Healthy Living

Eating a heart healthy diet is often the goal of patients who have discovered they have coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, or another of the heart conditions. Unfortunately, although a heart healthy diet will help to delay the inevitable, if they had begun earlier they may be eliminated the condition in the first place.

Sometimes combining weight loss and a healthy heart diet will accomplish several goals at once. The patient will gain more energy, increase the ability to remain active, decrease the risk of high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke and decrease the risk of stress related illnesses.

The American Heart Association believes that weight loss and a healthy heart diet is so important that they have guidelines for selecting a weight loss and weight maintenance programs.

They believe the food plan should be worked into the person’s current eating habits and preferences and set realistic goals for weight loss. Using a plan that cuts calories too quickly will cause the patient to lose motivation and confidence as well as cut necessary vitamins and minerals from the diet. People who want to attempt weight loss and a healthy heart diet should receive some nutritional education and physical activity to increase the likelihood they will achieve and maintain a healthier weight.

There are some red flags if you chose to use a diet ‘plan’. Does the plan promise more than it can deliver? Does the program use physical activity? Are you encouraged to be screened for health risks and given a consultation to set realistic weight loss goals?

To be clear, the plan should set realistic goals, encourage physical activity, encourage you to be screened for health risks that may impede your progress and give you a consultation to assist setting realistic weight goals.

Popular diets are just what they seem. Popularized by books, reports of rapid weight loss or celebrity endorsements, they often lack the research to back up their claims. In the end, if you eat more than you burn, you’ll gain weight. You lose weight by decreasing calorie intake and increasing calorie burn. You can maintain the same amount of food intake and decrease calorie intake by eating more fruits and vegetables and cutting out processed foods and fats.

A healthy heart diet is one that incorporates all of the principles of a balanced diet that is high in fruits and vegetables, moderate amounts of protein through natural sources and low to no alcohol intake.

We literally are what we eat. If our intake is mostly hydrogenated oils and fats we can’t pronounce, that is the food that builds the cells that run our bodies. A living body will function best on living food. That means raw fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds. Amazingly research is bearing this concept out.

One pound of weight is equal to 3,500 calories. A diet plan may promise a 5 pound weight loss in one week but the only way to achieve that would be to cut your calories by an astounding 17,500 calories. If you normally ate 3,000 calories per day (a high amount) and cut to 1,500 calories you would only have a 10,500 calorie deficit in one week.

Instead a healthy weight loss that people have a better chance of maintaining is 1 –2 pounds per week. To achieve this you should cut your calories by 500 per day. This can be done by a combination decreasing calorie intake and increasing calorie burn.

Weight loss and healthy heart diet plans often include increasing the amount of fiber intake. This accomplishes several things. Fiber will help to decrease your cholesterol, lower your triglycerides, and make you feel fuller longer using less calories. Foods that are high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains such as couscous.

Weight loss and healthy heart plans will help you to decrease your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Using appropriate plans and maintaining your motivation it won’t be long before your cholesterol is down and your energy level up!

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Preventing heart disease with diet and exercise means more than dragging out your old running shoes and changing from ice cream to vegetables. Too many times life catches up with us. You may have been a runner or volleyball player before you were married and had kids but now, with the added stress of work and family life, exercise has been moved to a back burner.

Something may have triggered your desire to exercise and prevent heart disease – it could have been an article, a friend who had a heart attack or a recent diagnosis of a chronic disease. What ever the reason there are steps to take before you begin.

Your first step should be a medical examination with your doctor. Only your doctor can determine if you already have a degree of heart disease or coronary artery blockage that will kill you within weeks of beginning a vigorous exercise program. Depending upon your history, your health issues and your family history he will do specific tests to look for a coronary artery blockage. This preventative screening may just save your life.

Cardiovascular disease will kill 950,000 Americans every year but as many as 2/3 are preventable. Preventing heart disease with diet and exercise is your next step to a healthier you. A heart healthy lifestyle consists of 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, plenty of water, limited caffeine and alcohol and at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous amounts of exercise each day.

