Healthy Heart Recipes

Here’s the bad news: Heart disease is the number one killer in America. Now for the good news: Heart disease is largely preventable—and small steps can make a big difference to your heart health. For example, even one hour of physical activity a week in an otherwise sedentary lifestyle is a good start.

The most common heart problem is coronary artery disease (also called coronary heart disease). The coronary arteries encircle the heart, supplying it with oxygen and nutrients and carrying away wastes. Like other arteries in the body, the coronary arteries can become diseased. The usual culprit is atherosclerosis, a condition in which fatty material is deposited within the arterial walls. Atherosclerosis impairs circulation to the heart and other tissues in the body and increases blood pressure. The heart now has to pump blood through narrowed, rigid arteries. It’s hard work. Like any other overused muscle, the heart hypertrophies, or thickens. Eventually, it starts to give out, leading to congestive heart failure.

The sooner you take steps to protect your heart the better. Here are some ways to have a healthier heart:
• Steer clear of tobacco smoke. Most smokers die not from lung disease but from diseases of the arteries and heart. Smoking increases heart disease risk for a factor of two to four. It decreases the oxygen available to the heart, elevates blood pressure, damages the arteries (including the heart’s coronary arteries), and increases blood clotting. If you smoke, talk to your doctor about getting off nicotine.
• Get moving. Sedentary behavior increases heart disease risk. On the other hand, physical activity has multiple cardiovascular benefits. If the weather’s inclement, exercise indoors. Try to be physically active at least 30 minutes each day. If you don’t have a full half hour, shoot for three 10-minute intervals. You needn’t exercise intensely. One study in older women showed that walking and vigorous exercise similarly reduced the risk of cardiovascular events (e.g., angina, heart attack, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death).
• Eat foods that support heart health. Make “strive for five”—five servings of fruit and vegetables daily—your mantra. Consume fish twice a week. If you eat meat, choose lean cuts.

Avoid fried foods and processed foods (most of which are high in sugar and unhealthy fats).
• Cut down on sweets, such as candy, bakery goods, sodas, juices, and other sweetened beverages. Excess sugar drives up blood triglyceride levels, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
• Keep to a healthy weight. Being overweight and obesity are key risk factors. If you’ve tried to lose weight without success, ask your doctor for advice.
• Tame stress. Repeated and prolonged stress increases inflammatory chemicals in the body, elevates blood pressure, and makes platelets stickier—all factors that promote heart attack. In vulnerable people, extreme stress can trigger heart attack, irregular heart rhythm, and sudden cardiac death. 
• Get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation raises the risk for heart disease and heart attacks.
• Spend time with friends. Social health promotes cardiovascular health.
• Keep regular appointments with your doctor to make sure your blood pressure and cholesterol within normal limits
• Control your blood sugar if you have diabetes. People with diabetes are at much higher risk of developing heart and arterial disease.
• Meet with a therapist if you think you might be depressed, anxious, or are having trouble controlling anger. Heart disease raises the risk for depression and vice versa. Personalities marked by frequent anger and hostility have a risk of heart disease and a heart rhythm disturbance called atrial fibrillation.

Recipes To Promote Heart Health

Go Fish! Quick Salmon Salad Spread
Use smaller crackers and add capers for a partyperfect recipe—what guest wouldn’t want to have a heart-healthy good time? 1 can salmon, drained (6 ounces, or 168 g) 2 tablespoons (20 g) minced red onion 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice 1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) olive oil ¹∕8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons (30 g) low-fat cream cheese 4 large, whole-grain crackers 4 slices tomato 1 large romaine lettuce leaf, cut in half
Preparation and use:
In a medium-size bowl, combine the salmon, onion, lemon juice, oil, and pepper. Spread the cream cheese on each cracker. Spread the salmon mixture over the cream cheese. Top with tomato and lettuce.
Yield: 2 servings
How it works:
Cold-water fish, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, and herring, contain heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids called DHA (docosahaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). These so-called fish oils decrease inflammation and triglycerides, raise HDL (good) cholesterol, discourage blood from clotting within the arteries, inhibit progression of atherosclerosis, stabilize heart rhythm to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death, and possibly lower blood pressure. Regular consumption of fish—about two servings a week—correlates with a lower the risk of heart disease. Avoid fried fish, which has the opposite effect. Recipe Variation: Substitute two slices of rye or pumpernickel bread halved for the crackers.

