Heart-Smart Food Tips

Five simple ways to help your heart with your mouth.

Do Your Part

The remarkable heart beats about 100,000 times a day and more than 2.5 billion times over the course of an average lifetime. Making heart-healthy food decisions is one way to help it along. Here are five simple strategies to keep in mind.

Buy Fewer Boxes

Processed food -- usually boxed, wrapped, or in bags -- has fewer phytonutrients, which have been shown in some studies to reduce the risk of heart disease, says Susan Moores, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and a Minneapolis-based dietitian.

Be Colorful

The more colors you incorporate into your meals, the greater your exposure to a variety of heart-healthy antioxidants. "Fruits and veggies have the greatest variety of color, and making more colorful meals means you're taking advantage of their heart-friendly properties," Moore says.

• See Garlicky Peppers & Shrimp recipe

Hide the Salt

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends less than 1 teaspoon of sodium per day. If you have high blood pressure, the condition is more difficult to control if you're not keeping salt consumption down. And because sodium balances against potassium in the body, you may want to add more foods with high amounts of potassium, such as bananas, oranges, grapes, nuts, potatoes, and cantaloupe.

Get Fresh with Fish

Studies have shown that the omega-3 fatty acids found in many types of fish may help prevent heart disease by improving the elasticity of arteries and inhibiting plaque formation. Have broiled or baked (not fried) fish once or twice a week.

• See Salmon with Red Cabbage recipe

Have One Drink a Day

A small amount of alcohol can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease, especially when coupled with healthful eating habits, according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. For women, that means one drink a day. More isn't better -- too much alcohol raises the risk of other diseases, such as some forms of cancer.

Link   http://www.bhg.com/health-family/conditions/heart-disease/heart-smart-food-tips/

How to Prevent a Stroke

Don't be the victim of a stroke. Here are six strategies that can reduce your risk.

• While there are risk factors for stroke you can't change (age, race, family history), there are many more that you can. Here are six ways to get started now.
  Keep your blood pressure low. High blood pressure (a reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher) increases your stroke risk by four to six times. If you have high blood pressure, take steps to lower it. Controlling blood pressure is one of the most important things you can do.
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Lower Your Cholesterol

A total cholesterol level of more than 200 mg/dL puts you at higher risk for stroke. "About half of all strokes are caused by plaque in the carotid arteries," says Richard Lee, M.D., surgical director of the Center for Atrial Fibrillation at Northwestern School of Medicine in Chicago. Those are the arteries that supply the brain with blood. Elevated cholesterol can lead to plaque formation. If diet and exercise don't bring your numbers down, talk to your doctor about prescription cholesterol-lowering drugs, called statins.

Find Out if You Have A-Fib

Atrial fibrillation, or a-fib, as doctors call it, is a condition where one of the top chambers beats out of sync with the rest of the heart. This allows blood to pool, which can lead to a clot that travels to the brain. A-fib accounts for about 20 percent of strokes. Few doctors even realize it's that high, Lee says.

Here's a quick test to tell if you have an irregular pulse, which can be a sign of atrial fibrillation: Press two fingertips on the opposite wrist and find your pulse. Don't worry about counting beats; just feel for an even, steady drumbeat. It helps to tap your foot along with each beat.

An irregular beat feels like an extra or missed beat. If you discover this, or if you ever feel like your heart races or flutters for no reason, see a doctor. The effects of a-fib can be controlled with medication or surgery.

Stop Smoking

Smoking doubles stroke risk. If you haven't tried quitting in a while, see your doctor. There are new tools to help you quit. You can also check out SmokeFree.gov, a smoking cessation resource sponsored by the federal government.

Watch Your Weight

Extra baggage overworks your entire circulatory system and raises stroke risk. More younger women are having strokes, and rising obesity rates likely are to blame.

"Abdominal obesity is a known predictor of stroke in women and may be a key factor in the midlife stroke surge in women," says Amytis Towfighi, M.D., of the neurology department of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

If you need to lose weight, aim to drop only 1 pound a week while exercising three times a week for 30 minutes at a time (brisk walking works great).

