Fun Foods for Heart Health

February 14th, 2012 · 1 Comment · Heart Health

It’s Valentine’s Day and while we can appreciate spreading love with chocolates or flowers, we also want to spread good health with our heart healthy products. I know—we’re so romantic! Take a look below for treats that can help support a healthy heart as well as a quick review of our products to keep your ticker in tip top shape!

Fun Foods for Heart Health

Can popcorn promote heart health? YES!

Can popcorn promote heart health? YES!

Yogurt—Consider making this a part of your Valentine’s Dessert by adding berries or other fruit for a heart healthy treat. Research shows that yogurt may help protect against gum disease which is important since, when left unchecked, gum disease greatly elevates a person’s risk for heart disease. Take care of your teeth to provide care for your heart!

Chocolate—Moderate amounts of flavanol-rich dark chocolate has blood-thinning effects, which can benefit cardiovascular health and boost the immune system by reducing inflammation. Some research also shows that cocoa may help lower blood pressure due to a compound called epicatechin which boosts nitric oxide. Plentiful levels of nitric oxide help keep blood pressure from climbing. Be sure to choose dark chocolate that is at least 70% cocoa solids as milk chocolate lacks significant levels of epicatechin.

Berries—Add these to your yogurt or enjoy them alone! Eating just under a cup of mixed berries daily for eight weeks was associated with increased levels of HDL (good) cholesterol and lowered blood pressure. Berries contain a wide range of polyphenols which increase levels of nitric oxide, the molecule that produces a number of heart-healthy effects like helping to relax blood vessels, which subsequently results in lowered blood pressure.

Popcorn—what a fun treat that everyone loves! Popcorn delivers polyphenols, the antioxidants linked to improving heart health. Gram for gram, popcorn boasts three times more polyphenols than kidney beans! And, popcorn is a whole grain and people who eat plenty of whole grains tend to be leaner and have a lower risk of heart disease than those who don’t.

Wine—Drinking wine in moderation may protect the heart by raising HDL (good) cholesterol, decreasing inflammation and thinning the blood to prevent clots that cause heart attacks and stroke. Moderate drinking may also increase estrogen, which protect the heart-a benefit particularly helpful to postmenopausal women whose reduced estrogen levels increase their risk of heart disease. Remember, 1 drink equals 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor. We include all these measurements, not just wine, since some scientific literature indicates that people who drink moderately are less likely to have heart disease than those who abstain.

We think those are some great Valentine’s Day treats that promote heart health (courtesy of Eating Well Magazine) but take a look at what else we have up our sleeves!

Herbal Products for Heart Health

Hanna created several products to promote heart health naturally.

Hanna created several products to promote heart health naturally.

There are several Herbal Combinations for heart health like Hanna’s Master Formula CircuFlow which promotes arterial health and aims to improve circulation. There’s also her Heart Care Blend which keeps a healthy heart happy and Kolester, a combination that works well with CircuFlow to keep cholesterol levels down. Evening Primrose Oil and Pomegranate are also helpful for heart health. Evening Primrose helps to keep blood pressure levels healthy and Pomegranate works hard to fight against free radicals in the system as a strong antioxidant.  See our other products in our Heart Health Section here.

Want to learn more about antioxidants or heart health? Be sure to check out the links for each and don’t forget to check out other foods you should eat for heart health!

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! We hope it’s filled with happiness and health. Don’t forget, while it may not be romantic to give a gift for heart health to your Valentine, hearts shouldn’t be on our mind only once a year. Heart disease is a major concern for both men and women and the health of our hearts is a year-round concern!

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  • Home Remedies for Bad Breath

    […] Hanna taught us that our body utilizes itself to give us signals that something is wrong internally. For example, with bad breath she instructed us to check our gall bladder and liver health as bad breath could be an indication that something may be faulty with those organs. Along with the not-so-obvious sources, like the liver, gall bladder, or even a zinc deficiency, came the practical places to check as a cause of bad breath like the gums. If you aren’t taking proper care of your mouth, you could be developing gum disease which produces a foul odor in the mouth as the condition worsens. The health of your mouth plays a role in the health of your entire body! (see how oral health affects your heart here) […]

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