Dietary changes are your first step. There are several easy and quick changes that can make a big difference in the long run. First, change to grapeseed and olive oil. You can use light extra virgin olive oil when you don’t want the heavy flavor of olive oil or a heavier version when you are looking for the extra flavor (like in whole wheat pasta). Olive oil is cold pressed and not heat-treated which makes a difference in the way your body processes the oil. Grapeseed oil is stable at higher temperatures and can be used for frying or baking, while olive oil is wonderful for dipping and sauces.

Next using the broiler or baking for your foods instead of sautéing or frying. Frying and sautéing adds extra fats and oils to the foods that you don’t need and only clog your arteries. If you like cheese make it hard cheese, like parmesan or Romano. The harder the cheese the less fat is in it. Velveeta and softer cheese are higher in fat and processing, which adds to your risk of heart disease.

What is important with your dietary and exercise changes are that they should be consistent. Eating foods rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low fat dairy products will help to protect your heart. Including fish, legumes and other low fat types of proteins will also help to reduce your risk.

After including certain foods you must also limit others such as saturated, polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and trans fats. All of these fats will increase your risk of heart disease and raise your blood cholesterol. Major sources of these fats are beef, butter, cheeses, milk, coconut and palm oils as well as deep fat fried foods, baked products and packaged snack foods.

Preventing heart disease with diet and exercise also means getting 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise 5 days each week. You aren’t training for the local triathlon or the Olympics – you are getting your heart rate elevated and your breathing deeper for 30 minutes each day. You can use a trampoline in the house, an exercise ball, walking, jogging, jump rope or sports such as basketball, soccer, tennis or racquet ball. You don’t have to do the same thing each day. Vary your activities and keep them interesting.

Again, the intent isn’t to exercise for one week and then stop but to make life changes that will improve your chances of living a long and healthy life. This is true for dietary changes as well. Preventing heart disease with diet and exercise is a commitment to long-term changes that will decrease your risk of heart disease, stroke and heart attack.

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Eating healthy on a budget doesn’t have to be difficult or tricky. There are several factors that, when done correctly, will help produce healthy recipes. You might think that healthy eating is expensive, or that produce will put your budget over the top. But, the truth be told, processed foods will ruin your health and cost you much more than money.

There are several tricks to use when you are preparing healthy recipes. First, you should prepare your menu and then your grocery list at home. Shopping at the store without a plan will blow your budget faster than anything else can. Another no-no is to go shopping when you are hungry. All of a sudden everything looks good to eat and everything makes it to the grocery cart.

Healthy recipes can be done when you avoid low-carbohydrate foods, spend a bit more time in the kitchen, emphasize eating foods that are in season, and make enough to freeze when the items are on sale. For instance, if the chicken is on sale you can purchase more than what you’ll use fresh, prepare it and freeze it. Take advantage of the prices today for your meals next week.

Budget recipes take advantage of whole foods and stay away from refined processed foods. Use coupons when you go to the store to decrease the bite into your budget. Many coupons you find are for processed foods but if you look carefully you’ll find whole foods, produce and white meat coupons and sales.

Many budget recipes call for fresh produce that you can potentially grow in your own garden. Even if you live in the city with a small balcony, tomatoes, peppers and many herbs grow in pots very well. They require sunshine, water and fertilizer and before you know it you’ll be harvesting your own salad from your garden on the balcony.

Another way to cut back on your food bill is to buy from the butcher directly and not from the grocery store. You can often get a better price and the meat cut to your specification. In your salad – color it up! Try to include 3 different colors of fruits and vegetables each day to reflect the variation of nutrients that are included in these foods. When you make beans you’ll save more than ½ if you use dried beans. Before cooking you’ll need to soak them for 12 hours.

Do you have recipes that require milk? Skim milk powder will help to save money and the shelf life is a lot longer than fresh milk. Even if the milk is on sale, unless you drink or use the entire amount everything you throw away increases the amount of money you’ve paid for the milk.

