KacYoung

Heart Easy™ Ultimate Athenian Greek Salad

Nov 192012

Last week I harvested tomatoes (in November!) from our amazing tomato plant, lovingly named Lazarus, for a Greek salad. This morning from my garden in the front yard, I harvested a cucumber, basil, red and green peppers and an onion. I made an amazing salad for lunch all with home grown produce that I picked myself. Okay, there is something to be said for the California Coastal Indian Summer, but it’s November for crying tears and I can’t believe the bounty is still coming! It looks like there is one more round to go, so I should be able to enjoy this fresh salad one more time before Thanksgiving.
You can also enjoy this great salad by purchasing organically grown produce at your local markets.

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp cold-pressed virgin olive oil

1.5 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 medium plum tomatoes, sliced

1/2 cucumber, peeled, sliced

1/2 small sweet onion, peeled, sliced and cut in quarters

1 bell pepper, seeded, coarsely chopped or thinly sliced

1/8 cup pitted black olives (low sodium), coarsely chopped

1/3 cup crumbled non-fat feta cheese

DIRECTIONS

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, oregano and dill weed and whisk together until blended. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper. (Can be prepared the night before if you like. Refrigerate, but allow it to become room temperature before using. Shake before using.)

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, olives in a bowl. Toss with dressing and feta cheese. Serve immediately. Serve withed toast some whole wheat pita for a great treat.

Serves 2

Talking Turkey: Heart Healthy Tips for Holiday Cooking

Nov 132012

If you’re doing the cooking this holiday season and you want to keep your holiday meals as heart healthy as they can be, follow these tips and you will avoid the heaviness and discomfort of the fatty, sugary and salty foods, and what they do to your arteries.

First: Don’t be a turkey! Read the labels in everything you buy! Check the saturated fat amount, the sodium level, and the amount of sugars. Always choose the product with the lowest % of all of the above.

Second: Buy fresh and organic whenever you can. You will pay a little extra for your food, but the lack of antibiotics, hormones and pesticides will benefit you and your family for years to come.

Third: Less is more. Buy higher quality products and eat less of them to experience a bigger health benefit.

Appetizers

Chuck the cheese! Go for the light and healthy. Use yogurt dips, hummus, fresh veggies like carrots, celery sticks, pepper slices, broccoli and cauliflower florets and choose sour cream fat free and cheese-free dips served with low fat, low sodium crackers like rice thins or nut thins.

Turkey

Pop for the better bird! Buy organic, no salt added and cook without butter. Use virgin olive oil or a flavored olive oil to coat the skin. Remove the skin before eating. Make the dressing on the side (see below). If you stick with white meat you will be avoiding the extra fats.

Dressing

Banish the white bread! Use whole wheat cubes you make yourself by drying the bread in the oven and cutting into cubes and use a lot less than the recipe calls for. Instead, use brown rice or a mixed rice medley, add extra vegetables (celery, carrots, onion, water chestnuts, raisins, nuts, apples, cranberries) and use only low fat, low sodium chicken or vegetable broth.

Green Bean Casserole

Rethink your options! Come off automatic, use fresh green beans, skip the sauce and the fried onions, use chunks of potatoes and cauliflower (puree them together to make a sauce – or leave them chunky with the beans). Top with toasted almonds or walnuts.

Seasonings

Salt is for wimps! Use lots of herbs, fresh if you can get them, and season all your dishes like a French cook. Use plenty of herbs, garlic and onion and don’t tempt your guests to stray: put only a pepper shaker on the table.

Mashed potatoes

Friend or Foe? It’s not the tater that’s the problem, it’s the butter and the gravy! Use a butter substitute like Smart Balance Light or I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, and use less than you would of butter. Use non fat milk to moisten it and skip the salt or only use 1/4 teaspoon per 10 potatoes. (Honest, you won’t miss it.)

