Supplements for a Healthy Heart

In my previous blog, I mentioned the supplements I personally take in order to keep my heart healthy.  Please note that if you already have heart problems and would like to take natural supplements for them, contact a naturopathic doctor or a medical doctor with knowledge of alternative medicine.  They DO exist.

Please note that this is for informational purposes only.  If you are concerned about a heart problem, please contact your physician.

CoQ10

If I were only going to take one single supplement to protect my heart, I would choose CoEnzyme Q 10, better known as CoQ10.   CoQ10 is important for the continuous energy output of the heart since it is a component of the electron transport system that is necessary for energy production in the cells.  In addition to being a nutrient for healthy heart function, CoQ10 is also beneficial to the immune system and gum health.

Organ meats are one of the main food sources of CoQ10, but since I rarely consume organ meats, I supplement my diet with CoQ10 soft gels.

The more active form of CoQ10, Ubiquinol, is recommended for people over 50 since it is better absorbed.

Cayenne Pepper

Capsicum frutescens, better known as Cayenne Pepper, is primarily a stimulant and is a wonderful herb for the circulatory system. It helps the arteries and veins become more elastic and helps adjust blood pressure back to normal by regulating and equalizing blood flow.  Its influence begins with the heart, then extends to the arteries and nerves, but does not increase the pulse.  Cayenne also helps with elimination, assimilation, and ulcers. 

Since I’m not into very spicy food, I take cayenne capsules with meals.

Vitamin D3

Vitamin D is well-known for helping with calcium metabolism and building strong bones.  It also helps with cognitive function, immune system, healthy moods and well being. 

But recent studies have shown a possible link between low levels of Vitamin D and heart disease.

Many calcium/magnesium supplements include Vitamin D3. 

Flax Seeds

Flax seeds are a rich source of alphalinolenic acid (ALA) fatty acids which are necessary for energy production of the cell, immunity, and cleaning the heart and arteries.   Flax seed is also a natural, gentle laxative.

Flax seeds must be kept refrigerated and freshly ground.  I use a coffee grinder specifically set aside for this purpose. 

Fish Oil

Omega 3s can be found in wild coldwater fish such as salmon, sardines, Alaskan cod, trout, tuna, and herring.  Since I do not consume these types of fish every week, I include fish oil capsules as a supplement.  Fish and fish oil contain docosaheaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA),  omega-3 fatty acids essential to heart health. 

Omega-3 fatty acids can also be found in wild game such as venison or pheasant in addition to grass-fed buffalo.  Omega 3s are necessary for healthy metabolism and efficient fat-burning. They help prevent blood clotting and reduce inflammation.

In addition to the above supplements, for overall health, I include a food-based multi-vitamin, Vitamin C, and Calcium/Magnesium in the form of Calcium Citrate.

Keep Your Heart Healthy

Scope of the Problem 

        Heart disease is common in fifty-plus and post-menopausal American women.  Females in this age group are more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than any other factor (Lark, 1990).  While there are various forms of heart disease, coronary artery disease is the most common in the United States.  According to the American Heart Association, an estimated 2300 Americans die of heart complications each day accounting for one out of every six American deaths (American Heart Association, 2010).

Consider the following information from The Center of Disease Control, Department of Health and Human Services:

Facts on Women and Heart Disease

·         Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. In 2006,

 315,930 women died from it.¹
 

·         Heart disease killed 26% of the women who died in 2006—more than one in every

four.¹

·        Although heart disease is sometimes thought of as a "man's disease," around the same

number of women and men die each year of heart disease in the United States.

·         Unfortunately, 36% of women did not perceive themselves to be at risk for heart

 disease in a 2005 survey.

·         Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women of most racial/ethnic groups in the United States, including African Americans, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Hispanics, and whites. For Asian American women, heart disease is second only to cancer.³ 

·         In 2006, about 6.9% of all white women, 8.8% of black women, and 6.6% of Mexican American women were living with coronary heart disease.

·        Almost two-thirds of the women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms. (Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease and Health Prevention, 2010)

An estimated 8 million American women today live with heart disease while 435,000 women have heart attacks each year.  Statistics show that 42% of women who have heart attacks do not survive longer than one year (Women’s Heart Foundation, 2007).

Women with high levels of serum cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels are also at risk for stroke and hypertension.