Cabbage is a vegetable that is loaded with vitamins and minerals, a great source of vitamin C and flavor. You can include cabbage in your salad, as a vegetable, or in soups and casseroles. You can quickly prepare cabbage in the microwave and flavor it with dill and plain yogurt. Macaroni and cheese is a quick and easy meal solution that can have more flavor and nutrients if you add tuna, frozen or left over vegetables or tomatoes. Rice is a budget conscious ingredient that can be changed with a few vegetables, spices, soy sauce, chili, tomatoes, salsa or replacing the cooking water with broth or tomato juice.

Eating healthy low budget recipes aren’t hard to find, are great for college students who don’t have much money or supplies in the kitchen and can be accomplished with coupons and sales. Watch your local newspapers, woman’s magazines for quick recipes and don’t overlook experimenting!

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There are some misconceptions with health information about organic foods. Are they safer? More nutritious? More expensive? Tastier?

Standing at the grocery store with a red delicious apple in your hand you can’t tell the difference between conventionally grown and organically grown. Both apples are firm, shiny and red. Both have vitamins, fiber and are listed as heart healthy foods. What makes them different?

Organically grown simply refers to the way farmers grow and process the products. Organic practices encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution. Farmers also use special processes for fertilization, weed and pest control and preventing disease in plants and livestock.

A single product, such as produce, that is completely organic can carry a small USDA seal. Foods that are more than one ingredient, such as cereal, can either carry the seal or be labeled as 100 percent organic, organic (95%), or ‘Made with Organic Ingredients (contain at least 70%). Foods that have less than 70% can’t use the seal or the word organic on the label.

Nutritional health information about organic foods don’t have conclusive research that shows the food is more nutritious than conventionally grown food. But the difference lies not in the amount of nutrition but in the pesticides that are left on the products.

Research has shown that pesticides have an adverse effect on our bodies over time. Some of these pesticides, in the right amounts, cause cancer and immune diseases such as lupus, arthritis, and diabetes. When farmers spray the pesticides on the produce it can, and often does, leave a residue on the product. Some fruits, when sprayed early in their growth, may also incorporate some of the pesticide into the fruit itself.

Many experts agree that the amount of pesticides on the food pose a ‘small’ health risk to the consumer. How ‘small’ that risk is to you is a personal decision. When you or your family members are diagnosed with a chronic illness doctors can’t often pinpoint an exact cause. Is the cause the pesticides from your produce and processed foods? You’ll never really have the answer.

Scientists do agree that 80% of the pesticides in use today cause cancer and the chemicals are found in the milk of nursing mothers. People today are beginning to accumulate pesticides in their bodies in infancy!

Organically grown produce is also usually more costly. This is because the organic farmers don’t use herbicides and pesticides to control their crops but instead use mulch, hand weeding and other labor-intensive methods. Their crops cost more to produce and they usually have a lower yield.

Most experts agree that the health information about organic foods is relatively equal to the foods that are conventionally grown. There have been some studies that foods grown organically have higher levels of folate but there haven’t been enough studies at the chemical level to concretely state that organic foods all are more nutritious.

The deciding factor for most people is the ingestion of pesticides that linger on the skin of the fruit. If you chose to eat conventionally grown fruit always wash and sometimes peel the outside skin. Even for organically grown fruit and vegetables it is wise to wash because the farmer in the next field over could have been spraying pesticides that inadvertently entered the organic farmers crops.

When you are buying organic foods don’t confuse the terminology on the labels. “All Natural” does NOT mean organically grown. Look for the USDA Organic label. Buy your fruits and vegetables in season to get the best quality taste and nutrition from your purchase.

Health information about organic foods can be confusing. The deciding factor for you most people is how they feel about the information and who they trust. Make your decisions and then stick with them until you find information to the contrary. If you feel better and healthier then you are feeling the effects of organically grown produce.

