May 21st, 2009 - Barbara Feiner

Recently updated statistics from the American Heart Association (AHA) reveal 80 million Americans—almost 27% of us—suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease (most frequently, high blood pressure).

Heart-healthy cooking is critical in a country that worships fast food. The good news? It’s not as difficult as some readers may think. You needn’t give up most of your favorite natural/organic foods or feel deprived.

Roger Blumenthal, MD, a professor of cardiology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and coauthor of The Betty Crocker Healthy Heart Cookbook, offers 10 tips:

1.     Get an oil change. Switch to mono- and polyunsaturated oils for eating and cooking. Canola, soybean and olive oils are heart-healthy choices.

2.     Go fish. Gradually increase fish consumption to at least twice a week, per AHA guidelines. Try new recipes to determine which ones are keepers. (Tune in tomorrow for a special recipe from the cookbook, Graham-Crusted Fish Fillets.)

3.     Color your menu. Add veggies to rice, pasta and small portions of pizza. Leave fruit on the counter for quick snacks. Add dried fruit to breakfast oatmeal. Serve fresh fruit for dessert.

4.     Greens are golden. Eat a salad with dinner. Include vegetables and legumes like cucumbers, bell peppers, broccoli and green beans.

5.     Think your drink. Drink water, herbal teas and unsweetened flavored waters.

6.     Tap the moo machine. Drink skim milk daily (adults and kids).

7.     Go with the grains. Include whole-grain cereal, bread, oatmeal, barley and brown rice in menus.

8.     Green-light some red meat. As long as your overall diet is low in saturated fat, small lean cuts of meat served with heart-friendly foods are OK occasionally.

9.     Give good fats a hand. Snack on a handful of walnuts, almonds or avocado slices. They contain monounsaturated fat, which is good for your heart.

10.   Hold the bottom line. If you really want it, you can eat it—in moderation. Small amounts of butter are OK from time to time. Serve ice cream for special occasions, but otherwise reach for yogurt.

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons chopped, toasted pecans
1 pound medium-firm fish fillets, about 3/4 inches thick
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 8 squares)
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons canola or soybean oil

To toast nuts, bake uncovered in an ungreased shallow pan in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Set aside.

Place oven rack slightly above the middle of the oven. Heat oven to 500°F.

Cut fish fillets crosswise into 2-inch-wide pieces. Mix cracker crumbs, lemon peel, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Place milk in another shallow dish.

Dip fish into milk, and then coat with cracker mixture. Place in an ungreased rectangular pan, 13 x 9 x 2 inches. Drizzle oil over fish; sprinkle with pecans.

Bake uncovered, about 10 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Recipe and photo courtesy of The Betty Crocker Heart Healthy Cookbook

Below is a list of muscle groups along with sample exercises. If you’re a beginner, you only need to choose 1-2 exercises for each muscle group in the upper body and 3-4 moves for the lower body.

·         Chest: bench press, chest press machine, pushups, pec deck machine

·         Back: seated row machine, back extensions, lat pulldowns

·         Shoulders: overhead press, lateral raise, front raise

·         Biceps: bicep curls, hammer curls, concentration curls

·         Triceps: tricep extensions, dips, kickbacks

·         Lower Body: Squats, lunges, leg press machines, deadlifts, calf raises

·         Abdominals: crunches, reverse crunches, oblique twists, pelvic tilts

How to Begin

1.    Choose an activity that you enjoy. The best exercise for you is the one you’ll actually do, not the one you think you should do. Walking is a great place to start since it doesn’t require special equipment and you can do it anywhere, but you can try any activity that involves some type of continuous movement like cycling, swimming, running, aerobics, rowing, stairclimbing, etc.

2.    Start with 2 or 3 days of your chosen activity a week with a rest day between workouts.

3.    Begin with a 5-10 minute warm up of light cardio to gradually increase heart rate.

4.    Increase your pace and intensity to slightly harder than comfortable (about a Level 5 or 6 on the Perceived Exertion Scale or you can use Target Heart Rate to monitor intensity) and go as long as you comfortably can. Begin where you ARE, not where you want to be. You may only be able to exercise for a few minutes at a time, but that will change quickly if you’re consistent.

5.    End each workout with a cool down of light cardio and stretch the muscles you’ve worked to relax and keep your muscles flexible.

6.    Each week, increase your workout time by a few minutes until you can work continuously for 30 minutes a session.

7.    Don’t worry about distance or pace. For the first few weeks, focus on showing up for your workouts and building time. You have plenty of time to work on your speed and distance.