Control Your Diabetes

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are major risk factors for stroke. And strokes seem to cause more damage if they strike when your blood glucose levels are high. If you have diabetes, make sure you control your blood glucose levels as closely as possible.

Link   http://www.bhg.com/health-family/fitness/workouts-programs/how-to-prevent-a-stroke/

Knowing cholesterol better

Knowing cholesterol better

Good, bad, high density, low density? What is cholesterol exactly and why is it such a health issue?

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy, fatty substance made naturally in the body, and we need a certain amount because it's vital for the formation of cell structures, hormones and substances that aid digestion.

The body makes most of the cholesterol it needs. But cholesterol is also found in some animal food products, and consuming too many can contribute to blood cholesterol becoming dangerously high.

Some people have a heriditary condition where their bodies make too much cholesterol.

“Good” and “bad” cholesterol

There are basically two kinds of cholesterol:

1. “Good” or HDL cholesterol (the full term is High Density Lipoprotein cholesterol). HDL cholesterol is sometimes called “good” because it helps remove cholesterol from the arteries, the blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart to the body’s cells.
2. “Bad” or LDL cholesterol (Low Density Lipoprotein cholesterol). LDL cholesterol is sometimes called “bad” because high levels are linked to build-up in your arteries.

A helpful way to remember the difference between HDL and LDL:

• You want HDL cholesterol levels to be HIGH.
• You want LDL cholesterol levels to be LOW.

Total cholesterol is a measure of the total amount of cholesterol in your blood, including both LDL and HDL cholesterol.

What is high cholesterol?

High cholesterol is when you have too much cholesterol in your blood. It may also be called high blood cholesterol, hypercholesterolemia or hyperlipidemia.

Your total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol may be too high, or your HDL cholesterol too low.

The most important effect of high cholesterol is that it can cause narrowing and blockages in the arteries.

Excess cholesterol, and other substances normally found in the blood like calcium and fat, can start to build up just under the lining of artery walls. 

The areas of the artery wall where cholesterol and other matter collects are called “plaques”.

The formation of plaques in the arteries is a condition called atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis or “hardening of the arteries”.

How arteriosclerosis progresses

Over time, the plaques get harder and narrow the arteries further, limiting blood flow and damaging the artery wall. The rougher the plaques make the artery lining, the more likely substances like platelets, which make the blood sticky and promote clotting, will also get trapped there.

If narrowing occurs in the coronary arteries, which carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle itself, the condition is called coronary artery disease or coronary heart disease, which raises risk for heart attack.

Coronary artery disease may cause angina: pain or a sensation of pressure in your chest. You may also feel angina pain in your arms, shoulders, neck, jaw or back; it may even feel like indigestion.

A section of plaque can break open, causing a blood clot to form: this can suddenly and dramatically block blood flow to a vital organ. Blood clots can also break free and travel in the body to cause blockages elsewhere.

A heart attack occurs if blood flow to part of the heart muscle suddenly becomes blocked. If you don't have emergency treatment to quickly get the blood flowing again, the section of heart muscle starved of oxygen-rich blood can die. A heart attack may be fatal.

Blockages in the arteries that supply the brain can lead to stroke, which damages the section of brain tissue deprived of oxygen-rich blood. Strokes are also sometimes fatal.

Link  http://www.health24.com/Medical/Cholesterol/Cholesterol-explained/Knowing-cholesterol-better-20130210

What to Eat for a Healthy Heart and a Healthy Mind

3 foods to help avoid heart disease, stroke and improve brain function.

For years experts have said what’s good for the heart is good for the head. Now, a new statement from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association underlines the findings that the same plaque buildup in the arteries that causes heart disease can also impact the brain.