Survivors of heart disease or stroke may become disabled for life, losing their independence and becoming a burden on their families, a situation which will seriously affect the quality of life in their golden years.

The Solution  

According to the Mayo Clinic (2010) risk factors for heart disease include age, (55 and older for women), tobacco, family history of heart attack, lack of physical activity, lower levels of estrogen after menopause, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and  high blood triglyceride levels.

Many of these risk factors, including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides can be helped by diet and nutrition in addition to lifestyle changes.

To minimize risk of heart disease:

·        Avoid table salt, sugar, alcohol, coffee, processed foods, red meat, refined carbohydrates and other processed foods, animal fats and margarines, and chlorinated water.  Include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and raw milk. Specific foods recommended for heart health include millet, buckwheat, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, bananas, potatoes, okra, asparagus, apples, honey, brewer’s yeast, flax seed oil, and lecithin. (Airola, 1974)

·        Weed (1992) recommends garlic, essential fatty acids in amaranth seeds, fresh wheat germ oil, flax seed or black currant seed oil.  She suggests a diet of whole grains, vegetables, greens, beans, fruit, fish, seeds, yogurt, eggs, seaweeds such as kelp, and olive oil. Eat meat once a week or less. Never use margarine.

·        Gittleman, (1993) recommends extra virgin olive oil, a monounsaturated fat that reduces LDL levels, and a high fiber diet of fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, sea vegetables, and grains, especially barley and oats, to reduce cholesterol.  She also suggests a combination of garlic and cayenne pepper to help reduce blood pressure.

Overall Diet for a Healthy Heart

For a healthy heart, avoid table salt, sugar, alcohol, coffee, processed foods, refined carbohydrates and other processed foods, margarines, and chlorinated water. Eat red meat no more than once a week. Include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and raw goat milk, raw honey, brewer’s yeast, flax seed oil, garlic, seaweeds, olive oil and cayenne pepper.  

My Own Healthy Heart Regimen:

In addition to following healthy dietary practices as stated above, I include the following supplements as part of my personal “healthy heart regimen.”

·        Fish oil capsules  

·        Freshly ground flax seeds

·        Vitamin D3

·        Cayenne Pepper Capsules

·        CoQ10

I will write about the individual benefits of these supplements in upcoming blogs.

Leafy Green Recipes

Green Leafy Vegetables are nutritional powerhouses.  Loaded with vitamins and minerals, they also include beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, and lutein, phytonutrients that protect the eyes.

Leafy green vegetables can be steamed or sautéed in olive oil and garlic.  If these two don’t sound very appealing, here’s a couple of recipes with tons of flavor:

Spinach-Berry Salad

Ingredients:

1 pkg baby spinach

1/2 cup walnut pieces

1/3 cup goat or sheep Feta cheese crumbles

1 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries

1 cup sliced strawberries

Dressing:

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tsp raspberry jam (no added sugar)

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp raw sugar (may substitute 2 packets of stevia to avoid sugar or other healthy sweetener of your choice)

Preparation:

Put spinach in large bowl.  Top with walnuts, cheese, and berries.  Mix all dressing ingredients, pour over salad and serve.   I made this for a potluck recently and it was a big hit!

Green  Frittata

Based on a traditional Persian recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups collard greens, chopped

2 cups kale, chopped

2 cups leeks, green part only, chopped

1 cup walnut pieces

3 tbsp whole wheat flour

5 eggs  (for reduced fat, use three eggs and four egg whites)

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp olive oil

Preparation:

Wash greens and remove excess water  (a salad spinner works well)

Add all remaining ingredients except olive oil and mix well.

Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in non-stick pan.

Add mixture and pat down.

Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Cut into wedges and loosen sides.  Drizzle with remaining oil.  (Can substitute olive oil spray)

Wrap lid in paper towel to absorb excess moisture.

Cook over low flame for another 15 minutes.

Serve with warm whole wheat flat bread and a side dish of plain yogurt mixed with chopped cucumber and dried mint.

(Excerpt from The Well Woman Cookbook by Patricia Panahi)

Improve Your Digestion - Improve Your Health

The digestive system becomes less effective as we age.  A deficiency of hydrochloric acid in the stomach and the declining production of digestive enzymes, including protease to digest protein, amylases to digest carbohydrates, and lipases to digest fat, reduces efficiency of the digestive process. . The inability to absorb nutrients is one of the most common causes of malnutrition in the elderly.

