The Heart Smart Credo

I hope that you are experiencing a thrill at every meal as you tune into your taste buds, nourish your body, and get healthy deliciously.

You should print this list out and stick it on your fridge so you can remind yourself exactly how to eat right.

·        Remember, salad is the main dish: eat it first at lunch and dinner.  We have the tendency to eat more of whatever we eat first because we are the hungriest.  What better time to include the most nutrient-dense foods into your diet?  Successful long-term weight control and health is linked to your consumption of raw greens, as they are absolutely the healthiest in the world. 

·        Eat as much fruit as you want, but at least four fresh fruits daily.  Blend fruits into your morning shake.  Finish lunch with watermelon, dinner with grapes or a box of blueberries or eat an apple while watching TV at night.  Get your fresh fruits in any way you would like, but be sure to consume them with your meals each day.

·        Eat Leafy Greens Every Day  It’s essential for your body to get all of the vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals from a variety of foods, especially greens.  You never have to be concerned about overeating your vegetables, so experiment with preferably fresh vegetables, and also mix up how you eat them: raw, steamed, stir-fried, sautéed, the options are endless.

·        Eat Your Veggies  I recommend eating eggplant, peppers, onions, garlic and mushrooms as much as possible…and you can eat all you want.

·        Eat beans or legumes every day.  Beans are a dieter’s best friend.  Aim to eat at least one cup of beans daily.  Beans are a powerhouse of nutrition, stabilizing your blood sugar, reducing cholesterol and preventing food cravings.

·        Reduce or eliminate animal products.  If you eat animal or dairy products, I advise you to reduce the amount and frequency that you eat them.  You should try to get down to eating fish or chicken twice a week only if possible. If you drink milk, switch to fat free! Butter? Change to an olive oil based spread.

·        Consume nuts and/or seeds every day. Nuts and seeds may be high in calories and fat, but when you eat them in small quantities; they offer important health benefits, including disease protection against heart attacks, strokes, and cancer and can even help lower cholesterol.  Don’t eat more than two ounces of nuts per day if you would like to lose weight.

·        Keep it simple and have fun!.  As I say in the blog summary, you don’t need to go to culinary school to cook and eat healthy and delicious foods.  Just keep it simple by finding some great recipes (like the ones you get here hehe) and have fun eating a variety of foods. 

Mediterranean Potato Salad

Dressed with tangy, honey-mustard vinaigrette and fresh scallions, this invigorating potato salad compliments the perfect summer BBQ.

Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 1/4 hours (including cooling time)

Ingredients (4 servings, about 1-1/3 cup each)

• 2 pounds red jacket (Russet) potatoes
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced (only the green part of a stick or green onion)
• 1 cucumber, peeled, halved and sliced
• 1 red small onion, sliced very thin
• 12 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 4 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½  red bell pepper, sliced very thin
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

• Quarter potatoes and place potatoes in a large saucepan with the ¼  teaspoon sea salted water and cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water - Let cool for 20 minutes. Cut the cooled potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces.
• At the same time potatoes are cooking, prep the red onion and red pepper. Add 1 tablespoons olive oil and roast on a baking sheet at 400 for 15 minutes or until tender.

To Make the Dressing:

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons whole-seed, prepared mustard (with horseradish blend, if possible – or a good quality whole-seed deli mustard)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (white vinegar will do also)
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Sea salt

Preparation

• Whisk all ingredients together and add salt & pepper to taste.
• When cooled, add dressing to red onion, red pepper, cucumber, olives and minced garlic in a bowl and toss to coat.
• Add potatoes and toss to coat.
• Just before serving, add crumbled Feta and scallions to the salad and toss gently.

Enjoy!

Longevity and Nutrition

“No matter the amount of research that scientists do into anti-aging medicine, no matter how skilled physicians become in using these tools, if people will not turn their own attention to changing their diets for the better, there can be no completely successful cases in the realm of longevity medicine. Nutrition is just that important.”  World Health Organization, 11-10-2003

It makes sense when you think about it, really. We can draw an analogy from a car engine. No matter how sophisticated the technology is that developed the engine in your car, no matter how many sensors it has, if you feed that engine poor quality gasoline you will eventually have engine problems. Food is the gasoline that runs our bodies and minds. If you feed your body poor quality foods you will eventually have health problems. It’s that simple, think about it.

