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Dear
Kathleen,
A recent trip to my doctor revealed I'm at risk for heart
disease. My doctor told me to clean up my "act"
but I have no idea where to begin.
Angel
Dear Angel,
You're not alone. Heart disease is the number one killer
in America. The good news? It's preventable. Now is the
perfect time to launch heart healthy habits you can stick
with for life.
A recent survey by Quaker revealed that 75% of us are worried
about our heart health. Two thirds of the people polled
said they'd do anything it took to improve their heart health.
But with new and often conflicting information being released
every day, most Americans are confused about what to do.
Follow these six simple steps and realize your best heart
health ever!
- Rise
and dine. In 40 studies over 40 years, oatmeal has
been proven to lower cholesterol. Two minutes in the microwave
is all it takes. A half a cup of oatmeal, a half a cup
of fruit, a cup of water and two minutes later you've
got a breakfast that will keep you feeling full and energized
straight through lunch time.
- Be
selfish. When you're happy, your heart is happy. When
you find yourself feeling super stressed out and uptight,
take control. Take a 10 minute "me time" out.
- Feel
the love. How much of your day is devoted to spending
time doing things that make you kid-happy and ecstatic?
Challenge yourself to create more joyous-payoff-moments
throughout your day. Call your mom, play with your kids,
walk your dog, plan your summer garden, whatever it takes!
- Pump
up the heart healthy ingredients. Every time you head
into the kitchen to cook, figure out how you can swap
out heart unhealthy ingredients for ones that will make
your heart go pitter pat without the butter! Cut back
on animal fat. Consume red meat and full fat diary products
less often. Read labels! Products containing palm oil,
coconut oil and partially hydrogenated oils show up in
all kinds of snack foods and even some foods labeled,
"low fat", "low in saturated fat"
and "low cholesterol" so don't be fooled. These
ingredients should be avoided as they can raise cholesterol
levels and increase your risk of heart disease.
- Exercise
your options. Walk, jog, swim, dance, play tag or
go fish! According to the University of Michigan, "Exercise
pumps more blood through your veins. This increases the
size of your arteries, prevents fat from clogging your
arteries and helps prevent blood clots. A strong heart
does not have to work so hard so you're less likely to
have a heart attack. Regular exercise also increases your
HDL (good) cholesterol and helps lower your total cholesterol."
- Feast!
Work as many of these foods into your daily diet as
you can:
For
their cholesterol lowering value:
Dried or canned beans, peas and lentils – super
easy to add to soups, chilies, salads and salsas.
Soy - Not a fan of tofu? Every time a recipe calls
for frozen peas, use frozen edamame. The little slightly
larger than pea-like soy beans can be found already
shelled in the freezer section of your grocery store.
Olive oil and canola oil – Canola oil is best
used in baking as it has little or no distinguishing
flavor and won't detract from the finished product.
Good olive oil, especially extra virgin olive oils
have strong, distinctive flavor characteristics which
means you'll naturally use less. Just because they're
"good fats" doesn't mean you get to consume
them with abandon.
For their ability to help
prevent blood clots and reduce high triglycerides:
Fish – dine on omega 3 rich, cold water fish
such as salmon, trout, tuna, herring, sardines and
mackerel.
Flax seed – not such a fan of fish? Flax seed
are a great source of essential fatty acids too. If
you like or don't mind "healthy tasting"
baked goods, add ground flax seed to cake, muffin
or pancake batters. Flax seed can be added to rice,
soups and even your morning bowl of oatmeal.
Challenge yourself to work these heart healthy foods
into your diet too: nuts, barley, leafy green vegetables,
broccoli, garlic and fresh grapes.
kd@chefkathleen.com
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