Mediterranean Food-cation
People with exceptional longevity reside in regions called “Blue Zones.” One is Sardinia. And one of their secrets to a long, heart-healthy life seems to be diet—both the foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, and the leisurely pace of preparing and enjoying them. Eggplant is at its best from August through October, yielding yummy tastes and textures. Don’t cut off the skin! It’s packed with antioxidants. 1 medium-size eggplant, sliced into 6½-inch (16.5 cm) thick rounds 2 teaspoons (10 ml) olive oil ½ teaspoon salt-free herbal seasoning, divided 2 tablespoons (30 g) store-bought or homemade pesto ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation and use:
Preheat a pan over medium-high heat until hot. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the oil. Sprinkle with half of the salt-free seasoning. Cook the eggplant slices for 5 minutes on one side or until browned. Turn and cook for about 3 more minutes or until tender. (You may also roast them in the oven.) Transfer to a plate. Spread each slice with 1 teaspoon (5 g) of pesto and sprinkle with the remaining salt-free seasoning and the pepper.
Yield: 2 servings
How it works:
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, and olive oil and minimizes animal foods (which contain cholesterol and saturated fats). Eggplant, a commonly consumed vegetable in this traditional diet, is particularly helpful because it contains viscous fibers that lower cholesterol. Several studies have linked the Mediterranean diet with better heart health. A 2013 Spanish study published in the New England Journal of Medicine assigned people at high risk for cardiovascular disease to a Mediterranean diet with supplemental extravirgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet with extra nuts, and a control diet designed to reduce fat intake. At the end of the five-year trial, both Mediterranean diets significantly reduced heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular calamities relative to the reduced-fat diet.

Heart-Soothing Pulse Check
When I’m feeling stressed or having trouble relaxing into sleep, I find that becoming aware of my heartbeat grounds me. I close my eyes and picture my heart beating slowly, steadily, and strongly. ~ LBW
You
Preparation and use:
Sit in a chair. Find your pulse: Good locations are on the thumb side of your inner wrist and in the neck just below the angle of the jaw. Count the number of heartbeats inside of 15 seconds. Multiply the number by four to calculate the beats per minute. Close your eyes. Straighten your spine so that the back of your head, shoulders, and sacrum line up. Rest your palms on your thighs. Inhale slowly for a count of four, pause, and then exhale slowly for a count of six. Notice how your collarbones and ribs rise and your abdomen moves outward with deep inhalation, then fall with exhalation. Repeat ten times. Check your pulse again.
Yield: 1 session
How it works:
This complete relaxation slows your heart rate and helps lower blood pressure, which lowers strain on the heart. Long-term stress elevates blood pressure, which strains the heart and also sets the stage for atherosclerosis. Eventually, the normal heart-rate variability is lost. Note: Unless you were already very relaxed, this activity probably slowed your heart rate.

When Simple Doesn’t Work
At your annual physical, talk to your doctor about your heart-healthy routine. If you follow a healthy lifestyle through good diet, exercise, and personal relationships (see Part 1 of this book), yet feel fatigued or have reduced ability to exert yourself, your doctor may prescribe a series of tests such as stress test, echocardiogram (echo), or electrocardiograpm (EKG).

When to Call the Doctor
If you or someone else develops any symptoms suggestive of an impending heart attack, do not take a chance. Immediately dial 911. Remember: Minutes matter. While awaiting the ambulance, chew a 325-milligram tablet of aspirin, and then wash it down with water. Doing so helps discourage blood clots from forming within the coronary arteries. Warning signs of a heart attack include:
• discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back—It can be uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
• unexplained shortness of breath, even if it appears without chest discomfort
• discomfort or pain in one or both arms, the neck, jaw, back, or stomach
• other signs: cold sweats, nausea, or light - headedness.