A heart attack is something that does not
happen over night. It slowly develops over
years.

At birth, your arteries are clean, open and
elastic. But early in life the process of
artery-clogging, known as atherosclerosis or
coronary heart disease, begins. Fatty streaks
appear in and under the layer of cells that line
artery walls. Gradually the streaks are
transformed into plaques-fatty scar tissue that
bulges into the artery opening, partly choking
off blood flow. If one of these plaques breaks
down, the clotting mechanism may be
triggered. If the clot becomes large enough, it
can block blood flow, suffocating large patches
of cardiac muscle, an event known as a heart
attack.

FOOD YOUR MIRACLE MEDICINE

pg 26.

NOW, WHAT ABOUT A STROKE?

As you grow older, your odds of having a
stroke rise steadily. About 80% of strokes
among people are due to clots in blood vessels
of the brain and head. The rest come from
hemorrhages or "bleeding strokes" when
vessels rupture, spilling blood into the brain.

The surprising fact is that the way your blood
clots is probably the single greatest determinant
of whether you suffer a heart attack, a stroke or
blood vessel damage. ***

Diet can have an enormous influence on
blood-clotting factors. Indeed, evidence
suggests that the major influence of diet on
heart disease has more to do with blood
clotting factors than with blood cholesterol.

So, what about cholesterol, LDL, HDL, etc.

Cholesterol is not a simple matter. Some
components of cholesterol are dangerous to
arteries, while others are beneficial.
Furthermore, what you eat may actually
detoxify detrimental cholesterol so it cannot
harm arteries. Regardless of cholesterol's
complexities, on thing is undeniable: What you
eat can put a striking dent in dangerous
cholesterol and, more importantly, change its
character so it is not so deadly!!! ****

KEEPING YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE normal
unquestionably helps to ward off heart attacks
and strokes. There are foods that can help
control it also.

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WHAT TO AVOID

SALT: Salt is widely accepted as a contributor
to strokes and heart attacks because of its effect
on blood pressure. (It also has been linked to
ulcers!)

Shellfish, processed/cured meats, some
condiments, soda pop, potato chips, other
processed foods. READ LABELS!!!

Here are some sodium levels on shellfish:
(anything over 100 mg is considered a high
sodium food)

Crab, steamed--------314mg sodium

Crab, canned----------425mg sodium

Mussels, raw-----------243mg sodium

Scallops, raw-----------217mg sodium

Shrimp,canned-------1,955mg sodium

Shrimp, fried-----------159 mg sodium

Oysters,frozen---------323 mg sodium

DON'T SMOKE! The list is too long to name,
but smoking also robs the body of important
vitamins and minerals.

ALCOHOL:

Alcohol consumption raises blood pressure. It
also has a great amount of calories and those
calories can turn into excess weight, which
raises the chance for strokes and heart attacks.

"Three or more alcoholic drinks a day is the
most common cause of reversible or curable
hypertension." N. M. Kaplan, University of
Texas, Health Science Center, Dallas

According to the National Institute of
Health--You cannot drink more than 2 drinks a
day without it raising your blood pressure.
Also, that drinking alcohol can cancel out the
benefits of both a low-sodium diet and blood
pressure medication.

SUGAR:

Dr Yudkin-University of London- His study
revealed that men who suffered heart attacks
ate twice as much sugar in their diets. Fat and
sugar together elevate fatty substances higher
than they do alone. (fat and sugar usually go
together in cooking)

CAFFEINE:

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University

have found that five cups of coffee a day
increase your heart-attack risk almost 3 times
over that of a non-coffee drinker!

You say, "I don't drink coffee!"

Coffee isn't the only thing that contains
caffeine or its close "relative" theobromine,
which is still a stimulant.

Some Sodas contain caffeine or theobromine
like Tea and Chocolate!! This includes,
chocolate bars, hot chocolate, chocolate chips,
etc.

Caffeine also can sap a lot of vitamins and
minerals from your body.

WHAT ABOUT FATS??

Aren't all fats bad for you? NO

There are 3 basic types of fats, the first one is:

Saturated Fats: Usually comes from animal
fats--meats, eggs, dairy products, but it is also
found in coconut and palm oils. In your body,
saturated fat increases the level of harmful
low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
THIS IS THE BAD FAT!!!

Polyunsaturated Fats: This comes from
vegetable oils. Polys, also called "essential fatty
acids," help your body with cell production,
growth, skin and other cellular processes. EAT
IN MODERATION!!

Monosaturated Fats: This one comes from olive
oil, almonds, peanuts, and avocados. THIS
ONE IS THE BEST!!

Trans-Fatty Acids: Are formed when food
companies solidify (or hydrogenate)
unsaturated fat. The processing creates a semi
hard substance that's cheaper and easier to
work with. Unfortunately, the process also
ensures that trans-fatty acids behave like
saturated fat in our bodies. *****

WHAT ABOUT FISH?

Fish is full of Omega-3 fatty acids that are
converted into substances that keep blood
platelets from clotting, dilate blood vessels and
reduce inflammation and cell damage.

"Saturated fats are 4 times more likely to raise
blood cholesterol levels than dietary cholesterol
itself." John LaRosa, cardiologist, George
Washington University.

"If I had to tell people just one thing to lower
their risk of heart disease, it would be to reduce
their intake of foods of animal origin,
specifically animal fats, and to replace those
fats with complex carbohydrates--grains, fruits
and vegetables." Ernst Schaefer, MD, USDA
Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at
Tufts University.

A study was done by Ian L. Rouse MD. He
found that Seventh-Day Adventists who follow
a vegetarian diet-tend to have lower blood
pressures, so he decided to test a meat-free diet.
He took 60 volunteers and switched them from
a typical diet to a meat-free diet. After six
weeks without meat, their blood pressures had
fallen significantly!

What about those "good" fats?

Mediterranean peoples are less likely to die of
heart disease or cancer because they eat mostly
monounsaturated fats, like olive oils, nuts, etc.

Foods Highest in Artery-Protecting Fats:
Percentage of fat as

monounsaturated

Hazelnuts-------------81%

Avocados-------------80%

Olive oil---------------72%

Almonds--------------71%

In a study of 31,208 Seventh-Day Adventists,
Dr Fraser of Loma Linda (California)
University, found that nuts stood out as the
number-one food among those who did not
suffer heart attacks. Those who munched on
nuts 5 times a week had roughly half the chance
of heart attack and coronary death as those
who ate nuts less than once a week.

Adventist men who don't drink or smoke and
ate a "heart smart" diet live 7 years longer.

****PIKES PEAK STORY****

"Meat contains 14 times more pesticides than
vegetable foods." Kay S. Nelson, MPH
Vegetarianism. pg.1

WHAT DO I DO ABOUT IT?

Lower cholesterol/bad fats in your diet by
replacing high fat foods or meat products to
vegetable/fish.

Use nut milks, soy milk or skim milk vs. whole
milk and limit things like cheeses, eggs(yolks
especially), high fat sour cream, cream cheese,
etc.

Lower or eliminate the use of fried foods.

Control the intake of sugar.

Eat a wide variety of fruits, nuts, grains &
vegetables.

Limit the use of salt and high sodium foods.

Limit the use of caffeinated beverages and
foods. (Carob products are a good substitute
for chocolate. Grain beverages are a good
substitute for coffee.)

Personal Habits:

Get regular exercise, 30 minutes, at least 3 - 5
times a week.

If you smoke, quit.

Do not drink alcohol.

Keep as close to your ideal weight as possible.

What about Protein?

Meat has all 22 of the essential amino acids.
However it carries a liability, fat. Pork carries
the highest fat of all.

Meat carries many liabilities, pork for instance
carries one called trichinosis. Trichina are
parasite worms. If you study pig meat under a
microscope, you'll see the trichina larvae, which
may have millions of little eggs. Those eggs
hatch in your stomach and invade your muscle
tissue, causing symptoms that are similar to
arthritis. "But we cook our meat hot so it will
kill them all!" Does it give us comfort to be
eating dead worms rather than live ones? Many
people who think they have cooked it good
enough still contracted trichinosis.

Nuts, Legumes (beans) and Grains, when
combined can provide these amino acids and
become a complete protein. However, it does
not carry that liability of saturated fats......

WHAT DO I EAT?

Fish high in Omega-3 fatty acids like sardines,
mackerel, herring, salmon and tuna.

Fruits---Vegetables---Nuts---Grains---

Legumes---Olive oil---Foods high in Vitamin C,
E and Beta Carotene.

Garlic---Can deter artery-clogging and even
reverse the damage by helping to heal your
arteries. It can also assist in lowering
cholesterol levels.

Dr. Bordia from Tagore Medical College in
India did a study on garlic and heart disease
and found that garlic had many antioxidants
that neutralized artery-destroying agents.

(It also had an unexpected health benefits, less
joint pain, body aches, less asthmatic
tendencies and more vigor, energy and libido;
as well as a better appetite was observed)

Onions---Raw onions are one of the best
treatments for boosting that good cholesterol in
your system.

MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES!

Frank M. Sacks, MD Harvard Medical School
says that to up your intake of fruits and
vegetables will noticeably aid in lowering your
blood pressure. But to also limit your intake of
animal fats which can cause it to be elevated.

Vitamin C assists in lowing blood pressure---eat
those fruits and veges high in Vitamin C:
oranges, tomatoes, grapefruit, cantaloupe,
green and red peppers, strawberries, kiwi fruit.

Potassium lowers blood pressure too! Foods
high in potassium: Black strap molasses,
potatoes, avocados, salmon.

Calcium lowers blood pressure. Foods high in
calcium: Skim milk, Mackerel canned w/bones,
turnip greens, tofu.

Olive oil has been proven in studies to lower
blood pressure, boost levels of good cholesterol
and to lower levels of bad cholesterol. It has
also been shown to improve the arteries.
Doctors say that taking small doses of olive oil
every day helps to dislodge the fatty deposits
that have built up inside the arteries, and then
helps flush them out of the body.