The biggest health problem facing Americans today is obesity. More than half of us are over our ideal weight and 35% are obese enough to significantly raise the risk of disease and premature death.

Nutrition is one of the greatest weapons against disease. Keeping fats below 30 percent of total calories consumed and cholesterol intake below 200 mg will markedly cut your risk of heart disease. Eating five servings a day of fruits and vegetables lowers your chances of getting cancer. And a recent study found that eating nine to ten daily servings of fruits and vegetables is as effective as medication in lowering high blood pressure, and can help reduce or eliminate your chances of stroke.

Increasing Longevity and Lessoning Disease Through Proper Nutrition

It is established that the risk of several other prominent age-related disorders, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes, is influenced by the nutrient value of the food you eat and by the level of food intake

Doctors from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in South Carolina conducted a study of lab animals in which they restricted the caloric intake to 60 percent of normal. The team found that caloric restriction induced a wide range of physiological changes. Of particular importance were adaptive changes within the endocrine system that serve to maintain blood levels of glucose (sugar).

Additionally, proper diet may stave off the onset of the neurodegenerative process. Dr. Mattson from the National Institutes of Aging published findings indicating that diseases including Alzheimer's disease are precipitated by increased levels of oxidative stress, perturbed energy metabolism, and accumulation of insoluble proteins. Dr. Mattson suggests that dietary restriction may enhance the resistance of neurons in the brain to deteriorations that are associated with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

It has been suggested that the age-associated declines in immune function are similar to that seen by protein-calorie malnutrition. This makes sense because many older people live alone and may not give adequate attention to the quality of foods they consume. Many older men and women are deficient in vitamin C, vitamin E, riboflavin, pyridoxine, iron, and zinc. 

Several researchers have indicated that proper nutrition can modify the natural age-related decline of the immune system. A Dr. Lesourd and colleagues from the Hospital Charles Foix in France have documented a decline in cell immunity that is largely responsible for increased rates of infection and cancer in the elderly. Dr. Lesourd's study reinforces the notion that nutritional factors play a major role in the immune responses of older people - and that people of any age (and especially older people) can benefit from proper choices in daily nutrition.

Through all of these studies it is obvious that, as we age, the nutritional value of dietary intake becomes very important.

Specific Foods That Support Longevity

The American Cancer Society recommends five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Mixing colors - eating from the rainbow - is a good way to think about healthy fruits and vegetables. Strive to eat red things - strawberries, raspberries, cherries, red peppers and tomatoes, yellow things - squash, yellow peppers, small portions of bananas and peaches, blue things - blueberries, purple things - plums, orange things - oranges, tangerines and yams, green things - peas, leafy greens and broccoli, etc.

Lean Protein

1. Fish - Salmon (especially Alaskan Wild Salmon - also listed under fats) Fish and Seafood Recipes
2. Poultry - chicken - skinless, and turkey - skinless Poultry Recipes
3. Tofu and Soy products – preferably organically raised
4. Beans, especially garbanzo beans and lentils - also listed under carbohydrates Bean Recipes
5. Nuts - also listed under fats- For more on nuts read HERE

*Healthy Nut Mix Recipe – Walnuts, Almonds, Hazelnuts, Pistachios, Pecans and Peanuts. Eat 2-3 ounces every day!

Complex Carbohydrates

1. Berries - especially blueberries - brain berries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries
2. Oranges, lemons, limes
3. Cherries
4. Peaches, plums, apples - Fruit Recipes
5. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts- Veggie Recipes
6. Oats & Whole Grains - Oatmeal needs to be the long cooking kind as instant has broken down the fiber to speed cooking time and basically make it a refined carbohydrate. Same goes for bread and grains, look for at least 3 grams of fiber. Remember unbleached wheat flour is white flour, it must say whole grain! Grain Recipes
7. Red or yellow peppers (much higher in Vitamin C than green peppers)
8. Leafy Greens - For more on the importance of leafy greens read HERE
9. Tomatoes
10. Yams
11. Beans - also listed under proteins

Fats

1. Extra virgin cold pressed olive oil - For more on this read HERE
2. Olives
3. Salmon - also listed under protein
4. Nuts and Nut Butter, especially walnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans and almonds - also listed under protein
5. Avocados

Liquids

1. Water
2. Green tea

By following the diet proposed on these pages, you will live a longer, healthier and happier life…to your health!