Top 5 Exercises for a Healthy Heart

If You Eat Hard boiled Eggs Daily, this is what happens to your body

What You Need To Know About Fish Oil

Fish oil is a type of fatty acid that is derived from the tissues of oily fish. It contains omega-3 fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). If you can't access the fish oil, there are plenty of supplements in the market that you can take.

Benefits of fish oil

There are plenty of advantages that come with taking the oil. Some of these advantages include:

Cholesterol control: Cholesterol levels in your body are not only essential for the health of your heart, but they are also important to your entire body. Experts show that taking 3-6 grams of fish oil every day aids in promoting a healthy balance of high-density lipoproteins and low-density lipoproteins. The oil has also been found to promote healthy levels of triacylglycerol concentrations in the body.

To support healthy cholesterol levels, you should support the intake of the oil by taking diets rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.

Bone support: Bone support is important to women, especially those entering the menopausal years. As you get older as a woman, there aren't the standard progesterone and estrogen hormone levels, and this provokes the bones to begin thinning. Studies show that oil from fish promotes bone health thus you don't lose as much calcium as you should.

To get the most from taking fish oil, you should maintain a good balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Remember that taking more too much or too little of each would put your bones at even more risk.

Mood support: Do you struggle with anxiety and depression? Consumption of this oil has been attributed with increased mood and positivity in life. According to scientists, when you consume fish oil you increase serotonin levels in the body. As you know, serotonin is a "feel-good" hormone thus you feel good about yourself. To get the most from this hormone, you should take oil of fish after eating a carbohydrate-heavy meal.

Tips to consider when using fish oil

While many companies are selling the supplements both online and offline, not all are reputable. To be confident that you are buying a genuine product, buy the oil from a renowned company. In addition to buying from a reputable company, you should also ensure that you take the oil correctly.

The AHA recommends that you take up to 3 grams of fish oil every day. Taking high doses is often accompanied by side effects that include: fishy breath, fishy taste in the mouth, loose stools, nausea, and stomach upset. You also have increased the risk of bleeding.

If you want to take high doses of the supplement, you should talk to your doctor first who will come up with a plan on how you can safely take the supplements without developing the side effects. Some people have high triglyceride levels, if you are one of the people, you should speak to your doctor before you start taking the supplements.

Conclusion

This is what you need to know about this oil. To get the most from the supplements, buy them from a reputable company. You also should take them correctly.

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Five Good Reasons to Eat an Avocado Each Day

Avocado

Forget the fat in avocados because they are a super-healthy method to add valuable nutrients and fibers (yes, and healthy fat!) in your perfect diet plan. Many people, within their attempts to become health-conscious, avoid avocados due to its high fat concentration (138 calories and 14.1g fat in a medium-sized avocado). Yet avocados are one of the greatest foods you can eat, filled with nutrients and substances that improve the health of your heart. Listed below are five great reasons to eat them frequently.

1. Avocados are filled with carotenoids

Avocados best source of lutein, also carotenoid works as an antioxidant preventing eye illness. They also develop alpha-carotene as well as beta-carotene, as well as vitamin E.

However avocados aren't just a rich source of carotenoids, they also help you get more of beneficial nutrients from other meals. Carotenoids tend to be lipophilic (soluble within fat, but not in water), therefore eating carotenoid-packed foods like vegetables and fruits together with monounsaturated-fat-rich avocados, helps your body soak up the carotenoids. An easy way to get this done would be to add chopped avocado pieces to a mixed salad.

2. Avocados give you a sense of well-being

A small avocado consists of 3.4 grams of fiber, including soluble and insoluble fibers; both of these variations are needed by the body to keep the digestive tract running smoothly. In addition, soluble fibers slow the breakdown of carbohydrates in your body, helping you feel full for a longer time.

Avocados also contain oleic acids, which make you feel full. Healthier unsaturated fats that contain oleic acid have been shown to create a greater feeling of satiety compared to less-healthy saturated fats in fully processed foods.

3. The nutrients inside an avocado can protect your baby and your heart

One cup of avocado provides almost a quarter of your recommended daily intake of folate, the vitamin which reduces the risk of birth defects. If you're pregnant or going to be then avocados will help protect your unborn child.