One way of improving digestive health is the proper combining of foods. Pitchford (1993) suggests eating high protein food at the beginning of a meal.  Digesting protein requires large amounts of stomach acids, while starches, fruits, and vegetables use very little. He also suggests eating salty flavors before other flavors to stimulate gastric juices, combing greens and non-starchy vegetables with proteins, fats, and starches, and eating fruit alone.  He recommends taking only one starch or one protein per meal. 

A basic plan for food combining and better digestion includes having a meal of either starch or protein combined with non-starchy vegetables.  Sweet and acid fruit should be eaten separately. Exceptions are lemon, limes, and tomatoes – fruits that can be combined with green and non-starchy vegetables. Nuts, seeds, and fermented dairy foods also combine well with acid fruits. Lettuce and celery combine with all fruits. Melons should be eaten alone due to rapid digestion (Pitchford, 1993).

A natural approach to increasing hydrochloric acid in the stomach is to take one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and one teaspoon of raw honey in small glass of water before each meal  (Brown, 1996).

Sprouting grains and seeds makes them easier to digest.  It causes the fats and proteins to become more bioavailable (Pitchford, 1993).  Sprouted grains and sprouted grain bread are easier to digest.

Soaking legumes overnight then cooking them with the seaweed kombu increases their digestibility. 

Include foods with known digestive enzymes such as pineapple (bromelain) and papaya (papain).

            Include foods with natural probiotics such as miso, sauerkraut, and plain yogurt.      

            Test for allergies and food sensitivities.  Many people have problems with wheat and cow’s milk, but may not be aware of it.

            Goat milk and yogurt are easier on the digestion due to the soft curd and smaller fat globules. Goat’s milk is also a good source of fluorine which helps build immunity, protect teeth, and strengthen bones (Pitchfork, 1993).

            Eat in moderation.  A high fat meal is difficult to digest.  

Boomer Food Weekly: The Calcium Debate

Boomer Food Weekly: The Calcium Debate: "The Calcium Debate Calcium helps bones, heart, muscles, nerves, and brain function. It reduces mood swings and bloating, lowers blood ..."

The Calcium Debate

  

Calcium helps bones, heart, muscles, nerves, and brain function.  It reduces mood swings and bloating, lowers blood pressure, regulates normal blood clotting, and speeds all healing processes. The body cannot produce calcium.

Most American women obtain their calcium through dairy and supplementation, yet the statistical evidence demonstrates that the incidents of osteoporosis and bone fractures are on the rise. Studies have also shown that people in other parts of the world with little or no dairy consumption have low levels of osteoporosis.  Consider the following:

·         Osteoporosis and bone fractures are rarely found among the African Bantu even though they consume no more than 350 mg per day.  This changes when the Bantu migrate to a country and consume dairy and high levels of protein (Fizsimmons, 1994).

·         Nations with the highest levels of dairy consumption also have the highest levels of osteoporosis (Klaper, 1987).

·         Asian and African countries that do not consume dairy, have the lowest levels of osteoporosis and bone fracture  (Appleton, 1991).

·         An Australian study showed that higher dairy consumption increased the risk of bone fracture by 45% (Cumming & Klineberg, 1994).

The high phosphorous and protein levels of milk impair calcium absorption, making dairy not necessarily the best and only source of calcium for women. Many dairy products are also high in fat, causing additional health problems such as heart disease and obesity.  Dairy can also cause mucus conditions, a precursor to many diseases.

 In addition, many people, particularly Asians and Blacks, are lactose intolerant and must find alternative forms of dietary calcium.

Calcium absorbs into the body in conjunction with a proper balance of magnesium, phosphorous, and vitamins A, D, and C.  Milk lacks magnesium.  While vitamin D is usually added to milk, fifteen to twenty minutes a day of exposure to natural sunlight is beneficial.  

While most doctors and nutritionists promote the use dairy consumption for calcium, knowledge and inclusion of other dietary calcium sources such as the following are recommended.

Foods for Healthy Bones

            For healthy bones, avoid too much acid forming foods such as dairy and animal products.  Also avoid foods that cause the body to excrete or inhibit the absorption of calcium such as sugar, refined flour, caffeine, salt, carbonated drinks, and cooked foods with oxalic acid such as spinach. Raw spinach, on the other hand, is highly beneficial. Eat foods that provide the necessary nutrients for bone health including calcium, magnesium, boron, silica, vitamin D, vitamin K, and vitamin C.