“The heart and brain are linked by arteries that supply blood, oxygen and nutrients,” says Philip B. Gorelick, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Center for Stroke Research at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. When plaque builds up and arteries harden, they deprive the heart and brain of blood—and that can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

The good news: A few simple—and tasty—choices can help protect both your ticker and your cranium.

1. Pick Fish

Research shows that eating just one or two (4-ounce) servings of fatty fish—salmon, mackerel, rainbow trout or sardines—each week can slash your risk of dying from heart disease by 36 percent. In another study, researchers tracked almost 80,000 women for 14 years and found that those who ate any type of fish at least twice a week had a 51 percent lower risk of thrombotic stroke (a type caused by clogged arteries) than those who ate fish less than once a month. A bonus: “The omega-3 fats in fish help reduce inflammation in the arterial walls and keep blood flowing to the brain,” explains Ralph Felder, M.D., Ph.D., internist and author of The Bonus Years Diet.

2. Pour a Glass Of Red Wine

Red wine contains compounds called polyphenols that help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and prevent blood clots. Research suggests one polyphenol—resveratrol—may also improve blood flow to the brain and reduce stroke risk. “Resveratrol makes the blood cells less sticky and thus thins out the blood, which prevents dangerous blood clots,” says Felder. Despite the health boons, if you don’t drink, you shouldn’t start.

3. Eat More Produce

People with high blood pressure found that for every serving of fruits and vegetables eaten, their blood flow improved (and, thus, blood pressure lowered), according to a study in the journal Circulation. In another study of adults over age 65, those who had about three servings of vegetables each day showed 40 percent less mental decline on cognitive tests than people who ate few or no vegetables. There’s another reason to load up on produce—potassium, a nutrient abundant in bananas, baked potatoes, tomatoes and artichokes, may counteract the harmful effect of salt in our diets by helping to prevent artery walls from thickening, thus reducing blood pressure.

Link  http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/what_to_eat_for_a_healthy_heart_mind?page=4

Heart Foundation tips for a healthy heart

The health of your heart has a lot to do with the foods that you eat. For good health the Heart Foundation recommends all follow a healthy eating plan that includes a variety of foods from all food groups.
  
The Heart Foundation also has heart healthy recipes that are quick and simple to make for you and your family.

Suggestions to help you maintain a heart healthy diet:

• Aim to eat five serves of colourful vegetables every day
• Aim for two serves of fruit everyday
• Include legumes, dried peas, dried or canned beans or lentils in your diet
• Eat moderate amounts of low-fat or reduced-fat dairy products
• Make sure you are eating two to three serves of oily fish weekly (fresh or canned)
• Eat moderate amounts of  unprocessed meat, poultry and game
• Include wholegrain cereals, breads, pasta, noodles and rice in your diet
• Use unsaturated margarine spreads and low saturated fat dairy spreads
• Cook with a variety of polyunsaturated and monosaturated oils
• Snack on unsalted nuts and seeds
• Stick to foods that are labelled 'no added salt', 'low salt' or 'salt reduced'
• Eat foods that are enriched with omega-3s and fish oil supplements
• Stick to water as your preferred drink
• Avoid foods that contain trans fat such as deep-fried food, take-away and commercially baked goods such as cakes, pies and biscuits
• Choose take-away meals with the Heart Foundation Tick, as these Tick approved take-away foods and meals are free from trans fats.

Link   http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/your-heart/know-the-risks/Pages/eating-healthy.aspx

7 Super Foods to Improve Cholesterol

Whole foods and great recipes for a healthy heart.

The best meal for anyone worried about their cholesterol is a meal low in saturated fat and abundant in fruits and vegetables. And although there are no magic bullets beyond that healthy prescription, certain foods have been shown to give cholesterol levels an extra nudge in the right direction.

Weave some of these whole foods, all pinpointed by research as cholesterol-friendly, into your daily diet, and be sure to try some of our heart-healthy recipes below.

Alcohol

Drinking a glass of wine with dinner—any alcoholic beverage, in fact—has been shown to raise good-cholesterol levels and lower the risk of a heart attack. (Excessive drinking, however, raises heart-disease danger.)

