Eat Your Way To a Healthy Heart

February is that time of year when we get to show our better half how much we care for them. We buy them a card, maybe some flowers or chocolate and definitely plan a "date" night. Our sweethearts are our most important friends and we need to support them in healthy choices.

February is also American Heart Month, so it is only fitting that we talk about healthy hearts in this post. Heart disease is currently the leading cause of death of both men and women in here in The States and is responsible for 26% of all deaths and is a major cause of disability! Heart disease with a few exceptions is preventable, so what can you and your sweetie do to prevent heart disease?

1) Eat a healthier diet – that means less refined foods, more fresh, organic, nutrient dense vegetables and fruits although you shouldn't eat too many fruits as they are very high in sugar. We as a society tend make eating too complicated. One of my nutrition professors in college once put it this way: "the way to decide if you should eat something is to put it in your hand, hold it under running water for 60 seconds, if it is still there you get to eat it." So there goes bread, cookies, ice cream, cake and all the things we love. (Ok - you can still have something like that once in a while, just not at every meal). The key is moderation! And if you do crave those things find healthy alternatives. For instance candy cravers, try switching to fruit leathers, pom seeds or  a trail mix containing an abundance of dried fruits, nuts and yogurt pieces. If you find yourself reaching for that bag of potato chips try pita or kale chips, or seaweed wraps instead.

2) Exercise regularly – even walking will help but it is best to get your heart rate up and sweat a little. Do whatever you like to do hard for 20 seconds (I know its Valentines day but keep the mind out of the gutter, lol), then take a 20 second break. Repeat this cycle over and over. Start with just 2-3 minutes if you are really out of shape and build up to where you can do it 20 minutes in a session. Do this 3 times a week for optimal heart health benefits. Make sure you begin and end with stretching to get ready for exertion and cool down properly.

 As you exercise, the blood vessels in your muscles dilate, boosting blood flow. When you work out regularly, your muscles become more efficient at using blood, your heart gets stronger, and your blood vessels become more limber so blood flows more easily. Aerobic exercise develops the heart muscle the way weight training develops other muscles. The heart grows thicker and stronger while the inside of the heart grow bigger, allowing more blood to be pumped with each heartbeat. Aerobic activity also improves the condition of your blood vessels by increasing nitric oxide.

3) Take good quality supplements that support heart health – it should contain things like vitamin C, Vitamin E, Magnesium, Selenium, L-Taurine, L- Arginine, L-Carnitine, Co-Enzyme Q10, glandular support and for most of us Hawthorne berry. (About 20% of the population is allergic to Hawthorne Berry so be careful.)

4) Eat more veggies!! Several vegetables help to encourage blood flow and circulation and may aid in detoxing as well. Try adding heart healthy veggies such as kale, sweet potatoes, onions, asparagus, bok choy, broccoli, leeks and garlic. If you are not a vegetable eater get a high quality supplement to get your greens in daily. 

Eating better also means reading labels, here are a few Food Marketing Translations:

• NO SUGAR ADDED – Instead, we have included a variety of sweet tasting carcinogenic chemicals.
• ARTIFICIAL FLAVORING – A horrible mix of chemicals that will trick your brain in thinking you are eating something healthy.
• NATURAL FLAVORING – A tiny bit of lemon or something added to the chemical crap listed in the artificial flavoring above.
• LOW FAT – Instead of fat, we have added a chemical cocktail that is worse than fat ever was.
• AN ESSENTIAL SOURCE OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS – We have added a salad of unavailable vitamins and minerals to hide the rest of the garbage that we are feeding you and you children.

We all have choices to make every day with what we do to improve our health. Is it time for you to begin to make better choices? You notice I didn't say be perfect, just better. Relish in little steps, change is gradual, a process.

Bonus: Heart Healthy Recipe #1 : "Vanilla Honey Nut Smoothie"

•  2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt           
• 1/2 cup vanilla soy or almond milk
• 1/2 cup skim milk (or double up on your favorite dairy alternative)
• 1/3 cup cubed soft silken tofu
• 1 tablespoon creamy nut butter (your choice!) 
• 1 tablespoon organic local honey (or other natural sweetener)
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed  

1. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Sprinkle with flaxseed, if desired.

Note:

Flaxseed boosts heart health and may enhance vision. You can find it in health-food stores already ground. Or grind whole flaxseed in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle (I like this way better!). Store it in the refrigerator or freezer to keep it fresh. Enjoying this smoothie also helps you meet your daily calcium needs.

Part of a month long series on heart health, Next time I'm going to give you all the "Skinny" on fats!! Not all fats are bad some can heal too!