Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Heart Healthy Snacks!

Its 7:30 PM.  We sit down to watch our favorite shows - NCIS, Monday Night Football (And now we have Thursday & Sunday Night Football!), American Idol, or re-runs of Seinfeld?  And it happens!  I NEED A SNACK!!!!!!

Check out the article -

6 unexpected heart-healthy snacks


Here are the highlights!
Here are 6 on-the-go snacks that can, surprisingly, help your heart. Fortunately these foods are common items that we often have in our refrigerator and pantry.
Popcorn: Popcorn delivers polyphenols—antioxidants linked to improving heart health. Gram for gram, popcorn boasts three times more polyphenols than kidney beans (the highest vegetable polyphenol source) and four times more than cranberries (the best fruit source), according to recent research out of the University of Scranton. Get a yummy, super-easy recipe for Cheesy Popcorn here.
Dark Chocolate: Researchers have discovered that eating moderate amounts of flavanol-rich dark chocolate has a blood-thinning effect, which can benefit cardiovascular health, and it may also boost the immune system by reducing inflammation. Some research also suggests cocoa may help lower blood pressure. Find a recipe for heart-healthy French Silk Pie and more chocolate recipes here.
Yogurt: Research shows yogurt may protect against gum disease. And people with gum disease—which affects up to 50 percent of American adults—are twice as likely to suffer from heart problems. (Find 10 healthy recipes using yogurt here.)
Apples: Apples were associated with a lower risk of death from both coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease in the Iowa Women’s Health Study, which has been tracking 34,000-plus women for nearly 20 years. Finnish researchers found that frequent apple eaters had the lowest risk of suffering strokes compared with nonapple eaters after studying dietary data collected over 28 years from 9,208 men and women. (Find a recipe for Apple Cupcakes and more heart-healthy apple recipes here.)
Nuts: Nuts are chock-full of vitamins, minerals, heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and low levels of saturated fats. Research suggests that people who eat nuts—walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, pine nuts and peanuts (which actually are legumes)—two to four days or more per week have a lower incidence of heart disease than people who eat them less often. Eat more with delicious recipes for Spiced Spanish Almonds and more nut recipes here.
Raisins: Raisins may help protect both your gums and your heart. Research has shown that antioxidants in raisins fight the growth of a type of bacteria that can cause inflammation and gum disease. And dealing with gum disease can help you avoid heart disease. Last summer, a major heart journal and a major periodontal journal simultaneously published a consensus paper that outlines the link between the two diseases: inflammation.

What do you think? - Here is my ranking of the treats!

1 - Dark Chocolate  2 - Popcorn  3 - Nuts  4 - Yogurt  5 - Apples  6 - Raisins

Monday, October 8, 2012

Back from Indianapolis!

One of the advantages of retirement & good health is you are able to do the things that you wanted to do, but could not do when you were in the working world!  Well, just got back from cheering on my Green Bay Packers!

Here are a few health issues I noticed while traveling.

1 - My retired buddies all have health stories - from heart disease to the meds we take, from our important our spouses are to our friends support, and things like our diet, exercise, or mental approach to our health! Traveling allows friends to share!

2 - Walking up stadium steps & seat locations - our seats were interesting!  Top row!!!  The last 20-30 steps were straight up!  Our hearts were pumping!  Our seats were difficult to get to - what if someone had a health crisis?  When you travel and where you travel to, should be analyzed.

3 - Eating out. When you travel, what you eat can be a challenge.  Getting your family or buddies to agree on a restaurant.  Deciding what is good for you on the menu?  Can a cheat on my diet - JUST A LITTLE!

All in all, traveling with friends and sharing time together is something that is special.  The only thing that can make it better is having the team you are cheering for WIN!  Come on Packers!!!!!!  If your fans travel 10 hours to cheer you on win!!!!!!!!!!