10 Steps to a Healthier Heart
Monday, March 17th, 2008
Walking a half-hour a day decreases the risk of having a heart attack by about 30 percent. Calling someone every day is crucial; that’s the real commitment. Find a person who’s supportive and will not nag but will call if you haven’t called her/him.
2. Know you blood pressure and do whatever it takes to get it down to 115/75.
You blood pressure number may be even more important than your cholesterol. And you can lower it yourself. The best way-getting a little exercise and loosing some belly fat. Why belly fat? The omentum is what hangs over the stomach. The fat that’s stores there feeds the kidney, liver and other vital organs. This fat pushes on the kidney and causes more blood pressure to drive blood through.
3. Eat an ounce of nuts a day.
Nuts raise HDL good cholesterol and decreases inflammation. But they have a heart benefit independent of those too. Nuts have healthy omega 3 fatty acids, healthy protein and some fiber. And this tip is easy to do. Nuts that are raw, fresh and unsalted have the most benefit.
4. Learn your HDL number and do what you can raise it to 50.
For women, some believe a high HDL is more important than a lower HDL. The higher the number, the better (50 is fine). Easy ways you ca increase it, exercise, have one drink a day at the most; eat healthy fats, such as olive oil and canola oil and nuts. Talk to your doctor about niacin, which raises HDL but can have side effects
5. Eat 10 tbs. of tomato sauce a week.
Tomato sauce is loaded with blood-pressure-lowering potassium.
6. Floss you teeth regularly.
Avoiding periodontal disease prevents inflammation in the arteries, which helps you head off hear disease. Most people don’t know that your oral health affects all your arterial health, and that includes blood flow to the heart and sexual organs, and maybe even wrinkles on your skin.
7. Eat no more than 20 grams of saturated fat a day and as little trans fat as possible.
Saturated fat and trans fats lead to inflammation in the arteries. A cinnamon roll may have 7 grams of saturated fat. A 4-ounce slice of roast pork tenderloin has about 4 grams. Trans fats (particularly hydrogenated oils, found in many processed and baked foods, are probably at least as bad as saturated fats, and maybe a little worse.
8. Read label and throw out all food that has sugar in the first five ingredients.
Don’t be fooled by foods that are low in fat but high in sugar. The sugar causes inflammation. And if you eat more sugar than you need, it gets morphed into omentum fat, that dangerous fat around the belly. For a while in the 1990s, many people used “low fat” salad dressings that turned out to be loaded with calorie-laden sugar. And those dressings didn’t contain any good fats like olive oil, which are beneficial. Healthy fats are better than empty sugar calories.
9. Have a glass of wine or beer today.
There may be an anti-inflammatory-effect. But it’s a consistent finding that teetotalers have a higher risk of heart disease than people who drink a little, and people who drink a lot have little heart disease but tend to die of cancer. Any type of alcohol in moderation is good for the arteries.
10. Eat 9 servings of colorful fruits and vegetables a day.
That comes with a lot of fiber, and you shouldn’t increase to that amount all at once. You will adjust and so will your body in 2 to 6 weeks. Make sure you wash fresh produce carefully and thoroughly. There are farmers’ markets all over the country now. If you try fresh locally grown veggies prepared well, you will be amazed at how goof they taste.
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Earthly Eating Recipe
Double Dark-Chocolate and Ginger Biscotti
Makes: 2 1/2 dozen
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
3 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until well combined, set aside. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg, egg yolk, and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in vanilla and oil until well combined.
3. With the mixer on low, beat in dry ingredients until combined. Fold in walnuts, chocolate, and ginger with a rubber spatula (dough will be stiff).
4. With moistened hands shape the dough into 2 logs, each about 9 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide. Bake until set on top, about 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
5. Transfer logs to a cutting board and, with a serrated knife, cut each log on the diagonal into 16 slices, each 1/2-inch thick. Bake until crisp, about 20 minutes, turning the biscotti over midway through. Cool 5 minutes on a baking sheet, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Happy Eating!