            Calcium food sources: low fat yogurt, goat milk and cheese, seaweeds, carob, sesame tahini, leafy green vegetables such as kale, collard, and broccoli, blackstrap molasses, tofu precipitated with calcium chloride, figs, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and beans.

            Magnesium food sources: seaweeds, green leafy vegetables, alfalfa, almonds, sunflower seeds, whole grains, potatoes, corn, squash, celery, figs, soy beans, and blackstrap molasses.

            Boron food sources: organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and raw honey.

            Silica food sources: beets, brown rice, leafy green vegetables, soybeans, whole grains, bell peppers, alfalfa and the herb, horsetail.

            Vitamin D sources: Sunlight and egg yolks.

            Vitamin K food sources: green leafy vegetables, lowfat yogurt, egg yolk, blackstrap molasses, kelp, alfalfa, green tea.

            Vitamin C food sources: fresh fruits such as citrus, strawberries, pineapples, papayas, cantaloupe, and tomatoes. Fresh vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peppers, green peas, potatoes, cabbage, and onions. Leafy greens such as parsley, watercress, turnip greens, Swiss chard, and kale (Panahi, 1998).  

   

Rebalancing the Body

Last fall I took a one month vacation to the western US.  Between the fabulous restaurants in Sedona, the scrumptious family meals in San Diego, and the elaborate buffets of Las Vegas, I didn't exactly stick to my best dietary plan, but I did have a blast!

When I came home, I was feeling off, sluggish, and simply not myself.   I checked my PH Balance using a saliva strip and discovered that my body had become slightly acidic.   (A balanced body PH is slightly alkaline.)  I knew I had to take measures to bring myself back to normal so I set about creating my own plan.

Being 60 years old, I decided a harsh dietary cleanse would be too stressful on my body, so I came up with a gentle, gradual "rebalancing" plan. 

1.  Upon rising, I drank the following:

     4 ounces apple juice diluted with 4 ounces of water
     1 tablespoon dried cereal grass  (I used a product called "Green Vibrance" by Vibrant Health since it had many other beneficial foods plus probiotics.  Wheat grass, barley grass or a combination will also work well.)
     1 tablespoon freshly ground flax seeds

Health Benefits:
Cereal grasses provide a wealth of nutrients to the body's cells and reduce food cravings. They help control blood sugar levels, support liver function, provide digestive enzymes, reduce acidity, cleanse and tonify the blood, reduce inflmmation and detoxify the body.  

Flax seeds are a rich source of essential fatty acids including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Flax seeds help reduce bad cholesterol (LDL and triglycerides), control blood sugar levels, reduce the risk of colon cancer, reduce inflammation, and balance estrogen levels in post-menopausal women.  In addition, the gelatinous mucilage of flax gently cleanses and protects the digestive tract with no side effects.

The apple juice is mixed with water to reduce glucose response. 

2.  About an hour or so later, I made and consumed a fresh juice.   I used a juicer that would take whole fruits and vegetables with little cutting and chopping and one that was easy to clean so I would stick to my plan.   I used a variety of recipes, changing them each day.  All fruit and vegetables used were organic.  Here are a few examples:
     Carrot, apple, ginger
     Carrot, celery, beet
     Kale, collard, apple, pear, ginger
     Spinach, celery, cucumber, apple, ginger and squeezed lime 

Health Benefits: 
The removal of the fiber allows the juices to be digested and assimilated within 10 - 15 minutes, nourishing the body with enzymes and a wealth of vitamins and minerals.   The fruits cleanse and the vegetables build and regenerate the body.

3.  For lunch and dinner, I made sure 50% of my plate was raw or lightly cooked vegetables.  (The rest was whole grains and lean proteins). I snacked on fruit in between meals.

With this much nutrition, I expected to feel great, but my initial response was low energy and lethargy.  Nevertheless, I continued with this regimen, understanding that my body was gently detoxing.
After two weeks, my energy began to pick up and I was able to incorporate a regular exercise routine.  After a month, my energy and vitality increased and my PH balance was back to normal.  I decided to continue with the morning drink and include the vegetable juices several times a week to keep myself balanced and healthy. 

Next vacation, I think I'll focus on filling half my plate with fruits or vegetables, but still allow myself to enjoy other foods.    Love to eat healthy, but also love to enjoy life!