8.    After 4-6 weeks, change your routine by adding another day of exercise, increasing your pace/intensity, adding a new activity and/or increasing the amount of time you exercise.

By Paige Waehner, About.com

Review by M. Benson at Amazon.com Book Reviews

Jillian just gets cooler every year and with every new book she writes. I like how she is always researching, learning, and writing about new stuff instead of spending her career re-spinning the same old advice, as a lot of people in her field do. I read this new book in one sitting and now I’m scared, yet excited, because it really hits home for me and explains why I struggle so much harder than anyone I know and I still can’t get rid of the fat around my waist and I feel like crap most of the time.

I’m a bit confused and overwhelmed after reading it–not because the book is confusing in any way, but just because it has so much information in it to digest at once. Tonight I’m heading to the health food store with the book in hand to pick out some new foods for my cupboards. Today I’ve been working with the information I do remember which is HFCS=poison and a few other very important pieces of advice on food ingredients. I’ve already changed my morning cereal (which I used to think was healthy!) and not put the usual powdered creamer in my coffee (and now that I’ve examined the ingredients I’m not sure why I ever thought that wasn’t straight poison). I changed the bread on my lunch sandwich today too and skipped the wheat thin crackers. It’s strange but I already feel different–and it’s only been one day. I don’t feel my usual afternoon drag that would be coming on about now.

The best part is that I’m not having a hard time feeling motivated to do this program because all the stuff I read in her book made it not even tempting to eat any more unhealthy foods. The funniest part is that I really thought that I was a very healthy eater before reading this book. I just thought my metabolism was super slow so that is why I gained weight so easily. Now I understand that my body is just so out of whack from all the years of dieting and eating diet foods with such strange ingredients. I’m suddenly feeling desperate to clean up my body and get my metabolism fired up.

In this book, Jillian says that she can now eat significantly more calories than she used to be able to while exercising significantly less, yet still look as good as she does. I’m hoping that I can rebalance my body after reading this and get similar results so I can stop this constant struggle with my weight.

Jillian Michaels is super smart, super hot, and has a great book here. It has information that you need to know in it. Your life could depend on it so read it!

Review by Sarah Cummins at Amazon.com Book Reviews

As a menopausal 56-year-old woman, I had to STARVE to lose weight. I exercised and watched what I ate, but I always felt a bit sluggish — not at all like the energetic woman I used to be, and I could never understand why. I get annual physicals, and I would complain to my doctor, but he told me it was just age. After reading Jillian’s book, I was shocked – and relieved! I sure as hell get it now! Jillian reminds me of the little boy in the children’s story who yelled, “The emperor has no clothes!” I started cleaning out my kitchen cupboards this afternoon, and I’m so looking forward to cleaning out my body and eating fresh and clean and green.

I can’t believe this information hasn’t been in the mainstream. I feel like it was written for me — I’m an average layperson (university professor), who I now realize had a woefully inadequate knowledge and understanding of nutrition, metabolic processes and hormones. This book has been a revelation for me. It’s what I’ve been looking for. THANK YOU, JILLIAN!

Review by Jan Idlas at Amazon.com Book Reviews

French fries are one of the three most common vegetables consumed by infants 9 to 11 months of age.

Children who play sports are 80 percent less likely to be overweight than kids who never played any.

The average American woman has tried to lose weight at least 10 times.

People who report job stress have a 73 percent higher chance of developing obesity and a 61 percent higher chance of developing abdominal fat than people who report none.

For each can of diet soft drink consumed each day, a person’s risk of obesity goes up 41 percent.

After age 20, basal metabolic rate drops about 2 percent per decade; after 40, it slows down 5 percent per decade.

Women’s testosterone and progesterone peak in their twenties, then decline for the rest of their lives. Growth hormone secretion declines by about 75 percent after age 35.

Cacao Banana Smoothie

• 1 banana
• 1 teaspoon Maca
• 1 Tablespoon raw cacao powder or nibs
• 1/4 cup cashew butter or whole soaked cashews
• 1 cup filtered water, for desired consistancy

Place all ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth. Yummy!

Receipe from Ani’s Phyo Raw Food Kitchen

I’ve been a vegetarian since I was sixteen. In the late eighties, that was rough- even more difficult than being a vegan now. In the last year, I made the transition to vegan, but thanks to the work of innovative cooks like Isa Chandra Moskowitz, that just isn’t hard anymore. The next challenge? Going raw- very difficult because apparently you need a Vita-Mix, a dehydrator (I don’t think I’ve ever even seen one of those), a food processor, a grinder, and a bunch of other esoteric equipment I’ve never even heard of- right?

