Best advice to never have a heart attack (or another one)

      “See, they’re dropping like flies,” I’ve told my husband on numerous occasions. Now, that may sound like a cold comment, but it’s the truth. One after another, our friends are having heart troubles. Stents, heart attacks, bypass surgery, and even death -- it boggles my mind to consider it.

      According to the American Heart Association (AHA), coronary heart disease (CHD) is the single leading cause of death in America. CHD causes heart attacks and angina (chest pain). These CHD statistics are directly from the AHA website:

     * Mortality — 451,326 deaths in the United States in 2004 (one of every five deaths). 
     * Incidence — 1,200,000 new and recurrent coronary attacks per year. (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's     Atherosclerotic Risk in Communities [ARIC] Study and Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). About 38 percent of people who experience a coronary attack in a given year die from it.

      WOW! Over 1 million NEW or RECURRENT coronary attacks per year! Did you get that? How can a nation that is so advanced in technology, detection, and education be such a health failure? It seems absurd.

      Regardless of what you have been told, you CAN prevent and even REVERSE heart disease, but there are things you MUST do. If you carry on living the American way and eating the standard American diet (SAD), you may just wind up as one these AHA statistics someday. Remember that the advice you are about to read is contrary to what most people believe to be true, but research shows time and again that it’s true. Don’t wait for some government agent or employee to tell you how you should manage your health. You’ve read it here…

      There are several things you can do to significantly reduce your risk of ever having a heart attack.
1. Eat only plant foods, i.e. vegetables, beans, whole grains, and fruits.
2. Consume no visible fat or obvious fat. Be stringent or even eliminate oils, nuts, and avocados.
3. Do not eat dairy products, not even fat-free varieties.
4. Eat an abundance of colorful vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and beans.
5. Meet the American College of Sports Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guideline for physical activity, and then some.
6. Reduce the stress level in your life and practice stress management.
 

     Check back for more information on this topic. I’ll be discussing each point in detail in future posts.