Heart Disease… The Leading Cause Of Death Of American Men And Women

Considering that cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes heart disease and stroke, is far and away the leading cause of death and disability in American men and women (killing as many people each year as all forms of cancers, lung disease, diabetes and accidents combined), it would behoove all Americans, young and old, male and female, to live a heart-healthy lifestyle.

This involves fine-tuning both your diet and your exercise habits, which together favorably impact your LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol level.

Step 1: Identify the causes

The first step in preventing CVD is to sit down with your personal physician and assess your risk factors. LDL cholesterol is the most established risk factor for CVD. You and your doctor will come up with your personal LDL goal, as your LDL goal really depends on your risk status: the higher your risk, the lower your goal.

According to the American Heart Association, the “optimal” goal for LDL cholesterol—for the prevention of heart disease—is less than 100 mg/dL. An LDL of between 100 and 129 mg/dL is defined as “near or above optimal.”

Step 2: Lower cholesterol with diet and exercise

If your LDL is too high, what should you do?

As lifestyle changes (diet and exercise) remain the foundation for cardiovascular disease prevention and cholesterol control, the answer to your excellent question is to focus on both diet and exercise to lower your LDL cholesterol level.

In my book, Cholesterol DOWN, I provide a simple diet and exercise plan that includes nine “miracle foods” and 30 minutes of walking a day that can lower your LDL cholesterol by as much as 47% in just 4 weeks.

Eat whole grains for a healthy heart–most people know this to be true but did you know that bulgur wheat is a whole grain? Try this easy, light and delicious tabouli salad with heart-healthy whole grains!

Dr. Janet’s Easy Tabouli Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup bulgur wheat
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 2 cups diced plum tomatoes
• ¾ cup diced red onion
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 2 cups fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Process:

• Place bulgur wheat in a large stainless steel bowl and pour boiling water over it.
• Let bulgur wheat soak for 30 minutes.
• Drain bulgur wheat and set aside.
• In a separate salad bowl, mix together cucumber, tomatoes and onion.
• Mix together the dressing in another bowl—combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic salt and pepper.
• Pour over vegetables and toss.
• Add in bulgur and toss.
• Add in parsley, stir and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving

Serves 6

Nutrition per 1 cup serving:

• Calories: 180 kcal
• Sodium:20 mg
• Potassium: 412 mg
• Magnesium: 56 mg
• Calcium: 141 mg
• Fat: 8 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Carbohydrate: 26 g
• Dietary fiber: 7 g
• Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 5 g