Plaque is the stuff of coronary heart disease. It is CONTROLLABLE, it is STOPPABLE, it is REVERSIBLE.
But you must be equipped with the right information on diet, nutritional supplements, and hopefully the avoidance of medication.
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Take a look at the list of ingredients in Cocoa Puffs: corn, sugar, corn syrup–all high glycemic index foods.
In other words, Cocoa Puffs is the physiologic equivalent of pure table sugar. Sure, it comes packaged with this wacky bird and the back of the box usually has fun games and offers. There’s also the clever, fast-paced TV commercials to remind you of how fun Cocoa Puffs can be.
What is the actual consequence of a breakfast of a food like Cocoa Puffs in a cup of skim milk? That’s easy: A big surge in insulin and blood sugar (from the corn and sugar), a drop in HDL cholesterol, surge in triglycerides (from the sugar and sugar-equivalents), increase in small LDL. Beyond this, you raise blood pressure and experience an insatiable increase in appetite. Then you get fat. 
Obviously, none of this is desirable. Then why does the American Heart Association allow its Heart CheckMark endorsement on the package?
The Heart Association is trapped in 1982. Low-fat was in, saturated fat was the sole enemy of heart disease.
In 1982, the evils of small LDL, for instance, were unappreciated. LDL cholesterol was LDL cholesterol–all of it was bad and saturated fats seem to raise LDL. But the story has evolved enormously since then: LDL is not all the same. Small LDL is among the principal culprits in heart disease, the same small LDL hugely magnified by Cocoa Puffs and other similar products that fill 70% of supermarket shelves.
The American Heart Association needs to get with the times. The conversation on healthy diets has progressed considerably. Yet garbage foods that wreak havoc on health like Cocoa Puffs continue to be endorsed by an organization that still carries substantial clout with the American consumer.
My advice: Until they change their tune, anything that carries the endorsement of the American Heart Association should be eliminated from your diet.
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It’s a raeal health drink.
Dr. Davis,
Clearly you have lost it. You’re seriously suggesting that Mega Moose Strawberry Blast Energy Drink isn’t heart-healthy?
http://www.northamericanbeverage.com/
http://checkmark.heart.org/AdCategory/DC/DC-FM
Come on! The manufacturer assures us that Mega Moose “provides a natural, wholesome energy [64g sugars, mostly sucrose] in a great tasting drink that captures the flavor of fresh summer strawberries. Kids will love the taste and mothers will feel good about giving their kids a nutritious 99% fat free and 98% cholesterol free drink that carries the American Heart Association‘s heart check mark and the American Dairy Association‘s ‘Real Seal.’” It even has your beloved D3 in it!
Sorry, but I’ve gotta trust the scientific consensus (both the AHA and the ADA) on this one.
Actually, at Costco today I bought a 4 lb bag of Rader Farms “Nature’s Three Berries,” which also bears the AHA Checkmark. It’s just a bag of frozen berries, but your post has me wondering if I should return it, just on general principles!
I notice it’s also marked “whole grains.”
Has anyone ever tried to sprout a cocoa puff?
LOL!
How about Organic Cocoa Puffs? Maybe that’s next.
I swear I am not making this up: I saw “organic” toaster pastries at the grocery store tonight.
I can’t figure out who would buy them.
So where's the mark? I do'nt see it on the pictures. It's 2009 now, has it been removed?
The American Heart Association needs to get with the times. The conversation on healthy diets has progressed considerably. Yet garbage foods that wreak havoc on health like Cocoa Puffs continue to be endorsed by an organization that still carries substantial clout with the American consumer.