Heart disease is the number one
killer of both men and women. It takes
the life of one American every minute. In 2019, 3/4 of a million people in the
United States will have a heart attack or die from coronary heart disease caused by
build- up and thickening of plaque in the arteries.
Nearly half of all Americans
have some form of heart disease, but less than half of all Americans recognize
the symptoms. The most recognizable symptom is the “feeling of an elephant
sitting on your chest.” Other less obvious symptoms include shortness of
breath, chest pain, arm and shoulder pain, especially down the left arm. This
is the symptom my husband had while he was experiencing an aortic aneurysm –
pain from his chest, traveling down his left arm.
In addition to these symptoms, women experience less obvious symptoms related to heart disease. These include pain in the upper abdomen, extreme fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Not only is heart disease a leading cause of death in women, but it is becoming more common in younger people as well.
Risk Factors
Risk factors include high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, obesity and excessive alcohol
use. Stop smoking and drinking
excessively are obvious solutions. But
what about high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity?
Little Helpers for a Healthier Heart
Diet
Exercise
Testing
There are four tests you should expect
to take when seeing your doctor. They
are:
Blood pressure – ideally no higher than 120/80
Cholesterol (blood sample) – HDL (good)
cholesterol should be at least 50, while the LDL (bad) cholesterol should be no
more than 100.
Blood
sugar (blood sample) – 1 out of 3 Americans is pre-diabetic and 90% of them don’t
know it. Ask your doctor for a simple
blood sugar test. The optimal blood
sugar level should be under 100 when fasting.
Cardiogram
– is a simple, painless test in which a probe is rubbed over your chest and
actually shows your heart beating (it’s amazing to watch)!
Diet
The following recipe is from the Henry
Ford/Detroit Free Press Heart Smart Cookbook Third Edition.
Chicken Breasts with Dijon Cream Sauce
Cream sauces can add plenty of fat and
calories to recipes. In this recipe, the
fat and calories are reduced by using fat-free half and half in place of heavy
cream. Just a small amount of Dijon
mustard adds texture and a slight tangy edge.
Makes 4 meals in 30 minutes
Ingredients
4 (ounce each) boneless, skinless
chicken breasts
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black
pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
½ cup fat free, less sodium chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
1/3 cup fat free half and half
1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
Directions
Sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts
with black pepper and salt.
Add canola oil to a large nonstick
skillet, and place it over medium-high heat until it’s hot.
Add chicken breasts to the skillet;
cook 7 to 10 minutes on each side or until the chicken is tender and no longer
pink (165 degrees). Remove chicken from
the skillet and keep it warm.
Reduce heat to medium – low. Add broth and wine to the skillet, stirring
to loosen browned bits.
In a small bowl or measuring cup,
combine the half and half and Dijon mustard; add mixture to the skillet. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until
sauce has thickened slightly.
In a small bowl, combine the
cornstarch and water, stirring until the cornstarch is dissolved. Gradually add the cornstarch mixture to the
sauce, heating to boiling, stirring constantly.
Boil and stir 1 minute.
Serve the chicken with sauce over rice.
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories……. 244 Sodium
……..480 mg.
From fat …… 36% Cholesterol……64
mg.
Fat……………..9g Calcium ……….32 mg.
Saturated ……1g
Fiber ……………0g
Trans …………0g Food
exchanges
Carbohydrates ….3g 3
lean meat, 1 fat
Protein …………26g
Exercise
According to health and fitness expert
Stephanie Mansour, we need to treat the heart like any other muscle. Take 220 and minus your age to get what
your maximum heart rate should be. You want to be between 50% and 85% of that
rate if you are taking your pulse or monitoring with tracking monitor. Three types of exercise should take place;
cardio, stretching and strength training.
Click here to see her demonstrate on the Today Show.
www.today.com/health/american-heart-health-month-6-exercises-work%20-your-heart-t148147
References:
Center for Disease Control www.cdc.gov
American Heart Association www.heart.org
Dr. Memet Oz www.doctoroz.com
Henry Ford Health System www.henryford.com/services/heart-and-vascular-institute
Stephanie Mansour www.stepitupwithsteph.com
Pingback: Little Helpers For Your Heart - Grammy's Little Helpers