Five Super Foods to Protect Your Valentine's Heart

Happy Valentine’s Day! What better time to talk about how YOU can use food to help protect the hearts of the people you love. One of the great things about nutrition is the power of food to make a difference in your health and the health of your family today and in the years to come. Nutrition is one of the first lines of defense for your health. It’s like stacking the deck in your favor.

On the flip side, one of the most frustrating parts of nutrition is how to make sense of the contradictory reports you hear almost every day. The information seems to flip-flop doesn’t it? It’s enough to make you want to through up your hands and say ‘forget about it’.

One thing to remember is that nutrition is both a young science and a complex science. As research methods improve and more research is available, old data and ways of doing things change. You have to take the long view. One study doesn’t change things. We need to see results proven in several well done studies before recommendations truly change.

Nutrition for protection of the heart is really changing. Before, you didn’t go on any type of special nutrition plan or diet UNTIL you were diagnosed with a cholesterol/heart problem. Then you were told to lose weight or cut down on bad fats.

What we know today is that if heart disease runs in your family, it may also affect you. So…prevention is key…learning to be proactive. We now know terrific foods to include in the diet to help prevent high cholesterol or heart disease from becoming a problem and to help in the treatment protocol if you’re dealing with it already. Some of these foods may surprise you. In the past you might have been told to cut back on fat and alcohol. Now we know that certain types of fat may be helpful as well as alcohol in limited amounts

Think about a portfolio of heart-protective super foods similar to the portfolio for your investments which you consume regularly. The more you include per day, the bigger the benefit. There are many healthy foods but today we’re focusing on five superfoods for the heart:

Nuts: contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, fiber, and vitamin E. Try almonds, walnuts, and peanuts. Munch on these in place of chips or pretzels (not the entire can…more like a small handful), put in oatmeal, sprinkle in a salad or stir fry.

Beans and lentils: try black beans (soup, quesadillas), red beans and rice, kidney beans in chili, white beans, and green lentils for split pea soup. All of these help to bring down the lousy or LDL cholesterol.

Soy protein: try soy sausage with pancakes, soy milk or cheese; soy nuts, or tofu. There is some controversy now about soy protein’s ability to lower cholesterol but what typically happens is that if you include soy in your diet, you tend to cut saturated fat.

Cherries and blueberries: fight inflammation in the body which may increase the risk of plague buildup and heart attack; use frozen, fresh or dried.

Oats (cereal and oatmeal): work like a sponge to help soak up cholesterol and remove from the body. I make oatmeal or eat oat squares and add almonds or pecans, dried cherries or fresh blueberries. I also like vanilla soy milk and will use it on cereal or in smoothies.

Remember that these heart protective superfoods, eaten regularly, can lower your cholesterol level and help keep your heart healthy.

Dr. Susan

Dr. Mitchell is co-author of Fat is Not Your Fate, Eat to Stay Young and I’d Kill for a Cookie.
Listen to her weekly Internet Show on AM580 WDBO: http://580wdbo.com/healthcenter/

Visit her websites: http://www.susanmitchell.org and http://www.fatisnotyourfate.com