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

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!!!!!!!!!!

Clogged Arteries: Steps to Clear Them from Plaque – Updated Article With New Information

Cleaning those arteries!  What you eat may help clean the arteries check out this article at:

Clogged Arteries: Steps to Clear Them from Plaque – Updated Article With New Information

I have tried to change diet and introduce new foods.  The article points out..........

To clear clogged arteries, exposure to free radicals must be reduced or eliminated. Adding antioxidants to your diet should do the trick to help break the clogs. Antioxidants can be added in the form of supplements or just via foods that contain them. Clogs take years to form, so it might take you some time to repair the damage and clear clogged arteries. Your nutritional formula will need to be balanced carefully so that you can dissolve the clogs, while feeding the necessary nutrients to the arteries and surrounding tissues. Important vitamins to include in your diet are Niacin, A, B1, B6, C, E, D, Pantothenic acid, Inositol, Choline, Calcium, Iodine, Potassium, Magnesium, Chromium, Selenium, Manganese, and folic acid.

I have also tried a new juice - pomegranate!

Researchers have also found that pomegranate juice prevents the arteries from hardening, as well as reversing the progression of disease. In the study that was conducted, the effects of pomegranate juice were tested on human cell samples taken from blood vessel lining. The cells were then subjected to severe physical stresses, the kind that may occur when one’s blood pressure is too high. Those cells, which were treated with pomegranate juice, showed evidence of having significantly less damage from the stress. Additional studies done on mice demonstrated that pomegranate juice slowed down artery hardening significantly.

Research continues!

Twenty-Two Month Old Heart & 2 Month Old Grand Daughter!

Well, it has been 22 months since my open heart by-pass surgery & 2 months since the birth of our first grand child, our baby girl Jamina!!!

A new heart has allowed me to continue to enjoy my retirement!  Golf today, with an "EAGLE" on a par 5 that made my day!  And a great weekend with our son, awesome daughter-in-law Erliza and of course the new addition to the family Jamina!!!!!!!

What a great new family!!!!  

Fish Oil’s Heart Benefits May Be Overstated

OK. One of my goals for my blog was to keep up with the latest news on heart disease.  Fish Oil?  Benefit or not?

Take a look at the article -

Fish Oil’s Heart Benefits May Be Overstated

I have been taking Omega 3 Fish Oil for about one year now.  As the new study states:

“Omega-3 supplementation did not statistically significantly reduce all-cause mortality, sudden and cardiac death, [heart attack], or stroke,” says Moses Elisaf, M.D., the senior author of the study and a professor of internal medicine at the University of Ioannina Medical School, in Greece.

Remember, this is one study.  I really do think eating a balance diet is the best way to get what the body needs!  As the article states:

Diets rich in fish and omega-3s have been linked to a lower risk of heart attack, so what accounts for the disappointing results from supplement trials? Inconsistencies in the trial details—such as the dosage used and the participants’ preexisting conditions—may be partly responsible, but it could also be that fish oil doesn’t provide the same benefits as omega-3s in their natural state.

Eat Smart!!!

64-Slice CT technology revolutionizes heart attack prevention

When I had my heart issues I needed a heart catheterization.  Then open heart surgery.  The after heart surgery, another heart cath!  The heart catheterization was not too bad, but it is invasive.  How abou a new procedure?  Check out the article at -
64-Slice CT technology revolutionizes heart attack prevention
Here is a part of the article:

CT Angiography vs Cardiac Catheterization:

Until now, Cardiac Catheterization has been the most important tool for evaluating the arteries of the heart. But, Cardiac Catheterization is an invasive procedure that requires an incision in the groin, inserting a catheter into an artery in the leg and advancing the catheter under X-ray guidance to the heart.  Contrast dye is then injected directly into the arteries on the surface of the heart and X-rays are taken that show whether any of the vessels are narrowed.

Cardiac CT Angiography requires only a small IV in vein of the arm. A small amount of dye is injected into the vein followed by a 10 second CT scan of the heart.

With Cardiac CT Angiography there is no risk of vascular damage, heart attack or stroke. 

So, the article it points out NO RISK of vascular damage, heart attack, or stroke!  THAT'S GOOD!

The less invasion into the body the better - hopefully, "zipper" clubs will be a thing of the past also!

Grand Daughter Continues to Heal the Heart!

Well, the heart gets stronger!  My new grand-daughter takes care of that!!

Dressed in yellow - she is my sunshine!

She is snuggling & ready for bed time!

Here smiles make me smile!

Here laughs make me laugh!