Eating Habits for Heart Disease

Yes, it’s been a while…

NOW.

Does heart disease run in your family? Don’t stress, just take control!

There are dietary choices that you can make to lower your own risk and control your health.

Cardiovascular diseases , a group of diseases that include conditions that affect the heart or the vascular system such as coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, and even pulmonary embolism, are the most common causes of death

Eating Habits You Must Follow If Heart Disease Runs In Your Family

Here are some habits to take on if you have a higher risk of heart disease:

1. Eat Walnuts: Walnuts are the only tree nut that is an excellent source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Research has shown that consuming foods high in omega-3 ALA may help reduce the risk of heart disease through anti-inflammatory effects. 
2. Cook and eat with Olive oil: olive oil is a source of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyphenols, which with high antioxidant properties. “every 10 grams of extra-virgin olive oil per day reduced Cardiovascular diseases risk by 10%.
3. Eating more fruits: helps reduce your risk of being affected by cardiovascular disease. This is thanks to the vitamins, fiber, minerals, and phytochemicals that you get from fruits.
4. Drink some green tea: Linked to lower risk of Cardiovascular disease, along with lowering risk of cancer, boosting brain health and more. Secret Effects of Drinking Green Tea
5. Use sodium-free herbs and spices instead of salt in your meals. “Strong evidence indicates that reduction of salt intake lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The WHO has set a global target of reducing the population salt intake from the current level of approximately 10 g daily to <5 g daily. PUBMED
6. Avoid ultra-processed meat and eat fish, poultry, and nuts instead: “Ultra-processed meats that are cured, smoked, or otherwise preserved have been linked to increased CVD risk thanks to the presence of certain components like sodium, nitrates, and L-carnitine that may lead to elevations in blood pressure, worsening oxidative stress, greater lipid peroxidation, and unfavorable alterations of the gut microbiome.”
7. Eat a Mediterranean diet: this diet is a lifestyle more than a diet and incudes olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. It is a good way to lower CVD as they limit fried foods, concentrated sweets, and many types of meat.

All this to say, if you come from a family with prominent risk of Cardiovascular disease, take control and begin by managing your lifestyle through some healthier habits.

FRUIT RECALL: ATTENTION

California-based Wawona Packing Co. issued a voluntary recall on July 19 for certain types of peaches, nectarines, plums and pluots that were packaged and shipped between June 1 and July 12. The fruit is being recalled for possible listeria contamination, though no illnesses have been reported to date, the company said on its website.

 

A Recall has been done on fresh fruits! So…. Be careful around peaches, nectarines, plums and pluots. These potentially contaminated fruits may be distributed at major chains such as BJ’s, Costco, Trader Joe’s, Sam’s Club and Whole Foods which have been cited. Please read the following article, and if you have been exposed, please be aware and throw out these foods for your safety.

 

Symptoms typically appear within a month or two of consuming contaminated materials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says listeria can be treated with antibiotics and urges consumers to seek treatment if they begin exhibiting symptoms after eating possibly tainted foods.

 

SO PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND AWARE: THIS CAN BE SERIOUS.

See article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/22/fruit-recalled-listeria-wawona-packing_n_5610607.html

Frozen Fruits & Vegetables Bad? WRONG!

Many have the impression and belief that frozen fruits and vegetables lose their nutrients once frozen and that having fruits and vegetables *fresh* is MUCH BETTER. I have something for you, that is not true. I have been on your side of the door and I wouldn`t believe how frozen may be more nutritional, however after careful research, it is true! I am not saying frozen is better in all cases, but they can both be as nutritional, if not better.

Frozen may be more healthy than some of the fresh produce sold in supermarkets, although not ­always the case, but check this out:

Fruits and vegetables chosen for freezing are often processed at their peak ripeness, a time when they are most packed with nutrients. Whereas, freshly chosen fruits and vegetables are typically picked before they are ripe, destined to be shipped to supermarkets around the country. This gives them less time to develop all the proper vitamins and minerals. Not to mention, they are left uneaten for the period that they must travel and stay on the shelves for however long until purchased from consumers, then in the consumer`s fridge until actually eaten. In addition, during the travel, fresh fruits and vegetables are exposed to variable temperatures such as heat and light, which degrade some nutrients, especially water-soluble vitamins like B and C.This process almost makes us question how much nutrients are the fresh produces actually offering to our bodies. This is not to say that frozen offers the ultimate nutrient, as the first step to freezing the vegetables and fruits is blanching them in hot water or steaming them. This is done in order to remove all bacteria and to keep away food-degrading enzymes; this then, as well, causes nutrients like vitamin C and Vitamin B to degrade. So as fresh produce, it does lose seldom vitamins, however once frozen, it then locks all nutrients left inside until eaten. However, note that with frozen produce you may still lose more of its nutritive content when reheating, so in order to maintain the most nutrients in frozen produce, reheating in a microwave or steaming is better than boiling, that way you keep the produce as healthful as possible.