Ani Phyo earned four stars right off the bat by making almost every one of her recipes doable with a blender or, in many cases, a knife. There are maybe three recipes that absolutely require a dehydrator- and even that can be gotten around. For this reason alone, if you’ve been thinking about raw but you’ve been intimidated by all of the required equipment, check this out.

The recipes that I’ve tried- and I’ve gone a little crazy in the last few days- have been not only simple but really, really good. So far I have made her Miso Soup, Almond Yogurt, Black Pepper Cheeze, Nori Rolls, Coco Kream Pie (oh wow- so good), a bunch of her shakes and my version of her Sunflower Bread (hmm- how did I do that without a dehydrator?). Almost all of this has been accomplished with a blender, and I don’t even own the legendary Vita-Mix. In other words, the majority of households can do this.

Every chapter opens with her thoughts and recommendations on environmentalism. I liked most of her suggestions, but I was a little put off by her statements that hers was not a “bargain body” and that she is thus willing to pay more for her premium produce. I applaud her- I even envy her and others like her- but I am disappointed that she doesn’t touch on the readers who can’t afford organic produce for the most part and live in areas with lousy public transportation systems and recycling. I shudder any time I read something that makes it seem as if health is only for the wealthy.

However, she didn’t lose a star for that because her tone, as strident as it may have been at times, inspired me to find a work around for my dehydrator- and I did. Ever make yogurt using a heating pad? If you have a small enough pan- think one that fits into a toaster oven- and some tin foil- congratulation, you have the guts of a make your own dehydrator. I’m still tweaking mine, but I was very inspired by the results with my Sunflower Bread.

This is a soup to nuts guide to going raw, and it won’t require you to reoutfit your kitchen. It may, however, inspire you to rethink your approach to food.

By dnk “dnkboston” at Amazon.com Book Reviews

This is the best raw food recipe book I’ve come across, hands down. Most of the recipes are quick and easy to prepare, there are only 2-3 dehydrator recipes, most only require a knife and a chopping board, or a basic food processor or blender otherwise. It’s such a relief compared to many raw books.

I reduce the oil content of the soups a bit to suit my tastes, but otherwise the recipes are close to perfection and remarkably quick to make. A number of times I’ve found myself standing in front of a big meal after a couple of minutes of preparation thinking “is that it? That couldn’t be it, that was too easy! Did I miss something?” If you want to eat healthy, fun, gourmet food on a daily basis, and you don’t want to spend all day preparing food, then this is a good place to start. This book will save you time cooking in the kitchen and give you loads of extra energy as well - I’ve found I require far less sleep on a raw diet.

I rarely got ill on a mostly-cooked vegan diet, but since making the switch to a mostly-raw diet I’ve not got sick yet and my seasonal allergies have nearly completely disappeared as well. I have no idea how I put up with all the hayfever, cold, flu, and allergy rubbish I had before I went vegan! It’s insane what people do to their bodies. I’ve gained so much and discovered so many fabulous, tasty foods on a vegan diet, and there seems to be even more variety than ever on a raw diet. I don’t feel restricted at all - the food in Ani Phyo’s book is so creative and has given me loads of ideas for creating my own dishes.

There’s also plenty of health and lifestyle information, how to store food, nutrition info, and plenty of other eating tips. It’s among the most valuable recipe books on my (fairly extensive!) cookbook shelves. I never thought I’d grow to like salad either, I’ve never been into crunching through a plate of “leaves”, but the dressings and variety in this book is incredible - the combinations of food flavours in her salad recipes are so interesting. For the first time ever I’m happy to have greens as a staple part of my diet. There are some great, rich nut and seed animal-free cheezes, fruity recipes, and dessert recipes, too. Some tasty nut and seed mylks, too - the Mexican chocolate mylk is fabulous.

Ani Phyo has a great attitude towards veganism, with concern for animal rights and personal health going hand in hand in this book. Along with the great recipes, there are positive messages about making healthy choices that benefit the world at large as well as yourself. The healthy animal-friendly, vegan message complements personal health - it’s about looking inside as well as outside of yourself and finding a good, solid balance that not only benefits your health, but also shares that health by protecting animals and the environment at the same time. (And all without any spiritual mumbo-jumbo or pseudo-science!)