Gravy

Think thinner! Buy a packaged gravy mix that has 0 fat, 0 cholesterol, low sodium and 0 sugars. Make it with non fat milk and add some herbs like dill or rosemary to create extra flavor.

Rolls

Simple switch: use only whole grain rolls and, if you can, make them yourself reducing the amount of sugar and salt called for. Replace butter on the table with Smart Balance Light or I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.

Desserts

Make a crust-less pumpkin pie, reduce the sugars (use organic or raw sugar). Replace heavy creams with non-fat evaporated milk and top desserts with fresh fruit instead of glazes or frostings.

Be heart healthy this Thanksgiving and you’ll have a lot more to be grateful for next year.

Heart Easy™ Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Nov 132012

Ingredients:

16 oz. canned pumpkin
1/2 cup Reddi Egg
12 oz. evaporated fat free milk
1/3 cup organic sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
4 squares graham crackers, crushed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350˚. In a medium bowl blend pumpkin, Reddi Egg, sugar and spices. Add the evaporated milk and mix well. Spray a 9″ pie pan with a non-stick coating and pour the mixture into the pie pan. Bake at 350˚ for one hour. Remove from oven and cool . When pie has cooled, sprinkle the graham crackers over the top. Slice and serve.

Cardiovascular Disease risks as you age

Nov 092012

The risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) in one’s lifetime after the age of 45 years exceeds 60% for men and 55% for women overall, a new study suggests. The study appears in the November 7, 2011 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on CVD. It was released early online today to coincide with the American Heart Association 2012 Scientific Sessions under way in Los Angeles, CA.

Index age	Risk in men, % (95% CI)	Risk in women, % (95% CI)
45	60.3 (59.3-61.2)	55.6 (54.5-56.7)
55	60.2 (59.1-61.2)	56.3 (55.2-57.4)
65	59.0 (57.6-60.4)	56.1 (54.7-57.5)
75	54.5 (52.2-56.9)	52.3 (50.3-54.3)

The finding of a substantial lifetime CVD risk even among individuals with an optimal risk-factor profile highlights “the large public-health burden and opportunities for prevention of total CVD,” the authors conclude.

In other words, over half of all Americans will be affected by heart disease in their lifetimes. The good news is that it is preventable through diet and exercise. Eating heart healthy could reduce these statistics to 10% down from 50%.

Fats and Proteins

Oct 282012

The American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee strongly advises these fat guidelines for healthy Americans over age 2:

Limit total fat intake to less than 25–35 percent of your total calories each day;

Limit saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of total daily calories;

Limit trans fat intake to less than 1 percent of total daily calories;

The remaining fat should come from sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as nuts, seeds, fish and vegetable oils; and

Limit cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day, for most people. If you have coronary heart disease or your LDL cholesterol level is 100 mg/dL or greater, limit your cholesterol intake to less than 200 milligrams a day.

My formula for super heart health is a little more preventative than the AHA because my experience has taught me to err on the side of caution. I recommend that if you want super heart health you should:

never consume a trans fat

limit your saturated fat intake to 5%

limit your overall fat intake to 20%

only have lean red meat or lean pork once a month

You can serve white meat poultry 3 times a week but the majority of your meals should be fish (not shellfish). Shellfish qualifies as a rare treat like lean red meat and pork. Vary your proteins from animal protein to vegetable protein (legumes and whole grains) and make sure you are getting enough fiber in your diet to keep things running smoothly. For example: beans have 9 grams of protein, peas have 7 grams of protein and asparagus 3 grams per cooked 3.5 oz. Use these great protein alternatives to create better heart health and be sure to add whole grains to your diet. You don’t have to give up your favorite recipes and meals, but you do have to learn to substitute heart healthy alternatives. Give up the white pastas and go for the whole wheat, kamut, quinoa, brown rice or spelt pastas. (You’ll need to pay attention to each one the first time you cook them as they differ in texture and boiling requirements from the white flour pasta you are used to.)