So, after this descriptive explanation about FROZEN VS. FRESH, I will leave you to make your own decision. But keep in mind, frozen fruits and vegetables lose nutrients, just as Fresh produce does (through Vitamin B and C), however they still keep more nutrients then Fresh fruits all together, as they are frozen as soon as ready.

Now, when you go to the supermarket to buy *fresh* fruits and vegetables, and as the supermarket tries to convince you that these fruits have *just been picked* with the deceiving mist spray and colouring, you will remember that in reality, these fruits and vegetables have been in storage for a month or more…

So this is all to say that frozen can in fact be nutritionally comparable to ‘fresh’ produce, if not better, contrary to the beliefs out there.

Be sure to eat between five to nine servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Note that a serving is considered to be half cup of sliced fruit or vegetables, and for leafy greens a serving is one full cup.

Enjoy and stay healthy!

Read more:
http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/fresh_vs_frozen_vegetables_are_we_giving_up_nutrition_fo

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2449843/Frozen-food-IS-better-Higher-levels-vitamins-antioxidants.html

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/myth-or-fact-fresh-produce-is-more-nutritious-than-frozen-produce.html

Better Diet For Better Health: Asthma Treatment

Suffering with Asthma is a constant struggle, but studies today are finding possible solutions.

“In recent decades, there has been a well-documented increase in the incidence of allergic asthma in developed countries and coincident with this increase have been changes in diet, including reduced consumption of fibre.”

Studies done on mice show that high fibre foods might be a solution for Asthma. These studies showed that High-fibre diet causes mice to be less vulnerable to asthma, producing more short-chain fatty acids which is a type of fat absorbed into the blood, acting as a signal to the immune system and resulting in the lungs being more resistant to irritation; i.e. lower cause of Asthma.

Read the following link for more details:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25592214

Fruits Are Good For You, Except …

Fruits are very good for you but when should you not have fruits?

Zoë Harcombe explains that fruits are not good with other foods because it disturbs the digestion process, so it is better to eat it either 30 minutes before eating or after you have digested your food which can take few hours. Another time when not to eat fruits is essentially when you have hyperglycemia because fruits are high in sugar. Third reason why fruits are not good is if you have candida, which is a fungus, because fruits will feed candida, which can in turn cause diseases.

Watch this 3 minute video for more details

Lowering Your Blood Pressure… Just A Few Steps Away!

Feeling your blood pressure rising with every breath that you take? Have you ever felt your blood pressure rising when simply spending time with friends and you can’t begin to understand what triggered it? Scary huh?

Here is a video with a few tips on how to lower your blood pressure; that is, with what you eat and what to avoid when eating!

Briefly…
What you SHOULD NOT have: excess sodium is a big NO NO! High alcohol intake is another factor that causes high blood pressure.
What you SHOULD have: More Potassium intake, more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low fat dairy products.

Take this seriously because high blood pressure is no joke and can cause heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and stroke.Please care for your health and make the proper adjustments to assure that!

Now take few minutes of your time to watch this video and possibly researching a little more on the DASH Diet which I have also attached a quick video explaining a little what the Diet is.

Enjoy and stay healthy!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/video-what-to-eat-and-what-to-avoid-to-lower-your-blood-pressure/article4616242/

A little about the DASH Diet:

An Apple a Day really does keep the Doctor Away

Many of us have heard the quote “Eat an apple a day and keep the doctor away”; it’s very true.
I can tell you myself that I have seen how apples help in weight loss for once. Sadly many people don’t like to eat apples due to the concern that they have high calories; however denying this nutrition to your body is detrimental as apples provide your body with so much nutrients that allows you to stay in good health and lowers your chances of sickness.

Remember… High calories does not mean high in fat, it just means watch out what time of the day you eat them. I will follow up at a later date, in a later blog, about what are calories because it seems that many have the wrong idea about them. Heads up! A calorie is a unit of energy. In other words, when you read something has 100 calories, it’s a way of illustrating how much energy your body could get when eating or drinking it, not how much fat you can contain from it.

Check this short video, it describes everything you can be missing out on when you don’t allow yourself to eat apples.