KEEP YOUR POWERHOUSE TUNED UP

   The most important step you can take for heart health is to start with the kind and quality of food you place upon your plate.  Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in this country.  One would expect a cure that could dramatically reduce these deaths would be big news.  “In traditional societies where people do not eat processed foods, heart disease is rare,” says Dr. Arthur Agatston, M.D., author of The South Beach Wake-Up Call.  “If you start with a healthy diet early in life, heart attacks are almost completely preventable.”

   If your “both working” parents try to appease your hunger with French fries and cheap hamburgers you can still have a profound effect on your own life as you make it a point to find out more about what is needed in both your “tummy tank” as well as your car tank.

   For example let’s start with oranges that can reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and heart failure.  Its fiber pectin acts as a giant sponge, cleaning up cholesterol in food and blocking its absorption.  Potassium in oranges helps counterbalance salt, helping to keep blood pressure under control.  New research shows that all citrus foods neutralize a protein leading to congestive heart failure, a condition that is often difficult to treat with drugs.

   Kale is one of the most powerful plants.  The author of the bestseller “Eat to Live” Joel Fuhrman, MD, uses diet and exercise to help patients reverse their cardiovascular disease.  Kale boasts a bumper crop of heart-healthy antioxidants that includes vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and potassium.  “It even contains an unusual compound that coats the arteries to keep plaque from adhering,” says Dr. Fuhrman.

   Garlic also has a significant impact and in three randomized trials.  Matthew Budoff , MD, professor of Medicine at UCLA, found that plaque progression slowed by more than 50 percent in people taking garlic.  Sardines lower triglycerides and raise HDL, the good cholesterol.  Omega 3s can be found in flax seed but that found in sardines is inore powerful, according to a large Danish study.  Wild Planet sells sardines in extra virgin olive oil with lemon.  Lentils, almonds, pomegranates are important to include.  According to government studies the main villains in heart disease are saturated fat in meat and refined carbohydrates in bagels, pizzas, cookies, sodas and other sugar-laden products that include refined flour.