(NaturalNews) When it comes to eating for good health, choosing foods for heart health should be at the top of the list. The heart is the organ that literally keeps us going – delivering nutrients, oxygen and disease fighters throughout the body. Cardiovascular disease also happens to be the leading cause of death in the U.S., ranking just ahead of cancer.

There are several foods which can help give us a healthy heart and cardiovascular system – especially if they are chosen in their healthiest whole food forms. Instead of processed foods found on grocers’ shelves, choose fresh whole foods which you can eat with little or no processing and cooking. Certified organic whole foods are the best choice of all.

Cayenne pepper

Cayenne has been called “the king of herbs” for good reason, and that is especially true when it comes to heart health. It is loaded with antioxidants and other valuable compounds which help protect the heart and arteries.

As the famed herbal healer Dr. Shulze said, “If you master only one herb in your life, master cayenne pepper. It is more powerful than any other.”

Spinach

Popeye’s favorite vegetable is a delicious, nutritious fighting machine when it comes to heart health. Included among the many heart-healthy compounds in spinach are: potassium, folate, calcium, betaine, antioxidant carotenoid lutein and nitrate. Spinach is also one of only two plant sources of co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) which is vital for heart and muscle health.

Blueberries

Blueberries are one of our most powerful disease-fighting foods. They get their dark blue color from the powerful antioxidant anthocyanins and they are packed with heart-healthy fiber and vitamin C.

Salmon

This cold-water fish is packed with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and is also a great source of protein. You can also get plenty of omega-3s from pollock, tuna, herring, mackerel and swordfish.

Legumes

Legumes, including beans, are full of protein, are virtually fat-free and are loaded with fiber, iron, calcium and potassium.

Fresh beans may take longer to soak and cook than canned ones, but they taste better, aren’t packed with sodium and preservatives and they’re less expensive.

Nuts

Nuts are a great source of healthful proteins, vitamins, minerals and monounsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats raise good cholesterol levels and escorts bad cholesterol to the liver, where it’s filtered from your body.

Oats

Grandma referred to fiber as “roughage” and we need plenty of it each day. Oats are a good way to get it. Oats are a great source of fiber as well as vitamins and minerals. Oatmeal topped with blueberries gives you a super heart-healthy breakfast.

Broccoli

This green super-veggie gives you vitamins C and E, calcium, folate, fiber and beta-carotene. Along with spinach, broccoli is a rare natural source of CoQ10. Broccoli is healthiest if eaten raw or lightly steamed.

Asparagus

Asparagus is another supremely healthy vegetable. It contains significant amounts of folic acid, vitamin C, potassium and beta-carotene. Try lightly steaming asparagus in butter and lemon juice along with minced garlic and perhaps a touch of sea salt.

Flaxseed

Flaxseed has loads of fiber, omega-3s and other beneficial nutrients. Not normally eaten by itself, flaxseed goes great as a salad topper and in muffins, cereal and cookies.

Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are delicious (especially when mashed) and are a great source of beta-carotene, fiber and vitamins A, C and E.

Garlic

Garlic helps maintain healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels and helps prevent atherosclerosis. Garlic is healthiest when fresh or freshly crushed, as well as in fermented form and garlic oil.

Sources for this article included:

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm

http://www.tbyil.com/cayenne_pepper.htm

http://health.howstuffworks.com

http://www.spinachwords.com/heart_health.shtml

http://homecooking.about.com

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Article source: http://www.chiropracticmasters.com/chiropractic/12-top-food-choices-for-a-healthy-heart

Greenwood Chiropractor Weekly Sticky

How many times have you had a minor fender-bender, or a slip on the ice and never gave it a second thought? Maybe your ego was bruised, but you didn’t notice any outward signs of in- jury. What happened to you on the inside could be a different story.

After a trauma, things may appear fine on the outside, but it doesn’t mean they’re OK on the inside. That’s why we open egg cartons and check the contents for hidden damage before we buy them. The same goes for your spine after any jolt. What may seem like a minor bump from the outside, could actually create SUBLUXATIONS on the inside. (Misaligned vertebrae that interfere with nerve function, and silently diminish health)

The solution? Get your spine checked for SUBLUXATIONS after any trauma, no matter how big or small. If your kid takes a tumble down the stairs – get them checked. If your spouse backs the car into a fence post – get them checked. If you tripped over the dog on the way to the refrigerator last night – get yourself checked too. Life’s tough enough without having to live it SUBLUXATED.

As Always, Thanks to our friends at http:\theweeklysticky.com

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Article source: http://www.chiropracticmasters.com/chiropractic/%E2%80%9Cremember-to-check-your-eggs%E2%80%9D

This week’s recipe comes to us from Jane Spice.

