In honor of February, a month most historically recognized
for its correlation to hearts, my postings this month will be
heart-related. I would like to start the
month off with a bit of awareness. I
recently read that heart disease is the number one killer of women. To add to this frightening fact, it is also
known as the silent killer because you feel perfectly fine as it attacks your
heart. In most cases, by the time you
are aware of the very subtle warning signs, the disease has progressed to a
serious stage. If this information is
having the same impact on you that it had on me when I read about it, I would
like to encourage you to take that fear seriously. On the flip-side of the fear, however, is the
knowledge that you CAN PREVENT this from happening to you!
An
Ounce of Prevention…
You can reduce your risk for
heart disease by an alarming 80% by making changes in your diet, exercise, and
lifestyle!
Eating better-reduce risk by 50% -
Adopt a Mediterranean diet,
control your portions, watch out for hidden salt, cut down on the trans and
saturated fats, swap out butter for a spread, and eat at home. Add grape juice, almonds, berries, oatmeal,
salmon, spinach, canola oil, soybeans, and grass-fed beef to your diet.
Exercise!!- reduce risk by 40% -
Raise your heart rate for 20-30
minutes a day. Make sure your exercise
is intense enough to raise your heart rate (you should only be able to speak
brief 3 word sentences), change your workout every few months, get yourself a
workout buddy, three 10 minute high intensity workouts per day can be just as
beneficial as one 30 minute session, take a book or some music on your walk to
keep from getting bored, and change the pace of your stride every five minutes
to keep your body interested.
Change your lifestyle – reduce risk by 50%
Relax!, Educate your friends and
family about heart disease, lower your blood pressure, keep your waist
measurement at less than half your height, make sure you are getting enough
vitamin D (sunshine is a great source!), get 7 to 8 hours of sleep, and manage
diabetes.
***The
information above was sourced from Better Homes & Gardens magazine Feb.
2010
Love
Your Heart
To get you started off on the
right track, I have included a tasty, heart-healthy recipe for you to try as
well as a list of helpful books on this subject that you can find at Haltom
City Public Library J To kick-start your heart-healthy fitness, I
have included information at the bottom of this post about the Haltom Stampede!
Pecan-Crusted Chicken
From Eating
Well For a Healthy Heart Cookbook
281
calories; 15g fat (2g saturated, 8g mono)
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken
breasts, trimmed ¼ tsp.
ground chipotle pepper
½ C. pecan halves or pieces 1
large egg white
¼ C. plain, dry breadcrumbs 2
Tbsp. water
1 ½ tsp. freshly grated orange
zest 1
Tbsp. canola oil, divided
½ tsp. salt
Instructions
1. Working with one piece of chicken at a time,
place between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or heavy skillet
until flattened to an even ¼ in. thickness.
2. Place pecans, breadcrumbs, orange zest, salt,
and ground chipotle in a food processor and pulse until the pecans are finely
ground. Transfer the mixture to a
shallow dish. Whisk egg white and water in
a shallow dish until combined. Dip each
chicken breast in the egg white mixture, then dredge both sides in the pecan
mix.
3. Heat 1 ½ tsp.
oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add half the chicken and cook until browned
on the outside and no longer pink in the middle, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep
warm. Carefully wipe out the pan with a
paper towel and add remaining oil. Cook
the remaining chicken, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent scorching. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings
On Heart Disease
The No Bull Book on Heart
Disease by Joel Okner, M.D. and Jeremy Clorfene, Ph.D
Outliving Heart Disease: the
10 New Rules for Prevention and Treatment by Richard A. Stein, M.D.
Cookbooks for Healthy Hearts
AMA Healthy Family Meals
by American Heart Association
Betty Crocker Healthy Heart
Cookbook by Joyce Hendley
Eating Well For a Healthy
Heart Cookbook by Phillip A Ades, M.D.
WomenHeart’s All Heart Family
Cookbook by Kathy Kastan, LCSW, MA ED and Suzanne Banfield, Ph.D
Get
Fit For a Good Cause!!
The 26th annual Haltom
Stampede will take place on Saturday, February 11th. It begins at the Haltom City Recreation
Center at 4839 Broadway Ave. The
stampede includes a 1 mile fun run and a 5K run/walk. The proceeds from this event will go to help
with the Haltom City/Birdville ISD Back to School Health Fair. Funds raised
will purchase school supplies and backpacks for children.
If you would like to register, I
have provided the link below:
