Flu shot may be good for your heart

Curtesy of Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Update :
It's not clear how flu shots might protect the heart. One leading theory is that flu inflections launch an inflammatory response throughout the body.
That inflammation may dislodge plaque that has built up in the walls of arteries as a normal function of aging - plaque deposits that have otherwise been stable for decades but that suddenly burst, squeezing off blood supply to the heart.
Recent studies have shown that people have a higher risk of heart attack, congestive heart failure or stroke in the first days or week after coming down with flu.

As always each story has two sides. Pro and anti vaccination. Soon we will publish an article outlining the other point of view. Meanwhile feel free to tell us your comments on the flu shots 

This time of year, people are rolling up their sleeves to get flu shots and avoid seasonal sniffles. And new research suggests the flu vaccine may also help prevent strokes and heart attacks.
The research was presented  at the 2012 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Toronto.
Dr. Jacob Udell, a cardiologist at Women’s College Hospital, and the researchers pored over published clinical trials on the flu dating back to the 1960s. But only four studies, done between 1994 and 2008, met their scientific criteria.
Those four studies included 3,227 participants, half of whom suffered from heart disease. Half of all the participants received a flu shot and the remainder were given a placebo vaccine.
A year later, the group who had received the vaccine experienced 50% fewer major cardiac events — heart attack, stroke or cardiac death — compared with those who’d received a placebo. There was also a 40 per cent reduction in death from any cause among those who had received the flu vaccine.
The statistics are “pretty profound,” said Udell, also a scientist at the University of Toronto.

Vegetarians 'cut heart risk by 32%'

 
Ditching meat and fish in favor of a vegetarian diet can have a dramatic effect on the health of your heart, research suggests.
A study of 44,500 people in England and Scotland showed vegetarians were 32% less likely to die or need hospital treatment as a result of heart disease.Differences in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and body weight are thought to be behind the health boost.
The findings were published in  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Heart disease is a major blight in Western countries. It kills 94,000 people in the UK each year, more than any other disease, and 2.6 million people live with the condition.
The heart's own blood supply becomes blocked up by fatty deposits in the arteries that nourish the heart muscle. It can cause angina or even lead to a heart attack if the blood vessels become completely blocked.Scientists at the University of Oxford analyzed data from 15,100 vegetarians and 29,400 people who ate meat and fish.Over the course of 11 years, 169 people in the study died from heart disease and 1,066 needed hospital treatment - and they were more likely to have been meat and fish eaters than vegetarians.
Dr Francesca Crowe says: "The main message is that diet is an important determinant of heart health. "I'm not advocating that everyone eats a vegetarian diet. The diets are quite different. Vegetarians probably have a lower intake of saturated fat so it makes senses there is a lower risk of heart disease."The results showed the vegetarians had lower blood pressure, lower levels of "bad" cholesterol and were more likely to have a healthy weight.
Tracy Parker, from the British Heart Foundation, said: "This research reminds us that we should try to eat a balanced and varied diet - whether this includes meat or not.
"But remember, choosing the veggie option on the menu is not a shortcut to a healthy heart. After all, there are still plenty of foods suitable for vegetarians that are high in saturated fat and salt."If you're thinking of switching to a vegetarian diet, make sure you plan your meals carefully so that you replace any lost vitamins and minerals, such as iron, that you would normally get from meat."

The case for nuts: Healthiest snack in the cupboard

By Grant Cochrane/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 Almonds, cashews and walnuts have many benefits for your body and brain, research shows.