 Almonds

Substances in almond skins help prevent LDL “bad” cholesterol from being oxidized, a process that can otherwise damage the lining of blood vessels and increase cardiovascular risk.

• Sprinkle almonds on cereals and salads, nibble on a handful for an afternoon snack.

Avocados

The mono unsaturated fats in avocados have been found to lower “bad” LDLs and raise “good” HDLs, especially in people with mildly elevated cholesterol.

• Slice avocados into sandwiches and salads or mash with garlic, lemon juice and salsa for a terrific guacamole.

Barley

When volunteers in a USDA study added barley to the standard American Heart Association diet, LDL “bad” cholesterol levels fell more than twice as far.

• Barley makes a great substitute for rice, adds depth to soups and is terrific combined with dried fruits, nuts and a little oil and vinegar for a hearty salad.

Beans & Lentils

From a recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, LDL “bad” cholesterol levels fell almost twice as far in those volunteers on a low-fat diet who added beans and lentils (along with more whole grains and vegetables) to the menu.

• Experiment with beans in soups, salads, and dips. Tuck them into burritos, lasagnas and casseroles.

Blueberries

Blueberries contain a powerful antioxidant called pterostilbene that may help lower LDL cholesterol.

• Toss a cup of frozen blueberries together with a half-cup of orange juice and vanilla-flavored yogurt into the blender for a healthy breakfast drink. Sprinkle fresh blueberries on cereals and eat them by the handfuls for snacks.

Oats

When women in a University of Toronto study added oat bran to an already heart-healthy diet, HDL-cholesterol levels—the beneficial kind—climbed more than 11 percent.

• Consider a daily bowl of oat bran hot cereal or old-fashioned oatmeal for breakfast. Oat bran muffins can also pack a tasty dose into your day

Link  http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/cholesterol/7_super_foods_to_improve_cholesterol?

10 Steps to Heart Health

In the United States, heart disease affects about 9 million adults, killing one every 37 seconds. But the good news—which Dr. Philip Ades, author of the new book EatingWell for a Healthy Heart has made it his mission to spread—is that heart-disease is mostly preventable. Research shows that up to 90 percent of heart disease can be prevented by changing one’s diet, exercising more, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking. Reduce your risk by following these 10 simple steps.

Know your numbers. »

High blood cholesterol is linked with about one-third of heart disease cases worldwide, according to data from the United Nations. Your blood cholesterol (lipid profile) is made up of several readings: high-density cholesterol (HDL), low-density cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides (TG). LDL cholesterol and triglycerides are often referred to as “bad” cholesterol; high levels (greater than 160 mg/dL and 200 mg/dL, respectively) are considered risk factors for developing heart disease. On the other hand, “good” HDL protects against cardiovascular disease. (A healthy HDL target is 60 mg/dL or higher.) But an undesirable lipid profile doesn’t mean that developing heart disease is inevitable. Research shows that changing your diet for the better can help lower “bad” LDL and TG levels, as well as increase “good” HDL cholesterol, if they’re out of healthy ranges. Talk with your doctor about a screening. Medications are sometimes needed.

Calculate your risk. »

Having multiple factors for heart disease increases your risk exponentially. For example, if you smoke, have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, any one of these factors doubles your likelihood of developing heart disease in the next six years. But having all three increases your chance eightfold. The good news: treating any one of these risk factors effectively—say, you quit smoking or bring your cholesterol into a healthy range—halves your likelihood of developing heart disease (i.e., you’ll have four times, rather than eight times, the risk of someone who doesn’t have any of these risk factors).

