February's Feature

Three F's for February Heart Health

Fruits and vegetables, Fish and less trans Fats.

Coronary heart disease causes 700,000 deaths annually. Recent studies involving 126,000 people from 1994 on, tell us 5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day are heart healthy. (1 serving = ¾ cup). Scientists calculate that there is a 4% lower risk of clogging of the arteries for each serving of fruit or vegetable you eat per day.

Research also shows people 65 and older who eat 1-2 servings of broiled or baked fish per week decrease their risk of dying from a heart attack. (1 serving = 3 oz.)

Replacing butter and margarine with olive oil, nuts or nut-butters and eating less total fat overall (5-8 tsp of fats or oils per day) is heart healthy. Reduce your intake of man-made trans fats (also called hydrogenated fats) by replacing baked and processed sweets, snack foods and fried foods with fruits and vegetables.

Other heart healthy foods are black and green tea, dark chocolate in moderation, soy products (soymilk or tofu), whole grains (oatmeal, and breads with at least 3 grams of fiber per serving), wheat germ, walnuts, olive oil and fatty fish like tuna and salmon. These foods are rich in anti-oxidants, B vitamins, fiber, monounsaturated and omega 3 fats, all of which help protect us from the number one killer in the United States, coronary heart disease.