Almonds: A handful of almonds a day will keep the cardiovascular surgeon away. The lowering of LDL cholesterol, known as the mother of all evil cholesterol, is essential for routine heart pump maintenance. In fact, in those who are at risk of heart disease, the aggressive lowering of LDL cholesterol is necessary. According to the nutty professors at Harvard who study these things, a daily handful of almonds can lower LDL cholesterol enough to reduce cardiovascular disease by a whopping 20 per cent! In some cases, a handful of almonds may be used instead of cholesterol-lowering medication. Almonds are also rich in folate, a vitamin important in keeping hearts, fetuses, bone and brain healthy.
Cashews: Gesundheit. These luxurious nuts are nothing to sneeze at. Cashews are rich in selenium, a mineral shown to protect against prostate cancer. Cashews, like most nuts are best eaten unsalted and raw while the oil is fresh. Like almonds, these nuts are loaded in monounsaturated fats, which is good fat. If “good fat” makes as much sense as “slumber party” or “cat owner,” realize that, like good cholesterol, unsaturated fat acts biochemically to reduce the risk of cancers and coronaries.
Walnuts: Rich in omega 3 fatty acids, walnuts are, like fish, beneficial in lowering cholesterol. They are also rich in arginine, an amino acid important in the synthesis of nitric oxide, which helps relax tense blood vessels.
Pistachios: Pistachios are an excellent source of copper and manganese, and a good source of phosphorus. They’re also an excellent source of vitamin B6 (offering 20 per cent of the daily value per serving) They’re high in fibre, too. A serving of pistachios delivers three grams of dietary fibre (about 12 per cent of the daily value of fibre).
However, these nuts have been known to cause an unfortunate disease known in the medical field as “pistachio nail.” Wrestling vigorously to get at a pistachio may cause scrapes under the tender thumbnail skin, which when further irritated with salt will cause its victim to insert the injured thumb into the mouth.
Peanuts: Peanuts are not your normal nut. In fact, they are legumes. But as we can salt them, roast them and sell them in bulk-food containers, let’s consider them nuts. Peanuts are high in fibre, niacin and a powerful antioxidant called Resveratrol, the same flavenol that gives red wine its reputation as a protector of hearts. Same benefit, less hangover.
While a corn doodle or other empty-carb snack leaves the snacker hungry again in 30 minutes, a handful of nuts satisfies hunger pangs for several hours. Nut snackers actually eat less, lose weight and have less diabetes. Satisfying, high-fat, tasty and highly nutritious.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/health/case+nuts+Healthiest+snack+cupboard/7797133/story.html#ixzz2Hbnhm71P

Five Cancer-Fighting Recepies

We don't normally provide cooking recipes here but the simplicity and power of the 5 recipes below changed that.

Cabbage is packed with antioxidants, which have been found to prevent cancer. But really, who is going to sit down to a heaping bowl of cabbage? That's right, no one. But doesn't Cabbage and White Bean Stew sound appetizing? 

Cabbage and White Bean Stew
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 lg rib celery, halved and sliced
1 tsp caraway seeds
2 cups chopped green cabbage
2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
16 oz canned tomatoes, with juice
15 oz canned white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Saute onion for 3 minutes in a large saucepan coated lightly with cooking spray. Add carrots and celery; saute 3 minutes. Add caraway seeds and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in cabbage, water, salt and sugar. Simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, breaking them up. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Add beans and vinegar. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes until heated through. Stir in parsley. Serve hot with plain non-fat yogurt, if desired.

Source: www.justbeanrecipes.com

Curried Lentils, Sweet Potato and Cauliflower
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp Indian curry paste
10 cardamom pods
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup Green or brown lentils, rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth
1 small cauliflower without leaves and stem, cut into small florets
1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves
Salt and pepper
Natural yogurt (optional)

Heat large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and curry paste, stirring paste thoroughly into onion; cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes. Smash cardamom pods with large knife or meat mallet. Remove small brown seeds (discard pods) and stir into onion mixture along with sweet potatoes; cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in lentils and broth; cover and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add cauliflower and return to boil; reduce heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until lentils and vegetables are tender. Remove from heat; stir in coriander. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand a few minutes before serving with dollop of yogurt, if desired.

Source: www.eatrightontario.ca

Mustard, Beet and Apple Salad
3/4 lb beets
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp fresh dill
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch granulated sugar
Salt and pepper
2 McIntosh apples, peeled and diced
Belgian endive
Dill sprigs

In saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook beets for about 10 minutes or until tender; peel and dice. Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, dill, mustard, garlic, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste; toss with beets and apples. On large serving plate or 4 individual salad plates; arrange Belgian endive leaves like spokes of a wheel. Mound salad mixture in middle; garnish with dill springs.

Source: www.eatrightontario.ca

Mushroom Artichoke Saute over Pasta
1 cup Portobello mushroom,
1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 plum tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 medium onion, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp rosemary, dried
1 1/3 cups whole wheat pasta
Parmesan cheese, to taste

Chop all veggies into bite-sized pieces. Heat oil in large pan while boiling water for pasta. Saute onions and garlic in pan until tender, then add other veggies and sprinkle balsamic vinegar and rosemary over top. Cook pasta while occasionally stirring veggies (lower heat if veggies finish cooking before pasta is done). Serve warm. Add Parmesan, to taste.

Source: www.livestrong.com

Broccoli, Water Chestnut, Carrot, and Red Cabbage Gingered Chicken Stirfry
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp extra light olive oil
6 oz baby carrots
1 1/2 cups red cabbage
2 cups broccoli
1/2 cup sweet peas
120 g water chestnuts, sliced
1 tbsp ginger
2 cloves garlic
113 ml Szechwan stir-fry sauce

Cook chicken in olive oil. Cook through and add vegetables, ginger and garlic. Heat until vegetables are cooked but still have some crunch. Stir in the sauce and cook for 5 minutes. Let sit for sauce to thicken. Serve with brown rice or eat alone.

Source: www.livestrong.com