Keep your heart healthy with Hawaiʻi-grown staples

Did you know diet can play an important role in keeping your heart healthy?

In Hawaiʻi, Native Hawaiians (NH) and other Pacific Islanders (PI) have disproportionately high rates of heart disease (~20%) and related non-communicable diseases such as – obesity (~74%) and diabetes (~20%). For comparison, the rates of these diseases for non-Hispanic Whites are ~7%, ~54%, and <6%, respectively.

This disparity may be rooted in the disconnection from traditional food sources due to the impact of colonization, cultural loss, and economic deprivation. Decreased access to healthy, locally grown foods leads to a calorie-dense diet, whereas improving access to lower glycemic, locally grown staples would mitigate these risks.

It is critical to consume foods high in antioxidants and vitamins to keep your heart healthy, and many of these heart-healthy ingredients are available in Hawaii's locally grown staples.

[hearts]

 

Did you know that having a happy, healthy heart decreases the onset of cardiovascular risk factors, such as diabetes? Antioxidants such as lutein, vitamins (A, B6, C, and E), zeaxanthin, and anthocyanin are known to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition, an abundance of carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin help mitigate the risk of cardiovascular disease. These antioxidants and carotenoids can easily be found in Hawaiʻi-grown starches, such as ʻulu (breadfruit), ʻuala (sweet potato), palaʻai (pumpkin or winter squash), and kalo (taro).  More information about how each of these local staple crops support heart health – along with ʻono recipes to try at home – is shared below!

‘Ulu (breadfruit): There is approximately 16 to 53 grams of amylose per 100g of ‘ulu (breadfruit) flour [21]. In general, the high amylose content of breadfruit helps with blood glucose regulation.

Additionally, there is about 2.4g of dietary fiber per 100g of cooked ‘ulu that helps with insulin sensitivity regulation. Regulated blood glucose levels are increased by more insulin secretion both of which help mitigate the effects of diabetes, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease [12, 33]. Additionally,‘ulu of the Ma’afala variety contains 13.9 micrograms of beta-carotene per 100 grams of ‘ulu [7]. 

RECIPE: Roasted ʻUlu with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

 

RECIPE: Hearty ʻUlu Corn Chowder 

‘Uala (sweet potato): has high antioxidant levels and is especially rich in anthocyanin [5]. This antioxidant is responsible for the beautiful purple color in Okinawan sweet potatoes. Additionally, it is rich in vitamins A and C to promote heart health [22]. Purple-fleshed potatoes are known to have inhibitory enzymes that help improve blood sugar regulation and the onset of lifestyle-based diseases [17]. It also helps improve blood sugar regulation.

RECIPE: Burmese Style Squash & Okinawan Sweet Potato Salad

 

RECIPE: ʻUlu & Okinawan Sweet Potato Salad

Palaʻai (pumpkin): contains the carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene [2].These carotenoids are responsible for the yellow and orange colors found in fruits and vegetables [3] .So the next time you shop, just think about the benefits of buying beautifully colored fruits and vegetables!

 RECIPE: Spiced Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Kalo (taro): contains 4.1g of dietary fiber and 591mg of potassium per 100g serving [14]. Additionally, kalo is rich in vitamin E at 2.38mg per 100g serving, which accounts for 20% of the recommended dietary allowances.

RECIPE: Kalo Poke

Fun Fact: Did you know that our locally grown staples have a low (<55) to moderate (56-69) glycemic index (GI) rating that mitigates the effect of diabetes [6, 10, 13, 19, 20, 32]. Additionally, they are also a great source of potassium! This is beneficial as potassium decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease and regulates blood pressure [18]. A diet with low potassium intake can make people more susceptible to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

The chart below shows our locally grown staples: breadfruit, Okinawan sweet potato, kabocha squash, and taro. It is evident that potassium levels are generally higher in our local staples compared to commonly imported ones.

Crop	Glycemic Index (GI)	Potassium/100g
Breadfruit (Ma’afala) cooked	Low-to-moderate (47-72)	475mg
Okinawan Sweet Potato	Low (55)	475mg
Kabocha Squash (frozen)	Moderate (66)	412mg
Taro Root (cooked)	Low (53)	484mg
White Rice (cooked, long-grain, enriched)	High (73)	35mg
Brown Rice (cooked, long-grain)	Moderate (68)	86mg
White Potato (baked, flesh, without salt)	High (78)	391mg
Wheat (wheat flour, whole-grain, soft wheat)	Low (54)	394mg
Blueberries (raw)	Low (53)	77mg
Carrots (raw)	Low (39)	320mg

 [13], [32], [6], [10], [20], [19], [22], [23], [24], [25], [26], [27], [28],  [29], [30], [31]

 

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Sources:

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7. Jones, A.M., Baker, R., Ragone, D., Murch, S.J. (2013). Identification of pro-vitamin A carotenoid-rich cultivars of breadfruit (Artocarpus, Moraceae). Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 31(1), 51-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2013.03.003

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18. Sun, Y., Byon, C.H., Yang, Y., Bradley, W.E., Dell’Italia, L.J., Sanders, P.W., Agarwal, A., Wu, H., Chen, Y. (2017). Dietary potassium regulates vascular calcification and arterial stiffness. JCI insight, 2(19), Article: e94920. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.94920

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21. Turi, C.E., Liu, Y., Ragone, D., Murch, S.J. (2015). Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis and hybrids): A traditional crop with the potential to prevent hunger and mitigate diabetes in Oceania. Trends in Food Science and Technology, 45(2), 264-272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2015.07.014

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25. U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2018). Carrots, raw. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170393/nutrients

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29. U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2019). Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168878/nutrients

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31. U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2018). Wheat flour, whole-grain, soft wheat. Retrieved February 3, 2023, from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168944/nutrients

32.Willcox, D., Willcox, B.J., Todoriki, H., Suzuki, M. The Okinawan diet: Health implications of a low-calorie, nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich dietary pattern low in glycemic load. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 28(4), 500S-516S. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2009.10718117

33. Wolosowicz, M., Lukaszuk, B., Chabowski, A. (2020). The causes of insulin resistance in type 1 diabetes mellitus: Is there a place for quaternary prevention? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(22), 8651-8663. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228651

34. Xu, L., Tian, Z., Chen, H., Zhao, Y., Yang, Y. (2021). Anthocyanins, anthocyanin-rich berries, and cardiovascular risks: Systematic review and meta-analysis of 44 randomized controlled trials and 15 prospective cohort studies. Frontiers in Nutrition, 8, Article 747884 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2021.747884

 

Hearts:

National Institutes of Health. (n.d.) Vitamin A and carotenoids [Fact sheet].
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-Consumer/
National Institutes of Health. (n.d.) Vitamin B6 [Fact sheet].
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/
National Institutes of Health. (n.d.) Vitamin C [Fact sheet].
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/
National Institutes of Health. (n.d.) Vitamin E [Fact sheet].
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminE-HealthProfessional/
Xu, L., Tian, Z., Chen, H., Zhao, Y., Yang, Y. (2021). Anthocyanins, anthocyanin-rich
berries, and cardiovascular risks: Systematic review and meta-analysis of 44 randomized
controlled trials and 15 prospective cohort studies. Frontiers in Nutrition, 8, Article
747884. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2021.747884
Abdel-Aal, E.M., Akhtar, H., Zaheer, K., Ali, R. (2013). Dietary sources of lutein and
zeaxanthin carotenoids and their role in eye health. Nutrients, 5(4), 1169-1185.
https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fnu5041169