A higher folate consumption is also associated with reduced risks of heart attacks and heart problems. Does your family have a history associated with heart issues, or has been showing any symptoms for heart disease? Avocados can help you maintain your heart healthy.

4. Avocados can help reduce your cholesterol

The actual oleic acid in an avocado will help decrease cholesterol levels. In one research, individuals consuming an avocado-rich diet plan had a significant reduction in total cholesterol levels, together with a decrease in BAD cholesterol. Their own amounts of HDL cholesterol (the healthy type) increased through 11%.

Heart problems are among the main risk factors for heart disease. The actual cholesterol-lowering properties of avocado, along with its folate content, help to keep your heart healthy.

5. The avocado has an excellent flavor

The final reason is simple because avocados are really a healthy method to boost the taste as well as size of the meals. Put a sliced avocado in a salad or soup; serve the guacamole as an appetizer or even condiment.

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Eat Asian Food For Good Health

Crisp vegetable stir-fries from China, bowls of steaming noodle soup with mint and coriander from Vietnam, fiery jungle curries from Thailand, and fill-you-up sushi rolls from Japan. These are just some of the Asian dishes that are tempting our taste buds and winning the tick of approval from nutritionists around the globe.

With its emphasis on vegetables, rice, clear soups, noodles, fresh fruit, fish and lean meat; Asian food is light, yet filling. It is generally low in fat, with most recipes requiring only small amounts of vegetable oils for cooking. Sweets are healthier too, with none of the rich desserts and pastries of European cuisines. Traditionally, healthy snacks are eaten between meals to help avoid hunger pangs, and to spread food intake over the day.

Eating for a Healthy Heart

There are many reasons why nutritionists recommend Asian fare for a healthy heart:

Omega 3 fats from the prawns, scallops, mussels, crabs, abalones and other seafood that is so plentiful in Asia.
Vitamin E from cashews, peanuts, almonds and other nuts and seeds.
Phytoestrogens from tofu, tempeh and soy drinks.
Antioxidants from the many green vegetables, herbs, garlic, onions and green tea.
All these food factors combine to keep blood vessels clear and free of build-up, and to help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. The total fat in Asian food tends to be low and, because vegetable oils are preferred for cooking, saturated fats are also kept to a minimum.

Fighting Cancer and the Aging Process

The abundance of vegetables, fiber-rich fresh herbs (all lightly cooked or served raw), antioxidants, and phytochemicals in the Asian diet, make it work in your favor to protect against many cancers and slow the aging process.

Diet for Diabetes

Anyone with diabetes should have a repertoire of Asian recipes in their kitchen. This is because those aspects of the Asian diet which make it good for weight control and heart health, also make it a must for diabetes management. Enjoy meals and carbohydrates spaced evenly, fresh fruit for dessert, plenty of flavour without fat, variety and freshness.

Which Dishes are Best?

Chinese

Healthy choices: Steamed dim sims or wontons, steamed fish with black bean sauce, combination vegetables, chow mein dishes, stir-fry meat, chicken or seafood dishes with vegetables, crab and corn soup, clear soup with noodles or dumplings, san choy bau, tofu tossed with vegetables, plain boiled rice, Chinese green tea, jasmine tea.

Eat occasionally: Deep-fried entrees such as prawn cutlets, fried dim sims, spring rolls, fried dishes such as sweet and sour, crispy skin chicken, fried rice, Peking duck, pork spare ribs, fried ice-cream.

Japanese

Healthy choices: Noodles with fish, chicken or pork, noodle soups, sashimi (raw tuna or salmon), steamboat dishes, teppanyaki-style barbecues, sushi nori rolls, steamed rice.

Eat occasionally: Tempura (deep-fried seafood and vegetables).

Vietnamese

Healthy choices: Clear hot soup (pho) with chicken or beef, noodle soups, meat, seafood or chicken salads, stir-fry meat or scallops with vegetables, fresh prawn rice paper rolls, grilled pork skewers, chicken with lemon grass, steamed ginger fish, stir-fried mixed vegetables, jasmine rice.

