Heart Health & Recipes

In February, 2015, John Bagnulo and I taught a class on Heart Health.Here I share ways to Restore Heart Health and a few of the recipes:Most importantly, a diet rich in healthy fats, fiber, and nutrients can help stave off cardiovascular disease.Ways to Restore Cardiovascular Health

Meditate, pray, reduce stress
Walk, dance, hike, run (moderate intensity, 30 minutes each day)
Eliminate all sweeteners except xylitol from North American hardwood trees or local honey.
Eat small, oily fish, such as sardines or anchovies.
Eliminate all polyunsaturated oils (crapola, sunflower, corn, soybean, etc).
Eat more fermented foods (kimchi, sauerkraut, leeks, cabbage, bok choy) and eat more fermented fiber (leeks, onions cabbage)
Take Vitamin D supplements and get more sunshine in season.
Load up on potassium with sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, swiss chard, spinach, dandelion greens, and strawberries. (But try not to exceed 35% carbohydrates per day.)
Get an oil change! Use extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil and eliminate most others, and eat an avocado a day!
Eat the fruits with the most antioxidants and the least amount of fructose: raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, lemons, and limes.
Eat Vitamin K2 every day. Good sources for Vitamin K2 include kimchi, sauerkraut, goat cheese and fermented yogurt (from grass fed cows).
PLAY! ENJOY! and have fun! If you don’t enjoy what you are doing, then it is time to stop doing it!!! Do it for your heart! Do it for you!

A daily diet that is great for your heart may look like:Morning Meditation for 15 minutes and a romp on the trampoline for 30 minutes, followed by 10 minutes strength training.Breakfast: Smoothie with blackberries, ginger, turmeric, parsley.An avocado or greens with egg over easy.Lunch: Sautéed greens with leeks, and mackerel filets, topped with kimchi.Dinner: Salmon with sautéed cabbage and sweet potato al dente with 2 tablespoons of grass fed butter.Daily Intermittent Fast: Autophagy for 16 hours, 2 times per week. No need to go hungry; eat ¼ avocado or coconut.Do not eat after 7 PM at night.The following morning drink coffee or tea with 2 tablespoons grass fed butter, coconut oil, or MCT (medium chain tricycerides) oil. Could add: bone broth, tomato, seaweed to provide minerals. Eat a lunch at 12 noon.The Pantry List (Organic PLEASE )A panty your heart will love!White rice from Italy or California - KNOW your sources as rice can be trouble with arsenic and cadmium.Canned coconut milkCoconut flourCoconut oilMacadamia nuts (in small amounts)Almonds (in small amounts)White riceCanned fishCoffeeApple cider vinegarCashews (contains a lot of carbs)Spices: turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, cumin,Dean's Beans (mycotoxins and mold free coffee)MCT (medium chain tricycerides) oil to help with food absorptionSeaweed: kelp, dulce, arame, wakame, hijikiGreen tea, herbal tea, black teaPotato starchCacaoSweet potatoOnionsGarlicAvocadosGreen leafy vegetablesSea saltSupplementsVitamin K2: 100 micrograms 3-7 x per weekEat ¼ pound of liver, egg yolks, grass fed butter and colorful vegetables each weekVitamin D3: 2,000- 5,000 international units (IUs) per day. Reach minimum of 40 nanograms per decilter (ng/dl). For a normal weight adult, 5,000 IU/day of total input is needed to obtain a vitamin D level of 40 ng/ml. Of course the final vitamin D level obtained by any dose depends on baseline level, sun exposure and genetics. But this is for the average adult.Selenium: Best from ORGAN meat - oystersPotassium Iodine: 225 micrograms per dayPotassium: tubers, tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, avocados, seaweed, chocolateSodium: 1 teaspoon of salt per dayHere is a fun winter salad.[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/155149185[/vimeo]Of course it has cauliflower in it and squash and brussels sprouts. And what would like be like without olives and feta.My grandmother made a recipe when I was little that had cauliflower, green olives and blue cheese in it! I have never been able to recreate that recipe but this is a satisfying salad that warms my heart with memories of my grandmother’s salad.Article By John Bagnulo MPH, PhD| Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease: Answers are in the sugar jar