Your Heart

Photo: Ano Lobb

Today, A quick and easy reference to fight heart disease!

Add Good Fats

Almonds

Avocado

Bison

Chia Seed

Fish

Flax Seed Meal

Olive Oil

Remove Bad Fats

- Fried Foods

-Transfats & Fractioned Fats

-CAFO Red Meat

- (easy to remember: Solid & highly processed)

Exercise

Get moving! 

One of my favorite racing groups 3W Races- says "Do what you can, when you can, where you are."

I love it! Pick something you love and do it 3-5 times a week for at least 30 minutes.

(if you only have 10 minutes, then do 10!)

-Strengthens your heart (it's just like any muscle- use it to strengthen it!)

-Lowers your blood pressure

-Helps reduce stress (A big heart disease factor!)

-"Regular exercise also helps to keep arteries and other blood vessels flexible" 1.

-Keeps the blood vessels open.

Protect Your Cells

keeps cell membranes flexible...

Green Leafy vegetables

Pumpkin Seeds

Salmon

Walnuts

Increase cardiovascular function

Red Wine

Dark Chocolate- dilates your arteries.

Fiber!

Clean those arteries out!

Oats- protect against damage to LDL. (Damaged LDL sticks to artery walls)

Parsnips

Quinoa

Whole Grains

Eat the rainbow...

here's where you fight!

Carotenoids-Like Red Peppers, Tomatoes & Carrots

Foods high in Vitamin C- lowers body inflammation

Antioxidants- Beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E

Smelly foods! -garlic, contains allicin which fights hardening arteries

A good start for today.

Make baby steps to incorporate these things into your daily life and check back tomorrow to learn about more Fightin Foods!

sources:

1.http://www.healthline.com/health/heart-disease/exercise

Fight With Chocolate

Photo: Tim Sackton

If there was ever a fight you want to pick... this is it.  Fight for your health with chocolate!

Dark Chocolate-

dilates your arteries- yay! for your heart!
improves nitric oxide, (a signaling molecule in your body)
high in antioxidants

Watch out for added milk fat or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or even coconut or palm oil.
Stick to dark chocolate for the most health benefits.  The higher the percent of cocoa the better.

Cocoa

Has high flavonoids (cacao )
magnesium
calcium
helps control blood pressure
reduces chances of stroke


Don't buy dutched it's been treated with alkali.  (you tell it's dutch BC of the dark color.  Buy the lighter one.) It's done to make cocoa milder and make PH neutral.  Opt for the original.

Great Grains!

Photo: Lashleigh

With the fall weather beginning to appear, it's time to bake.

Grains have gotten a bad rap from Mr. Atkins and others.  Many are quite beneficial for you.

Barley-

• High Fiber
• Anti-oxidants
• Vitamin E
• Selenium
• Lowers your blood pressure
• Lowers your blood sugar
• Lowers LDL
• It can help your asthma
• Cure gout
• Help your arthritis

Oats-

• High Fiber
• Polyunsaturated fatty acids (reduces your heart disease chances 1)
• Vitamin E
• Selenium
• Manganese
• Vitamin B1
• Magnesium
• Protein

Thick cut steel oats are better than rolled and much better than instant oats.  It's lower on the glycemic index scale and better at lowering your LDL.  It prevents artery stiffening (especially after fatty meals- Oatmeal cookies anyone?)

21g/day and decrease coronary disease by 12% and cardiovascular disease by 10%.

We suggest you go make some Barley Pancakes and Oatmeal cookies.

As a bonus, here's my secret best ever... 

Meringue Oatmeal Cookies

with whisk attachment in your mixer...

whip 3 egg whites to soft peaks

add - 1 C fine sugar

add - 1⁄4 C melted coconut oil

add - 1 t vanilla

add - 1 T milk

with paddle attachment in your mixer...

add - 2 C oats (let sit 5 min to soak)

add - 1 1⁄4 C flour,

1 t baking powder,

1 t baking soda

1⁄4 t salt

mix until just combined.

add- 1 C Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips

bake 375 degrees for 10­-12 min

To your health!

1. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Polyunsaturated-Fats_UCM_301461_Article.jsp

Protect Your Heart

You can protect yourself and significantly reduce your risk of heart disease.

Diet (& exercise) can help greatly.

Here are some fighters you want in your corner…



Almonds & Almond Butter
· High in poly & mono-unsaturated fats which sweep LDL into liver when they replace saturated fats.
· Almond Butter- maintains cholesterol levels

Avocado
· High in poly & mono-unsaturated fats which sweep LDL into liver when they replace saturated fats.

Bison
· High in Omega 3 which reduces LDL & raises HDL

Cereals with Vitamin B6 & B12
· Protect blood vessel walls

Fats
· Omega 3 & Omega 6
· Cold or Expeller Pressed

Flaxseeds
· High in omega 3, which keeps cell membranes flexible


Oats
· Rich in antioxidants called phenols which protect against damage to LDL. (Damaged LDL sticks to artery walls)

Olive Oil (Extra Virgin & Cold Pressed)
· Omega 3
· Monounsaturated good fatty acids
· High antioxidant

Parsnips
· High in potassium
· High fiber

Pumpkin Seeds
· High in omega 3, which keeps cell membranes flexible

Red red wine
· Increases cardiovascular function- Reduces heart attack risks
· Reduces heart disease risk by 25-40% (1 glass women 2 men)
· Raises HDL (good cholesterol)
· High in antioxidants
· Contains resvetatrol which appears to stop arteries from getting blocked by fat deposits

Salmon
· Omega 3 which reduces LDL & raises HDL
· Lowers triglycerides
· Protects against heart arrhythmia
· Increases flexibility of arteries
· Regulates blood pressure

Soba Noodles (Japanese Noodles)
· High in Rutin- halts and lowers body fat.
· Buckwheat extract- regulates blood sugar
· (!Watch sodium content of soba noodles!)

Tuna
· High in omega 3, which keeps cell membranes flexible

Quinoa (pronounces keen-wa) grain like rice
· High protein (8grams per cup)
· Magnesium, folate, iron
· fiber

Vegetables- Vivid
· Like Red Peppers, Tomatoes & Carrots- rich in Carotenoids which reduce risk of heart disease. (Add a small amount of ‘good fats’ to increase absorption of Carotenoids)

Vegetables- Green Leafy
· ? High in omega 3, which keeps cell membranes flexible

Walnuts
· High in omega 3, which keeps cell membranes flexible

Whole Grains
· Soluble Fiber- Lowers Cholesterol (LDL) and flushes it.
· Fiber (adding 10g a day reduces risk of heart disease by 17%)
· Fights inflammation
· Increases oxygen delivery during exercise.
·

Resources:
1. Eat This and Live- Don Colbert
2. Runners World