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With the recent medical education push toward prevention and treatment of osteoporosis more and more people are searching for ways to naturally prevent this debilitating disease. Osteoporosis bone fractures, although not life-threatening, does result in death of the sufferer approximately 30 percent of the time. Patients who suffer from hip fractures also have a high risk of disability and poor motor function.

Nutritional guidelines to produce healthy bones will help you to prevent osteoporosis bone fractures and worsening of your condition. Fortunately, osteoporosis isn’t a have or have not disease. As people age over the age of 35 they begin to lose bone faster than it can be manufactured by the body. The question usually isn’t do you lose bone – but at what rate and can you slow the progress.

Many people understand the role that calcium plays in the nutritional guidelines for healthy bones. What they may not realize is that dairy products aren’t the only place to get a good source of calcium. Healthy eating guidelines recommend that you consume most of your calcium from plant sources instead of dairy since dairy products are also high in saturated fats that lead to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and immune mediated illnesses. In fact, bone loss is accelerated by eating to much animal protein. Milk is liquid protein; sometimes referred to as liquid meat.

Some good plant sources of calcium include spinach, kale, broccoli, soybean products and some legumes. The American Heart Association has published studies that show that people absorb calcium better from vegetable sources rather than non-vegetable sources. (1)

Vitamin D is another vitamin in the arsenal of nutritional guidelines for healthy bones. The first study done in 1992 was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and studied 3270 women between 69 and 106 years old. The women in the study group were given Vitamin D3 supplements and at the end of the 18 month period the women who received the supplements had 43 percent decreased hip fractures and 32 percent lower non-vertebral fractures. The results of this study were repeated in 1997 and published again in the New England Journal of Medicine. (2)

Nutritional guidelines include the intake of lysine which helps in the absorption of calcium. Dr. Roberto Civitelli of Washington University was published in Nutrition 1992 and believes it’s possible to absorb more calcium by eating foods that are also rich in lysine.

Research has found that Vitamin K has a role in building bone as we age. Vitamin K is a fat soluable vitamin that is essential for the functioning of several proteins important in blood clotting. It also appears to be important in the ability of minerals to bind together forming bone.

There are two forms of Vitamin K – K1 and K2. K1 is synthesized from plants which we eat. Vitamin K2 is synthesized in animals, including humans, from the bacteria in the intestines. There are some unique pathways for the synthesis of Vitamin K. Vitamin K2 is found in higher concentration than K1 in certain organs of the body, including the liver which all suggests that there is more to be discovered about the synthesis and use of Vitamin K in the body.

The nutritional guidelines for healthy bones would then suggest that eating a diet rich in calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin K and lysine will help to keep your bones healthy and strong.

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Healthy nutritional guidelines for vegetarians are much the same as they are for people who eat meat. The real difference is that the vegetarians are more likely to eat all of the fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that are recommended in the guidelines.

Interestingly the US government produced a new food pyramid in 2005 but retracted their promotion in the face of huge opposition from the beef, dairy, sugar and food-processing industries. The new recommendations cut the amount of beef, dairy and sugar back from what was recommended previously. It also recommends that people eat more fruits, vegetables, drink more water and use less caffeine than before.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and the Harvard School of Public Health thought that this new pyramid didn’t go far enough. Both published and released a new healthy eating guidelines that were plant-based to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, colon cancer, breast cancer, and osteoporosis. Plant based diets have been shown to have the most protection against common degenerative disorders.

Healthy nutritional guidelines for vegetarians must be well balanced which means eating a variety of foods that include grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and beans. A vegetarian food pyramid might have a base of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and other legumes, followed by nuts, seeds, egg whites and plant oils and topped with eggs and sweets (eaten only occasionally).

Each of the vegetarian food groups provides some, but not all, of the nutrients you need. No one food is more important than another. For your good health you must eat a variety of all groups – but this guideline is appropriate for those who also eat meat.

Vegetarians should include a variety of foods to ensure that they get protein, calcium, iron and zinc from plant sources. Most plant sources aren’t a good source of Vitamin B-12 or Vitamin D. If you don’t get sun exposure to make your own Vitamin D then you should take a supplement for D and strict vegans should always take a vitamin B-12 supplement.

