Good Nutrition for Your Heart

 

Eat plenty of:

 

Fresh fruits and vegetables

Red grapes

Cranberries

Tomatoes

Onions

 

All of the above are anti-oxidants which reduce inflammation by eliminating the damaging oxygen free radicals

 

Garlic – A clove/day or by pill 400 mg/day, can also help hypertension

 

Extra virgin olive oil – It has phytonutrients which increase the good HDL cholesterol in your body

 

Omega 3 fatty acids-

Decrease triglycerides in your blood, which cause plaque in your heart arteries

Decreases high blood pressure

Try to get 2-3 portions per week in wild salmon, mahi mahi, cat fish, flounder, tilapia

 

4 oz Red wine at dinner

Can increase the good cholesterol, HDL

Relaxes us

Has anti-oxidants

The Emotion of Your Heart

 

 

When I was a young girl I used to play a game with my mother in that I would ask her “how much do you love me”?  Knowing our game she would reply the same each time, “from the bottom of my heart” giving me a hug as I laughed and gleefully screamed in delight. We have all heard many sayings put together with the word heart; I love you with all my heart, love can break your heart, my heart will go on, my heart is broken, etc. The heart has been associated as being a source of emotion, love, courage, wisdom and our soul. In ancient Greece there was a belief that there was competition between the heart and brain in regard to thinking and feeling or intellect and emotion.

 

In traditional Western medicine we look at the heart primarily as a muscular organ which pumps blood throughout our body giving us the nutrients and oxygen we need in order to survive. But if we look at the heart in a less traditional fashion, more contemporary fashion,we can learn a lot about keeping our bodies, minds and spirits in better health.

 

According to research in the past few years there is a critical link between the heart and brain with the brain responding to the heart in many ways. When we experience the following;

1. Anger

2. Frustration

3. Anxiety

4. Insecurity

5. Hostility

6. Loneliness

7. Isolation

8. Depression

9. Repression of negative emotions

Our heart rhythm patterns become more erratic, our stress hormone levels become elevated, our blood vessels can constrict, our blood pressure may rise and eventually our immune system becomes weakened. With consistent or repeated negative patterns of emotion our hearts become overburdened over a period of time affecting how our bodies function.

 

However when we experience positive and heart warming emotions such as;

1. Love

2. Care

3. Compassion

4. Appreciation

5. A sense of connection

Our heart seems to reflect more harmony showing smoother heart rhythm patterns, lowering of blood pressure and opening of our blood vessels. This all puts less stress on our hearts thereby making the workload less and our bodies function more efficiently in a harmonious state.

If we believe that emotions affect our hearts, and ultimately how our bodies function then we must practice techniques that change our behaviors or emotions.

Some of these practices may include;

1. Upon awaking each morning make a mental list of 5 things that you are appreciative for. Think about each one, and enjoy the good thoughts.

2. Find something positive to focus on for the day, and when the going gets tough think back to that positive focus.

3. Appreciate yourself.

4. If you are having a difficult situation or feeling a negative emotion change your thinking. Turn it around by reflecting on a past feeling where you felt appreciated, concentrate on that feeling rather than the negative feeling.

5. Learn to communicate your frustration in an acceptable, useful way. Don’t repress things.

6. Find a support structure. Turn to your family, friends for companionship. Do not isolate yourself.

7. Most importantly, learn to understand what you are feeling and be more aware of bad emotions coming into play. If you have difficulty with this one, start a journal for each day and write down your thoughts and feelings to reflect on at a later time. It may help you to get to know yourself.

8. Lastly, smile. You would be surprised that when you smile, the world smiles with you!  

  

Now, when I say to my husband “I love you” I know that it’s good for my heart!

Heart disease is the number 1 killer of women in the United States today. 1 out of 4 women will die each year in the U.S. from heart disease. It is estimated that one half of women who have heart disease or die from a heart attack do not know that they have a heart problem. Even now, with more studies coming out about women and heart disease women are not acknowledging that there is such a risk to them. Many still think that breast cancer is a bigger risk but it is not.

 

Misconceptions about women and heart disease include;

 

1. Women don’t really get heart disease.

2. When women have symptoms, the symptoms are the same as men.

 

The symptoms can be very different and not as severe, such as the crushing chest pain like their male counterparts. Some of the symptoms can include shortness of breath, a feeling of dread or anxiety, not sleeping well at night or having repeated episodes of indigestion. Many times the women will be treated with anti-anxiety medications and the true diagnosis of heart disease will be missed.