Last night was our annual crab fest gathering with a few of my special friends. We plan our crab dinner within the first week of crab season in San Francisco. I love crab, and crab to me is a big deal.

But last night, it was this sweet potato soup that stole the show. We forgot about the crab, and instead couldn’t stop singing the virtues of this simple sweet potato soup.

Sweet potato is the key ingredient in this soup recipe, and is enriched with the addition of cashews and tomato sauce. The soup is soft, silky, lightly sweet, and heart warming. A touch of garam masala spice – which is an Indian spice blend works perfectly here. It gives the soup the depth of flavor and warmth. We topped each bowl with creme fraiche and cilantro for an added flavor kick.

This is a knockout soup, and I can’t wait to make it again.

6

Bake the sweet potatoes in foil for about 45 minutes in oven at 400 (make sure to pierce the skin of the potato to help them breathe while cooking) Let the potatoes cool (half an hour) Peel skin off potato In a large blender (we recommend a vita mix!): combine all ingredients including the sweet potato. Blend for a few minutes until all ingredients are mixed well together. Move soup to a stove top pot and heat for about 10 minutes or until desired temperature Serve with dollop of yogurt or creme fraiche and cilantro! Freezes very nicely

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Article source: http://www.chiropracticmasters.com/chiropractic/sweet-potato-soup-with-a-touch-of-garam-masala

From Kalyn: “Recently I was having lunch with some blogging friends and we started talking about casseroles.  We all agreed that casseroles can be delicious and family-friendly, but they’re also very hard to photograph!  I think lasagna may be at the top of the hard-to-photograph list, but this Vegetarian Lasagna with Kale and Mushroom-Tomato Sauce was so delicious I had to put some in the freezer right away so I didn’t eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until it was gone.  You may think I’m turning into the Kale Whisperer, because this year I’ve used kale in a Kale and  Feta Breakfast Casserole, my new favorite pasta dish, and Kale and Romaine Caesar Salad.  Yes, I do love kale, but if you’re not a kale fan you can try this lasagna recipe with Swiss chard, collard greens, or spinach substituted for the kale.

Prepare 1/2 chopped onion, 6 cloves of finely chopped garlic, and 8 oz. of chopped brown mushrooms.

After it’s cooked 15 minutes, add half the sauce, spreading it over the noodles so they’re all covered.

After 50-60 minutes, take off the foil and continue to cook for 25-30 minutes more.

Here’s how the lasagna looked when it came out of the oven.

Vegetarian Lasagna with Kale and Mushroom-Tomato Sauce
(Makes 8 servings; recipe created by Kalyn)

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped small
6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 oz. brown mushrooms, chopped small (I used Baby Bella crimini mushrooms, but you could use white mushrooms)
1 tsp. ground fennel
1 tsp. dried basil
2 1/2 cups vegetarian marinara sauce (I didn’t have any homemade sauce, so I used Classico Tomato Basil sauce which was the lowest-sugar sauce I could find)
1/3 cup water (rinse out the jar or pasta sauce container)
4 cups finely chopped fresh kale, blanched 3 minutes in boiling salted water (see note below about using other greens)
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
6 uncooked lasagna noodles (use Dreamfields or whole wheat lasagna for South Beach Diet)
2 cups low-fat Mozzarella or other low-fat white cheese (I used a low-fat four cheese blend)

Instructions:

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Article source: http://www.chiropracticmasters.com/chiropractic/recipe-for-vegetarian-lasagna-with-kale-and-mushroom-tomato-sauce

Close to 20 states or cities in the U.S. are considering the possibility of a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages.  Organizations that have called for reductions in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption include the World Health Organization, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Heart Association, Institute of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The beverage industry, however, has been flexing its economic and political might in ways reminiscent of the tobacco industry during the 1950s. The arguments they are making are the same as the ones that were made on behalf of cigarettes decades ago — that the taxes are “discriminatory” in singling out one category of food, that taxes will not work, and that government should not tell people what to do.

According to Time Magazine:

“Similar to tobacco companies, the soda industry has created a front group, Americans Against Food Taxes, to run anti-tax campaigns  … The tobacco industry paid scientists who did research disputing links between smoking and lung cancer, the addictive nature of nicotine, and the dangers of second-hand smoke. The soda industry funds scientists who reliably produce research showing no link between [sugar-sweetened beverage] consumption and health … The beverage industry has been successful thus far in fighting off significant taxes through heavy lobbing, questionable tactics, and the attempt to appear public-health minded, but they, too, are likely to be embarrassed as light shines upon them.”

