Heart Health Valentine

Some heart health tips for my favorite patients.  It’s valentines day after all!

1. Eat more healthy fats: raw nuts like walnuts, almonds, cashews all have great hormones building, immune system building fats.  Eat many.  Why raw? because in the process of roasting, salting and storing them on the shelf at your grocery store, they often go rancid. rancid oils are not heart healthy.  Here is a recipe for some fantastic salty nuts that have preserved the quality of the fats:

Crispy Walnuts:

Thanks to Sally Fallon from Nourishing Traditions for the following tried and true recipe for amazing walnuts:   

4 cups walnut halves and pieces, preferably fresh shelled
2 teaspoons salt
filtered water

Mix nuts with salt and water and leave in a warm place for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water. Spread on a stainless steel baking pan and place in a warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for 12 to 24 hours, turning occasionally, until completely dry and crisp. Store in the refrigerator, as the fats in walnuts can go rancid quickly.

2. Fish oil 

Fish is an important part of a heart healthy diet. Seafood is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and other ailments. Omega-3s are especially important for pregnant and nursing women, and young children. Unfortunately, some fish carry toxins that can become harmful when eaten frequently.  Here is an abbreviated guide as to which fish are safe to eat.

 

Fish to eat:

Cod – US line caught

Halibut – pacific wild

Lobster

Mussels

Oysters

Salmon (Alaska wild)

Scallops (farmed)

Pink Shrimp

Striped Bass

Rainbow Trout (farmed)

AVOID:

Caviar

Chilean Seabass

Atantic Flounder, Halibut and Sole

Lobster (Brazil)

Mahi Mahi

Orange Roughy

Imported Shrimp

Red Snapper

Tilapia (imported)

Tuna – all canned

For an exhaustive list, a buying guide, or to download one on your mobile device, check out SEAFOOD WATCH  

3. Reduce stress – stress causes a strain on the cardiovascular system. How? It’s mostly hormonal – the inflammation caused by the increase in stress hormones can worsen the risk of heart disease in predisposed individuals.  Find ways to reduce stress in your life; foster fun and healthy relationships, talk to your family more, find a type of exercise that you like to do and do it, or another activity that makes you happy like acting, knitting, dancing, or movies.

4. Deep breathing, a.k.a. the belly breath – something we can all do a little more of.  While waiting for your internet connection to load, taking a shower, sitting in your car, lying in your bed, or anytime really – take full deep breaths, filling your lungs from the top to the bottom.  When taking a truly deep  breath, one should feel her belly expand, and also feel like she is breathing into the space in her back. Make the exhale longer than the inhale in order to fully expand the lungs.  A practice of deep breathing has been shown to lower blood pressure throughout the day (not just when you are deep breathing), activates the parasympathetic nervous system, and helps with relaxation.