"Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food." This statement has long been attributed to Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician known as the "father of western medicine" who lived 460-370 B.C. The belief that the body will heal itself naturally if given the right food has withstood the test of time, yet, what makes heart-healthy eating a topic that stirs so much confusion in the 21st Century? Perhaps it is because of the mixed messages we receive from advertisers that make our choices so unclear.
Real food doesn't come in packages and doesn't have a list of ingredients with added salt, sugar and artificial chemicals. Studies have shown eating the ""Mediterranean Way", with more fresh fruits and vegetables, and less meats, confers great heart-health benefits, as does walking just twenty minutes a day.
Click here to start your own walking program. Click here to learn more about the Mediterranean Diet - a diet that derives 40% of its calories from eating healthy fats. Try using Mediterranean Sea Salt as well, an all-natural product that may be more easily eliminated from the body than processed iodized salt.
In this edition of the womensheart e-newsletter, we've highlighted some great projects and given you several heart-healthy recipes to share, because paying attention to how you live your life each day can have a profound impact on your health and on the prevention of heart disease, stroke and other chronic illness. We've also featured our Medication Safety program, in commemoration of Medication Safety Week April 1-7. With tools to help you better manage your medicines, you will be empowered, both as a consumer and as a patient, to take care of your heart.
-ba
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The First Lady's Commitment to Healthy Kids, Healthy Families
In February 2010, Mrs. Michelle Obama announced her first priority as First Lady would be to end the childhood obesity epidemic.
And, thanks to her efforts, we have seen much change, including:
- http://MyPlate.Gov - replacing the overly-complicated MyPyramid.gov
- "Let's Move" campaign and the "Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools" extension of the same campaign
- The first Food Marketing Summit - held September 2013 to stop advertising foods that are high in sugar, salt and fat (junk foods) to kids
- Revision of the FDA Food Labels (the public can still offer comment on the proposed food labels overhaul. more)
Even in its very first year of existence, the "Let's Move" campaign achieved many goals it set out to accomplish (view news release), with the promise of more to come. So far, Mrs. Obama has truly delivered.
Mrs. Obama boldly shared how she learned first-hand of the difficulities involved in being a full-time working mom. It can be overwhelming at times, she admits, and picking up fast-food for her family's meals became almost a necessity. Life had become very busy, and she had felt the strain. When advised by her children's pediatrician that this could have health consequences, she looked into healthier eating - preparing fresh foods at home.
The Women's Heart Foundation is grateful to the First Lady for taking the lead for healthier families everywhere. We support her efforts and wish her continued success.
* photo of Mrs. Obama found at www.foodista.com
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iRescU a Winner at Medstartr!
Congratulations to Dr. Nadine Levick who won second place at the Hi2 Forum, American Heart Association Open Innovation Challenge 2014 that took place in NYC March 6, 2014.
The Women's Heart Foundation had asked its e-news subscribers to support this worthy project in late February, and you did! Thank you, Women's Heart Community!
It's thrilling to see Dr. Levick's iRescU project receiving due attention. iRescU uses Smartphone technology and hopefully, one day, Google Maps, to help any bystander locate the nearest Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in case of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). Initiating CPR alone on a fallen victim yields about 4% survival; whereas, deploying and using an AED within minutes after SCA occurs yields 80% or better survival. Dr. Levick is the founder and director of the EMS Safety Foundation and the Objective Safety organization. She is employed as an emergency room physician at a New York City hospital.
From the Medstartr website: "The American Heart Association | American Stroke Association mission is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. To help with this we offered $25,000 in prizes to the best three new ideas, as determined by public medical-focused crowdfunding. All three competed here (on the medstartr.com crowd-sourcing website) and also on stage at the Health Sciences Innovation • Investment Forum in NYC on March 6th". See more at: http://www.medstartr.com/aha#sthash.z2G6hlbV.dpuf
* source of photo: www.medstartr.com
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WHF Receives $14k from eBay Donors
Thanks to the generous support of donors from the eBay Giving Works, Paypal Giving Fund and the eBay Cause and Effect campaign, $14,056 was raised last month to benefit the Women's Heart Foundation, in its mission of heart disease prevention, survival and quality of life. The money will be used to update the womensheart.org website and begin a new advocacy and education campaign in the central Jersey and Philadelphia regions. "Kickin' Heart Disease" is a 3-year initiative that will launch during National Women's Health Week in mid May with events to take place throughout the year. Festivities are being planned at the Acereel Studios in Glenside, PA. Acereel and the Smooches Modeling Team are being featured in educational materials. These dedicated women will be our "boots on the ground", helping to deliver the women's heart health message to family and friends, at work, school and places of worship. While the Kickin' Heart Disease campaign will focus on outreach to local communities, the design and dissemination of materials could be replicated anywhere, and WHF welcomes additional partners.For more information, contact WHF: info@womensheart.org.