Lose weight if you need to. »

Losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of your body weight—about 8 to 15 pounds if you start at 150—will result in better blood pressure, lower risk for diabetes and improved cholesterol levels, research suggests. Are you toting around too many pounds? There are two ways to find out. First, calculate your body mass index (BMI). A normal BMI is 18.5 to 24.9. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is overweight, and 30 and above is considered obese. Some complain that, if you are muscular or “large-boned,” you may get a BMI that suggests you’re overweight when you’re really not. To double check, Phil Ades suggests you perform the “Ades-ocular” test: Strip down to your underwear and stand sideways in front of a full-length mirror. If your abdomen droops or sticks out, the high BMI is correct. If it’s flat and firm, your BMI may, indeed, be incorrect.

Slash your intake of saturated fat.

Butter. Sour cream. Mayo. These foods—as well as fatty cuts of meats—are high in the saturated fats that elevate “bad” LDL cholesterol, leading to plaque buildup in arteries. Limit saturated fats to 5 percent or less of your total calories (divide your weight by 12 to get the daily total limit in grams). For example, try replacing butter with vegetable-based oils, particularly olive and canola oil, both of which contain good amounts of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, and by swapping in lean poultry, fish and beans for higher-fat meats.

Junk the junk food.

Many packaged snacks, crackers, bakery goods and some margarines contain artificial trans fats (a.k.a. hydrogenated oils), which increase “bad” LDL even more than saturated fats, according to recent research by Walter Willett, M.D., at the Harvard School of Public Health. In a 2003 interview with EatingWell, Willett blamed trans fats for millions of unnecessary premature deaths from heart disease. Read labels carefully: if a package claims “zero trans fat,” the amount per serving may be less than 0.5 g and could have been rounded down to zero. The only way to be sure you’re getting a product without trans fats is to avoid products that include “hydrogenated oil.” Better yet, stock up on nutrient-rich vegetables, fruit and nuts.

Fill up on fiber.

Various studies link a high-fiber diet with a lower risk of heart disease. In a Harvard study of female health professionals, people who ate a high-fiber diet had a 40 percent lower risk of heart disease than those who ate a low-fiber diet.

Aim to include plenty of foods that are rich in soluble fiber, which, studies show, can help lower “bad” LDL. Soluble fiber binds bile acid, a key component in fat digestion that our bodies make from cholesterol. We can’t digest fiber, so when bile acids are bound to it, they get ushered out of the body as waste. This causes the body to convert more cholesterol into bile acids, which ultimately has the effect of lowering circulating cholesterol levels. Foods high in soluble fiber include oatmeal, barley, beans, okra and eggplant, and citrus fruit, such as oranges.

Replace refined grains with whole ones.

Eating too many refined carbohydrates (e.g., white bread, pastries, white pasta) fuels the body’s ability to make triglycerides. What’s more, processed grains are quickly converted to glucose, which raises blood glucose levels and may predispose one to developing type 2 diabetes, a risk factor for developing heart disease. Choose whole grains, such as brown rice, wheat berries and quinoa and whole-wheat pastas, which contain more fiber (which slows down the conversion of starches to glucose) and healthful fats than processed grains.

Go fish.

Consuming two or more servings of fish per week is associated with a 30 percent lower risk of developing coronary heart disease over the long term, studies show. Fish contain omega-3 fats, which lower levels of triglycerides in the blood that may contribute to blood clotting. Omega-3s also lower blood pressure slightly and can help prevent irregular heart rhythms. (Flaxseed oil, canola oil and walnuts also contain omega-3 fats.)

Get nuts.

Research suggests that people who eat nuts—walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, pine nuts and peanuts (which actually are legumes)—two to four days or more per week have a lower incidence of heart disease than people who eat them less. All nuts contain good amounts of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and low levels of saturated fats.

Enjoy alcohol in moderation.

Scientific literature indicates that people who drink moderately are less likely to have heart disease than those who abstain. Alcohol appears to raise “good” HDL cholesterol. Wine, in particular, “thins” the blood (making it less prone to clotting) and also contains antioxidants that prevent your arteries from taking up LDL cholesterol, a process that can lead to plaque buildup. Remember, 1 drink equals 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of liquor.

Link  http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/heart_health/10_steps_to_heart_health?