How to prevent heart diseases?

Can you believe that every minute, three Americans die due to heart diseases. Much has to to do with our unhealthy lifestyles that include eating high-calorie meals and none to minimal exercise. Two out of three Americans are also above their desired weight range and that is also a major reason for other diseases like diabetes.

So what can be done to change the situation?

1. If you are eating unhealthy and do not exercise, then, give your diet a makeover and add a workout to your daily routine.
2. If you have always led an unhealthy lifestyle, make the changes, but talk to your doctor so that you can be monitored more closely and you can start treatment before a heart attack or stroke comes after you.

Watch this video that shows you how doctors can diagnose heart problems way ahead of time and take action to stop them.

How to eat healthy?

As a followup to our article "How to be healthy," we also wanted to share more tips that come from AP9 At Home Rewards. We follow all of them, except the one on eating garlic. While we love the flavor and occasionally use it for most of our Italian dishes, the flavor is a bit too much later on during the day/night. So our tip for garlic: avoid it on warm days and when you know you will be intimate.

• Use olive oil. An essential ingredient of Mediterranean cuisine, olive oil contains polyphenols, the potent antioxidants that have been shown to help reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The extra-virgin is the best kind.
• Switch to brown rice. The taste is great, and it's a whole grain, which makes it an excellent source of fiber. Brown rice is also rich in vitamins, manganese, selenium and magnesium, elements that help produce energy, improve the health of the nervous system, and help reduce the risk of colon cancer. It's a little bit chewy but you will soon acquire the taste.
  
• Cut down on salt. At least cut salt in half in your daily cooking. The easiest way to cut it is to reduce the foods that may have a lot of salts already added, for instance, potato chips. The taste will not change noticeably, and your body will thank you. You can replace salt with garlic or onion powder, flavored vinegar or your own mix of garlic, onion, paprika and parsley flakes.
• Add garlic. Raw, crushed garlic is the best, so try to use it as often as possible. Garlic is full of antioxidant properties, which benefit the cardiovascular system most. Recent studies have also shown some weight-control properties, if eaten frequently.
• Boil and steam. Both cooking methods maintain flavor, color, and nutrients. Other great and low-fat options are roasting, stir-frying, poaching and grilling. Keep in mind that extended heat and liquid can destroy valuable nutrients of the meals you are preparing.
• Eat more fatty fish. Yes, salmon, herring and sardines are full of omega-3 fatty acids, a highly neuroprotective component. Add fish to your meals at least once a week if you want to aid the communication between nerve cells, improve your learning and memory skills, and reduce your risk of Alzeihmer's disease. Since I don't like most fish (I can only eat tilapia), I take supplements.
  
• Eat more veggies. Whenever possible, add vegetables to your meals throughout the day. The recommended quantity is five portions a day. Add new vegetables to the traditional soups, salads, stews and casseroles you prepare, and add veggie juice to the grocery-shopping list.

The Hispanic Paradox

When we first read of the "Hispanic Paradox" in The New York Times, we were indeed intrigued. Our assumption was that all those delicious Latin dishes were deadly if not consumed less frequently and in small volumes.

Looks as if we were right. Maybe there is no Hispanic paradox; the way some smokers outlive healthy people, similarly, a few Latinas may also do better than most others. According to research conducted by Dr. John C. Teeters (University of Rochester), compared with white women, Hispanic women develop risk factors for heart disease (and cardiac arrest) about a decade earlier. Dr. Teeters emphasizes that these disparities are most likely caused by both genetics and lifestyle.

What can you do?

• Read how to be fit.
• Limit your consumption of those exotic Mexican dishes.
• If you are a Latina, head over to Lindisima.com and check out tips on diet, exercise, and weight loss.
• If you happen to know a Latina, do her a favor by telling her about this research. Forward this page or print it and pass on a copy to her.