Heart Health Month - Eat Your Way...

Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,

As I mentioned last week, February is Heart Health Month so we are turning our food donation special toward this goal.  You can love your friends and family by referring them in to see Doc Chris and they can in turn love their community by bringing in $10 worth of Oatmeal to receive their exam and x-rays for free.  It doesn't get much better than that.  February is a short month so we have to get on this more quickly so we can stock up that food pantry at the end of the month!

Today I'm going to share from an article in the new issue of To Your Health.  Not everyone loves oatmeal so I'm going to let you know some other heart healthy foods to ensure your diet includes.

1. The Power of Healthy Protein - Sources of protein such as poultry, fish and nuts is associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease when compared with more servings of red meat.

2. Watermelon - Bring on summer and with it the watermelon! Watermelon is a rich source of L-citrulline, a compound that is crucial to the formation of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps to widen the blood vessels and mediate blood pressure.

3. More Barley = Less Cholesterol - Studies have suggested  that fiber can help reduce risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering cholesterol and improving glucose tolerance.  Barley is a food rich in beta glucans, a type of soluble fiber.

4. Try a little coffee - Hypertension makes blood vessels less responsive to signals to expand. Based on a study from Greece they analyzed individuals with hypertension and their coffee consumption. Compared with those who rarely drank coffee, those who drank moderate amounts of coffee had a lower prevalence of diabetes, lower prevalence of high cholesterol, lower body mass index, lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease and higher values of aortic distensibility (or stretched under pressure).

5. Treat Yourself to Chocolate - Dark chocolate that is. Dark Chocolate is rich in antioxidant compounds, particularly  flavonoids and studies have shown the beneficial effect on blood pressure and endothelial function (endothelial is the interior lining of the blood vessels).


That isn't so bad. I'll take them up on the dark chocolate and watermelon for sure. Maybe watermelon dipped in dark chocolate? Ok, well I hope everyone is enjoying the snow globe outside! Have a healthy week and don't forget to tell your friends to bring in that oatmeal!

Be well,
Karla H.
Roscoe Chiropractic Centre