Eat occasionally: Coconut-based curries, deep-fried finger foods such as crab cakes and spring rolls.

Indian

Healthy choices: Dry curries of meat, chicken or vegetables, lean meat kebabs, tandoori chicken or lamb, dhal, naan and roti bread, boiled rice, cucumber and yogurt sambal, chutneys.

Eat occasionally: Deep-fried finger foods such as samosas and bhajias, fried breads such as chapati and puri, pappadums, parathas.

Thai

Healthy choices: Thai beef salad, satays, dry curries, stir-fry meat, chicken or seafood with vegetables, clear hot and spicy prawn soup (tom yarn goong), grilled chicken satays, jasmine rice.

Eat occasionally: Coconut-based curries such as Thai green curry, deep-fried finger foods such as crab cakes and spring rolls, crispy fried noodles.

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A Heart-Healthy Valentine's Day

Legends abound about the origins of this most romantic of occasions, dating all the way back to a priest named Valentine who lived during the reign of Roman emperor Claudius II, 268 to 270 A.D., and was put to death for disobeying the law by secretly marrying young couples. Meanwhile, ancient cultures believed that the heart is the home of the human soul and the source of all our emotions, with red being the color of romance.

Couple all that with the fact that, during the Middle Ages in France and England, February 14th was the beginning of birds' mating season, and you get the idea...

For starters, some up-to-date Valentine's Day facts:

• About one billion cards are exchanged every year; only Christmas beats that number.

• Women purchase 85% of all cards.

• Teachers receive the most cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, and then sweethearts.

• Venus, the goddess of love, favored roses, and since red symbolizes strong feelings, red roses are considered to be the flower of love.

• Worldwide, more than 50 million roses are given on this day annually.

• Men buy 73% of Valentine's Day flowers.

• About 8 billion candy hearts will be produced this year.

• Richard Cadbury invented the first Valentine's Day candy box in 1868.

• More than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates will be sold this time around.

And speaking of chocolate, most of us know it's a heart-healthy treat-dark chocolate, that is. But there's also not-so-good news, as reported by KYW Newsradio 1060's Dr. Brian McDonough: "The amount of chocolate you should have each day is the amount in a Hershey's kiss. That's right, one Hershey kiss." Uh oh!!

But let's worry about that later; we're talking about Valentine's Day, after all.

Along with hearts and flowers, consider putting Macy's on your list, as it's a national sponsor of the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women campaign celebrating women's "energy, passion, and power" to wipe out heart disease.

From now until the 14th, a certain percentage of in-store sales of such items as an August Silk red cardigan and specially designed Donatella charm will go to Go Red for Women. In addition, for every Valentine sent through Macy's Facebook page, the company will donate $1 to the campaign, up to $250,000.

Is it important? You bet. Women are not immune from what was once considered a man's disease. As the American Heart Association reports:

• 90% of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.

• Heart disease is the #1 cause of death of women 20 and older, killing one woman every minute.

So definitely go shopping, but also make time for some crafting with the kids, such as making a simple Valentine's bookmark. All you need to do is...

1. Cut a piece of pink or red card stock into a 7" x 2-1/2" rectangle.

2. Punch a hole near the top and thread with a pretty ribbon.

3. Decorate the bookmark with holiday-related pictures and/or stickers.

Then take a page from numerous elementary schools where children are celebrating this loving season by recognizing Random Acts of Kindness Week, February 14th to the 20th, and then continuing to pay it forward. You can't go wrong following suit.

And all the while you're out there crafting, shopping, and exchanging Valentine's gifts with loved ones, take heart with the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7:

1. Get active.

2. Control cholesterol.

3. Eat better.

4. Manage blood pressure.

5. Lose weight.

6. Reduce blood sugar.

7. Stop smoking.

Keep laughing too, as it's good for both heart and soul. At the same time, heed the warning signs of a "broken" heart, and call 911 immediately if you experience:

• Chest discomfort;

• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body;

• Shortness of breath;

• And can include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness.

In other words, make this a happy but also heart-healthy Valentine's Day--chocolates and all. No regrets.


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