Walnuts are crunchy, delicious, and oh-so-good for heart health. It is clearly established that walnuts lower cholesterol levels, but scientists recently set out to take a more in-depth look into other ways walnuts may shine for cardiovascular health. For this evaluation, scientist fed study subjects a single feeding of walnuts, walnut oil, walnut skin, and de-fatted walnut meal […]
The “Mediterranean Diet” has already garnered a sparking and well-deserved reputation as the champion of all heart-healthy diets, and it just won a scientific grand slam. In this landmark evaluation, researchers placed almost 7,500 older adults with risk factors for heart disease on one of three diet plans – a Mediterranean diet where most of […]
As a seventh generation Southern gal, I was dismayed, but certainly not surprised that a new study found a “Southern Diet” may dramatically boost the risk of strokes. In what is considered the first large-scale study on how consuming Southern foods like fried chicken and sweet tea impact stroke risk, the results were profound. The […]
Trans fats – This truly toxic man-made fat provides a quadruple insult to your arteries – clogging them more readily than any other food ever identified. Trans fats boost LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower HDL (good) cholesterol, elevate triglycerides, and incite damaging inflammation in your arteries. Strictly avoid them by staying away from stick margarine, shortening, […]
Roasted soy nuts – This crunchy, nutty, great-tasting whole soy food is loaded with heart-healthy goodness including B vitamins, vitamin E, omega 3 fats, and soluble fiber. Whole soy foods have been shown to lower both blood pressure and cholesterol, providing a double-bonus for heart-health. Walnuts – Nuts in general score a perfect 10 […]
The disease-busting credentials of apples and berries just received a nice boost thanks to some nifty new science. In the apple study – investigators found that healthy adults who consumed a single large apple a day for four weeks lowered their levels of “oxidized LDL” (the toxic form of bad cholesterol that initiates artery-clogging) by […]
It is widely recognized that the monounsaturated fats in olive oil are good for the heart, but many people are unaware of the additional goodness provided by this flavorful oil’s rich array of super-charged antioxidant chemicals called polyphenols. These special chemicals have exhibited all sorts of dazzling benefits in the laboratory and now we have […]
The alarms linking calcium supplements with a greater risk of cardiovascular events just got significantly louder. Several recent studies have raised concerns that calcium supplements may elevate cardiovascular risk, and a large new study published in the journal Heart adds to this fear. For this evaluation investigators followed almost 24,000 middle age adults for an average of […]
I am a big proponent of regularly consuming whole soy foods as part of a balanced diet, and this excellent source of “green” protein just got a huge boost on the heart-health front. In a prestigious NIH-funded study of cardiovascular health involving over 5,000 young adults, those who had the highest daily isoflavone intake (isoflavones […]
Are you looking for more sweet reasons to include dark chocolate in your diet regularly? If so, you will be pleased to know that a new scientific review of 42 former clinical trials supports my strongly held notion that dark chocolate is truly a healthy dessert. In this new report, several benefits were attributed to […]
Watch as I report how berries are proven heart-healthy agents. https://drannwellness.wpengine.com/video.cfm?VideoID=179 RELATED Blueberry Crumble [RECIPE] Berries for Brain Health [VIDEO]
Red meat took a couple of bruising scientific hits this past month. In the first, Harvard researchers reported that men who consumed the most red meat (about two 4-6 oz. servings daily) were 28 percent more likely to have a stroke vs. those consuming one-third of a serving (2 oz. or less) a day. For […]