Sources:

Time Magazine October 24, 2011

Article source: http://www.chiropracticmasters.com/chiropractic/chiropractic-weekly-health-alert-meet-big-soda-%E2%80%94-as-bad-as-big-tobacco

The study found that women who received the most breast screenings had a higher 6-year cumulative incidence of invasive breast cancer than those who received far less. The researchers concluded that the natural course of many of the screen-detected invasive breast cancers is to spontaneously regress.

According to Green Med Info:

“This study adds to a growing body of clinical evidence showing that breast cancer is best treated by removing the cause, e.g. carcinogens, chronic stress, chemical and radiation exposures, food intolerances, etc., and utilizing immune-enhancing and nutritional/herbal therapies with a relatively low risk of toxicity vis-à-vis conventional oncology treatments. Once this strategy is employed bodily self-healing can be activated and many so-called ‘cancers’ will remain benign or regress ‘spontaneously’ without medical intervention.”

Sources:

Green Med Info

Article source: http://www.chiropracticmasters.com/chiropractic/chiropractic-health-alert-new-study-many-invasive-breast-tumors-spontaneously-regress

1 Whisk cider, cornstarch, mustard, honey, salt and pepper (to taste) in a bowl. Set aside.

2 Salt the chicken well and dust in flour. Shake off the excess.

3 In a large non-stick skillet, heat the oil on medium to medium high heat. Once the oil is hot add the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook until golden brown on one side, about 3-4 minutes. Turn chicken, add apples, and cook until the chicken has browned on the other side.

4 Add chicken broth and cider mixture to the pan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pot and simmer until chicken is tender, about 15 minutes.

5 With slotted spoon, remove chicken and apples to serving plates. Spoon sauce over chicken and apples and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with rice or noodles.

Yield: Serves 4.

Article source: http://www.chiropracticmasters.com/chiropractic/recipes-chicken-and-apples-in-honey-mustard

Chiropractor Weekly Sticky:

How much stomach acid does it take to digest a cheeseburger? Or, how much calcium is needed to heal a broken leg? How about a fever, how high should it reach to fight a common cold? You don’t need to surf Google for the answers, your INNATE search engine already knows.

If you doubt there’s genius inside you, just consider this – the 50,000,000 cells in your body that will die while you read this sentence… your innate intelligence knows how to replace every single one of them. The trillions of mental impulses coursing through your Nerve System at this moment… innate is moving them at speeds approaching 248 mile per hour. The number of heartbeats you’ll get in your lifetime… innate reserved around 3 billion for you

Google may be the web’s leading source for information, but it’s got nothing over your innate intelligence when it comes to keeping you alive and well. Innate has solutions to just about any health challenge you have. All you have to do is search within to find the answer.

Thanks to our friends at The Weekly Sticky

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Article source: http://www.chiropracticmasters.com/chiropractic/where-the-body-finds-answers

For a number of years, scientists have been studying “brown fat”.  Brown fat is a heat-generating fat that burns energy instead of storing it. Human newborns have a supply of brown fat to keep warm, but by adulthood they lose most of their stores of it.

In a new study, scientists found that they were able to activate the brown fat still present in adult men by exposing them to cold temperatures. The men burned more calories and lost white fat, the kind that causes obesity.

Time Magazine reports:

“Knowing that chilling the body triggers brown fat to mobilize could lead to an entirely new strategy for weight loss, the researchers suggested. Treatments could focus on activating brown fat without having to keep people in the cold.”

Sources:

Time Magazine January 26, 2012

Article source: http://www.chiropracticmasters.com/chiropractic/chiropractic-weekly-health-alert-new-way-to-lose-weight

A chain reaction occurs when a small event ignites a reaction nearby, setting off another reaction, then another, until it produces an ultimate result. Getting your health back with Chiropractic care happens in a similar way.

Chiropractors start the process with a small event called an Adjustment. Spinal adjustments restore a state of Ease in your nerve system which ignites Healing. Over Time your body’s internal Functions light up and you experience Benefits like stronger immunity, deeper sleep, greater physical performance and a confident sense of well being. The ultimate thing that lights up is your LIFE.

The goal of Chiropractic is to ignite Life within you so you can regain your health, fulfill your purpose and bring more joy to those around you. Staying ‘lit up’ with regular Chiropractic care is one of the best gifts you can give yourself and those you love the most.

Thank you to our firends at the Weekly Sticky!

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Article source: http://www.chiropracticmasters.com/chiropractic/chiropractic-fires-up-your-life