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.