 

Women present to the hospital with the same symptoms of men less than 50% of the time. More often mental stress is the culprit, not linked to any immediate physical activity as with men.  Blood vessels are smaller and the build-up of plaque is sometimes missed on heart tests because of the small nature of it. Women are twice as likely to die in the year following a major heart attack then men.

 

Listed below are the risk factors for heart disease, there are the uncontrollable factors and controllable factors. The risk factors that are uncontrollable are;

 

1. Family history of heart disease or stroke

2. Increasing age

3. Post-menopausal or having had your ovaries removed                   

 

The risk factors that are controllable are;

 

1. Smoking

2. High blood pressure

3. Increased total cholesterol level or decreased HDL (your good cholesterol)

4. Diabetes

5. Increased CRP (this value could reflect blood vessel inflammation)

6. Use of birth control pills (especially if combined with smoking)

7. Obesity

8. Sedentary lifestyle                             

 

In addition, the last factor is more prevalent for women because in general they tend to be the caretakers and typically do not take enough time to exercise and take care of themselves or feel guilty when they do. 

 

Many women, who have been diagnosed with heart disease, relate that each woman needs to be her own advocate and to trust your instincts. If you think something is just not right about how you are feeling pursue it until you get some answers.

 

Reflecting on the above information, the next step is to look at ways to keep our hearts healthy and to understand heart disease as well as knowing what can cause our hearts to have problems.

 

Some heart health tips include;

 

1. If possible know your family history. This is important for overall health.

 

2. Stay active. Some type of cardio exercise is a necessity. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day 3 days a week. If you cannot perform cardio because of joint problems, swimming is an excellent form of exercise. Make sure you also include some resistance training, lifting weights and isolated muscle exercising 3 days a week. You could do these on the off cardio days. Remember that the goal is to keep fit. Anything is better than nothing.

 

3. Follow a good nutritional plan. Most people should cut their portions in ½. Eat foods that are high in anti-oxidants, lower in hydrogenated fats, enough protein and the good carbohydrates such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

 

4. Maintain your blood pressure within a normal range. On average it should not be higher than 130/90 but each person is different and some people may have higher numbers than 130. But the idea is that it be checked regularly and your doctor should be seen if it is high or uncontrolled.

 

5. Understand your cholesterol and get blood work at least once a year. As a guideline these are levels that are acceptable;

 

6. Treat yourself well. Think positive, don’t dwell on the negative in life and be able to ventilate feelings of anger, frustration or other negative emotions through meditation, bio-feedback, yoga or simply talking to someone.

 

7. Try to sleep on the average 7 hours/night.

 

8. Do not smoke. If you are smoking, stop.

 

9. Suggested supplements could include;

  

·        Vitamin  B

·        Vitamin C

·        Beta Carotene

·        Selenium

 

All of the above are anti-oxidants and could keep the lining of your arteries healthy and more flexible

 

·        Niacin which stops your body from producing excess amounts of cholesterol

 

·        B6, B12 and folic acid which could control the build-up of homocysteine levels which could be as significant as elevated cholesterol

 

·        Fish twice weekly for the omega 3 fatty acids which reduce the formation of blood clots and decrease triglycerides. If you are concerned about mercury poisoning or don’t like fish, there are good fish oil capsules on the market that are not fish tasting or odorous.

 

·        Phytosterols (plant sterols) which block cholesterol from getting into the bloodstream

 

So ladies, practice good eating habits, exercise and listen to your heart.

 

 

 

 

               

What is Coronary Artery Disease?

                                                         

Our hearts are a muscle about the size of your fist. The heart has 3 main coronary arteries and their branches which run down the center of the heart and supply the heart with the blood and oxygen that it requires to keep functioning properly.

The 3 main arteries are named: Left Anterior Descending this one runs directly down the center of your heart) Right Coronary Artery which goes down the right portion of your heart and the Circumflex Artery which goes down the left portion of your heart. They all have some smaller branches as well. They all come off the Left Main Artery.

 

Due to the risk factors which cause heart disease, over a period of time these arteries can become blocked with plaque. The plaque can cause blockages in your artery and that is when you can suffer a heart attack, and or damage to your heart muscle.