturated fat from butter or meat drippings because of the way it is prepared in a traditional St. Patrick’s Day feast, Zumpano warned, adding the suggestion to limit portion sizes.
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In general, health experts recommend limiting consumption of red meat and processed meat due to its association with a higher risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a report on the American Heart Association website.
“If you are preparing the meal, choose a lean cut of beef and trim all fat, limit the amount of sodium added, and include additional vegetables, such as carrots and parsnips,” a nutritionist advised. (iStock)
“The major nutritional drawback of corned beef and cabbage is the amount of salt in contains,” Laura Feldman, a registered dietitian nutritionist and an assistant professor of nutrition at Long Island University in Brookville, New York, told Fox News Digital.
“A person who is affected by salt would be advised to keep portions small. However, if you follow a generally healthy diet, the impact of one holiday meal should be minimal.”
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More than 59% of women may have high blood pressure by 2050, according to a new report from the American Heart Association.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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