Heart Healthy Food

Here are some things to try if you are looking for heart healthy foods to add to your diet..

Make homemade salad dressing with 1tbsp Flax seed oil for a big dose of heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids

Or sprinkle ground flax seeds on your cereal or yogurt every morning

Add legumes such as peas, or beans to 4 meals a week - this can cut you chance of heart attack by 22%

Hazelnuts have also been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack

Induldge a bit:

Eat a few small pieces of dark chocolate (not milk chocolate) a week - high in flavonoids, dark chocolate helps arteries stay flexible and prevent plaque build up

A beer a day has been shown to reduce cholesterol, increase antioxidants in the blood , and reduce the protein fibrinogen which promotes blood clots (red wine is also a good choice - but you have to choose one of the other - not both!)

Cook with spices such as ginger and turmeric a couple times a week - they are great because of their anti-inflammatory properties

Take a B vitamin complex every morning (a combination of folic acid, B-6 and B-12) - studies have shown that levels of homocystein (linked to heart disease) are about 40% lower

Heart Health

Did you know heart attacks are more likely to occur in the morning?

Why?

Because in the mornings

-your blood pressure has started to rise, and is much higher than when sleeping

-your arteries are more rigid, making them more likely to rupture

-your blood is thicker

-so what can you do to prevent a heart attack in the morning?

Taking all heart-related meds in the evening before bed - around 10pm

-cholesterol meds- because your liver makes more cholesterol at night

- blood pressure meds can help keep your blood pressure lower in the morning

-taking a baby asprin as a heart attack prevention is more effective if taken at night

-even taking half of your multi vitamin at night is good for you because of the

antioxidant benefits.

So stay heart healthy, talk to your doctor about switching your meds to the evening

{source: Dr. Oz}

Flossing

Did you know flossing daily can add up to 6.4 years to your life?

Why??

Because the same bacteria that causes gum inflammation is also linked to heart disease

-more specifically, the inflammation of ateries.

So floss every day to get rid of this bacteria and live longer and have better breath!

read more here
{image from realsimple.com}