As with others who eat meat, it is very important to drink enough water and fluid each day. Although vegetarians get more water from their foods than do omnivores they don’t get enough not to drink. You should have at least 8 8-ounces of water each day. Don’t use soft drinks, caffeinated drinks or alcohol. These drinks aren’t nutritious and caffeine and alcohol will only dehydrate you instead of rehydrate.

Healthy nutritional guidelines for vegetarians are really not that much different than those for omnivores. Vegetarians must keep a watchful eye on their intake of protein and calcium, eat well balanced variety of foods and drink plenty of water.

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Without a doubt women’s fitness over 40 is a topic of discussion in most doctor’s offices, women’s groups and between friends. You may not know it but it really is. But how you ask? You’re in those groups, you’re on the phone with your friends and you visit your doctor. You don’t hear them talking about a woman’s fitness over age 40.

But they are, in subtle ways. Women may complain about not being able to climb stairs any longer because of painful knees. You may hear talk of a friend with heart disease or high cholesterol. An acquaintance may have be diagnosed with diabetes or high blood pressure.

How is this related? Because fitness over 40 programs and routines will help to decrease your risk of stress and age related illnesses. Increased physical fitness will help to create the muscle strength to support joints and decrease pain related to arthritis.

Unfortunately 60% of women in the US don’t get the recommended amount of activity. And 25% aren’t physically active at all. These statistics are slowly raising the number of women who suffer from stress related diseases such as heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Women’s fitness over 40 programs don’t begin in the gym however. Women must first come to terms with the idea that physical fitness doesn’t mean that you are pumping iron, becoming Mr. Universe or training for the Olympics. Physical activity is only that activity that raises your heart rate and breathing for 30 minutes. That may mean walking quickly for 30 minutes in the neighborhood, jogging, biking with the children, rowing, treadmill in front of the television, bouncing on an exercise ball or using a trampoline in the house. The goal is to improve your physical fitness and health – not train for the triathlon.

The first real step for a women’s fitness program, is to address lifestyle changes that might impact your ability to start a program. Things like diet, nutrition, and habits. One of the most dangerous habits is smoking. Smoking will negatively impact your ability to use your lungs, you do damage on the cellular level to your lungs and the CDC reports that 295 out of every 100,000 deaths are attributable to smoking damage.

Another step in your women’s fitness over 40 program is to incorporate more fruit, vegetables and whole grains into your diet. If you have trouble imagining how to do that you may benefit from a couple of consultations with a dietitian who can help you slowly ease into a healthier diet. Five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables, 8-10 glasses of water and decreasing the amount of white flour in your daily diet will go a long way to improving the way that you eat.

You may not know it but your teeth also play an important part in your program. With some simple flossing and brushing you significantly reduce your risk of heart attacks and strokes that have been strongly linked to the bacteria that grow within your mouth. In a retrospective study researchers found that a statistically significant number of patients who suffered a stroke also had a mouth or tooth infection or high build up of plaque in their mouths. Flossing and brushing just may save your life!

What you may have thought of as the most important piece of the women’s fitness over 40 program, the exercise routine, is actually the icing on the cake. Exercise is important but it is the roof over the house that keeps you dry. Exercise depends upon the structure of nutrition, diet, and daily habits to improve your health.

Your women’s fitness program can consist of cardiovascular and strength training. Cardiovascular training can include biking, jogging, walking, swimming, trampoline, exercise ball or jump roping. And this program need not be consistently the same thing. That’s only boring. Mix the exercise up a bit and do it with friends. You’ll have more fun and you’ll stick with it longer.

The strength training aspect of a program should never be performed on consecutive days. In other words, if you do it on Monday don’t do it again until Wednesday. Two or three days a week, strength training can be done at home with hand weights and a DVD program or at the gym. The choice is yours and how it fits your lifestyle. Incorporating strength training will decrease your risk of osteoporosis, improve the support of your joints and give you a more shapely figure.

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