Read Labels!
Many foods have hidden saturated fats in them, so read the label before you purchase and get the ones with the lowest fat content.
Watch your intake of fats and you’ll be on the road to a healthier heart. Start by reading labels. We’ll have more on that subject next week.

How Close is Your Heart Attack?

Oct 282012

Heart disease is one of those topics that we are numb to until it strikes home or close to home. Suddenly, we become attentive to the statistics and many of us are thrown into a panic mode because we don’t know where to begin making changes. We know we have to do something or risk death. If we are the one who has the actual heart attack we want to know why. We question ourselves: Am I to blame; or was it an accident? Is it what I am eating, or is it in my genes? I’m here to suggest to you the elements you can control: Food. What you put into your body is crucial to heart health. If you are willing to do what I did, you can reduce your risk for heart disease by changing the way your body processes fats and you can also reduce the risks associated with your genetic predisposition to heart disease. How you manage your food intake can help reduce heart attacks by 90%. I learned through direct, personal experience.

I had a heart attack in 2006. I thought I was eating right, but my cholesterol was 268 and I didn’t know I was at risk. When I left the hospital alive, I trained myself to eat differently. My diet is not boring, it is not bland, it is exciting, full of flavor and delicious. I educated myself in how to shop for different ingredients, I learned to read labels, carefully, and I turned the process into an adventure so I didn’t fall into feeling sorry for myself. It is still fun for me to take a recipe and convert it into something supportive for my heart. I actually feel so much better and today my cholesterol is 152. Below are some thoughts you may want to consider.

I have learned there are two kinds of proactive heart care: what do after you’ve had a cardio incident and what you do to prevent a cardio incident altogether. If you’re like I was, you may think you are eating well and leading a relatively healthy life; or you may be a burger and fry freak who is just beginning to understand that it might not be the healthiest way to live. Let’s talk about the latter, first. Most of the burger commercials are misleading because they feature slim and trim gorgeous men and women biting down on luscious hamburgers, dripping and oozing scrumptious sauces that whet your appetite and stimulate your taste buds. How can you resist such temptation? You seldom give a second thought to the amount of saturated fats and sodium this enticing entree provides. Try to resist those Italian restaurant commercials advertising all the bread you can eat where plates just keep on coming. Do they mention the fats in the fettuccine Alfredo? Do they mention how harmful those butter-laden sauces are for your heart? No they don’t.

If your heart could talk, it would say, “No thank you.” It would ask for grains and greens and low fat foods bursting with nourishment and vitality. If you’re the first type (thinking you are eating well but still have a higher than desired cholesterol level), then you’re going to want to start reading labels and asking questions about the fat content of the seemingly healthy foods you are ingesting. If you’re the second type and accustomed to burgers on the fly, then you’ll also want to focus on what you’re putting into your body with the Big Four: Fats (saturated and fat in general), Cholesterol, Sodium, and Sugar. Labels will tell you. The American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee strongly advises these fat guidelines for healthy Americans over age 2:

Limit total fat intake to less than 25–35 percent of your total calories each day;

Limit saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of total daily calories;

Limit trans fat intake to less than 1 percent of total daily calories;

The remaining fat should come from sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as nuts, seeds, fish and vegetable oils; and

Limit cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day, for most people. If you have coronary heart disease or your LDL cholesterol level is 100 mg/dL or greater, limit your cholesterol intake to less than 200 milligrams a day.

Get the Heart Easy™ Cookbook and change your life!

Appetizers, Sauces, Soups, Salads, Main Dishes and Desserts
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These recipes contains everything you need to cook for a heart healthy life.

The HEART EASY™ Cookbook:
The Food Lovers’ Guide to Heart Healthy Eating

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with a few simple steps and easy substitutions
that make them heart healthy for the entire family.

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Welcome! Thoughts to Share.

Oct 282012

When I learned that 90% of all heart disease is preventable I decided to find ways to do just that.

Here are some ideas you can use to take charge of your heart health.

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