There are quite a lot of photos of Ani and the food, but there’s so much information in this book as well. There’s a lot to read besides the recipes! The amount of content in this book surprises me every time I pick it up - it’s good humoured and easy-to-read as well. It’s refreshing reading and refreshing food.

By Duffy at Amazon.com Book Reviews

I have been studying food and nutrition for several years and have been trying to transform to a raw diet for the past year. Not an easy thing to do. I have approximately 3 dozen books on this subject, many of them very good. I truly believe had I purchased this book first, the transformation would not have been nearly as hard. I have had this book for about a week and from the very first recipe I tried, I was hooked! I have always enjoyed preparing food but preparing meals for a family of five day in and day out has truly become tedious. The recipes in this book taste absolutely amazing, are simple to prepare, suprisingly economical and absolutely gorgeous to look at. I truly look forward to coming home and preparing meals again! Produce no longer goes to waste in my fridge as it has in the past and the three teens in my home and my meat-eating husband absolutely love the food. I can tell because they go back for seconds and thirds and look for left-overs for lunch and snacks!! But most important is how we all feel. We are a family of surfers and anybody who surfs knows how much energy it takes to put in an eight hour session. We have always eaten healthy as a general rule, but lots of times just choked down a “healthy” meal because it was good for us, but didn’t necessarily like what we are eating. This book has truly changed all of that. We all have so much energy and just feel truly happy. No more brain-fog, no more feeling like we need a nap in the middle of the day and those eight hour surf sessions are much easier to do, especially since we are in the middle of winter and it is COLD!! I don’t believe this would have been possible without the help of this book. 

The book itself is beautiful to look at and truly inspiring. I have been able, finally, to combine the knowledge I have learned from other teachings, take the inspiration from Ani’s book and apply it to everyday meal preperations in a simple, clean and delicious manner. What is so different about this book compared to others is the recipes are truly delicious, the ingredients are easy to find (for the most part), preparation is simple and quick and the ingredients list is short. One other book I recommend using in conjuction with this book is The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About What You Should Eat and Why by Jonny Bowden. Combining the knowledge in this book along with Ani’s recipes will help you to create absolutely fabulous meals that taste great and are the healthiest combinations I believe to be available. Thank you, Ani, for a truly beautiful and inspiring book and for helping to finally change my life. You can bet your last dollar I will be the first in line to buy your next book!

By Dawn Woodward at Amazon.com book Reviews

As we age, our bones become more fragile, and in serious cases, often debilitating fractures and breaks can occur. By the age of 90, as many as 32% of women and 17% of men will have sustained a hip fracture, who’s complications often lead to death.

Osteoporosis is also a huge public health threat- especially among women. Of the estimated 10 million Americans that suffer from osteoporosis, 8 million of them are women.

After menopause, the production of estrogen is significantly reduced, slowing the absorption of much needed minerals into the bone, causing them to weaken.

While the role of exercise in prevention and treatment of osteoporosis is not completely understood, it is known that how much physical stress is applied to the bone, determines how strong the bone is. In other words, the more stress you physically apply to the bone (such as lifting weights, or the impact of running and walking on the lower extremities) the stronger the bone becomes.  Stronger bones mean less fractures and breaks, as well a lower chance of developing osteoporosis.

Strength training also improves your metabolism, lowers your resting blood pressure, improves blood lipid levels and eases arthritic pain.

If you are worried it is too late to start a strength training program, you are in luck: even individuals who have lead sedentary lives can increase their bone mass by becoming more active. Prevention is key is avoiding bone loss and related injuries, and it is never too late to start.

Strength training should be done a minimum of 2-3 times a week, with at least one day of rest in between, working all major muscle groups.  If you are intimidated by strength training, don’t be. You don’t have to lift heavy weights to strength train; you can use your own body weight as resistance.  Lunges, squats and pushups are a great way to incorporate some strength moves into your work out.  Your bones will thank you.

Method:

Place the wrap on a flat surface, eg a large breadboard or flat plate.

Don’t overfill the wrap, to make it manageable and to keep it intact. Place the chopped and shredded veg over two-thirds of the area of the wrap, to a maximum of one-one and a half inches depth. Add vinaigrette dressing, tomato puree, Vegemite or whatever.

Start making the wrap into an envelope by folding the sides over the edge of the contents, then tuck the edge nearest you over the resultant package. Roll the package over again, neatly tucking in any edges which emerge, continuing until the top edge is itself tucked underneath the roll.

Then carefully cut the wrap in two with a sharp knife, which seems to make it more stable and less likely to unroll. Place both halves together and wrap in silver foil to keep in the fridge until needed.