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Go GREENS
Eating greens every day can be transformative for weight loss and for health. We need to learn the importance of having greens in our diet daily so we may heal, nurture body cells and remove toxins on a regular basis. This is an essential part of life. Finding the highest quality of green vegetables - preferrably locally grown - can deliver the highest nutrtional value. Not only are greens beneficial for the digestive system, they also boost the immune system. more info at www.SheKnows.com Health and Wellness website.
Note: We did a google search and found nearly twenty-five Green Soup recipes. We chose two delicious-sounding ones that we hope you'll like. We also found a terrific fat-free Split Pea soup by Progresso Soups. Fat-free is good for gall bladder sufferers and works in a pinch.
* source of photo: www.sheknows.com
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Detox Green Soup with Broccoli, Spinach and Ginger
This easy detox soup can be thin or thick, depending upon the amount of water you add. It cooks up fast. We served ours with a modest scoop of hot cooked jasmine rice in the middle. Super good.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons diced onion
1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
4 cups fresh broccoli, cut up
1/2 pound of fresh spinach leaves
3 parsnips, peeled, cored, chopped
2 ribs of celery, trimmed, chopped
A handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Fresh water, as needed
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
Lemon or lime juice
Directions:
- Using a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and stir in the garlic, onion, and ginger to season the oil. Add the broccoli, spinach, parsnips, celery and parsley, and stir a bit until the spinach wilts and collapses. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables. Remember the spinach will cook down quite a bit, so don't add too much water at first. You can always thin the soup later, if you need to.
- Bring to a high simmer, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to a medium simmer. Cook for fifteen minutes or so until the veggies are softened.
- Use an immersion blender
 to puree the soup.
- Taste test. Does it need brightening? Add a squeeze of citrus.
Options:
To make this a creamy (and still non-dairy) soup add a good dash of light coconut milk. And if you're not averse to grains, serve with a spoonful of hot cooked rice in the center of the bowl- so fabulous.
* source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com. Makes 4 servings.
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Green Soup
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 potatoes, diced
3/4 cup dried split peas
2 bay leaves
6 cups vegetable broth
2 zucchini, diced
1 head broccoli, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups chopped fresh spinach
salt to taste
Directions
- In a large pot over medium heat, combine onion, celery, potatoes, split peas, bay leaves and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.
- Remove the bay leaves and stir in the zucchini, broccoli, basil and black pepper. Simmer 20 minutes, until broccoli is tender.
- Stir in spinach and remove from heat. Puree in a blender or food processor using an immersion blender. Salt to taste.
* source: www.allrecipes.com. Original recipe makes 8 servings
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Upcoming Events
March 31 , yesterday, was the LAST DAY to sign up for Obamacare open enrollment. Learn more. Please note: The website was experiencing difficulties handling the surge in traffic, so check back at the government website to learn of further extensions or special accommodations.
April 1-7 is Medication Safety Week with ppt programs to commemorate. Starting on April Fool's Day, don't YOU be fooled by your medicines. Follow safe habits when taking any medicines or supplements, and communicate with your doctor and pharmacist. Women's Heart Foundation will be releasing its new ppt on Medication Safety on April 1.
Learn more.
May 7 is Bike to School Day. Help commemorate by accompanying your child to school via a safe walk or bike path.
May 11 - 17 is National Women's Health Week 2014 . Click here to find a meet-up and enjoy a healthy community activity.
May 15, 2014 is the launch date for our new heart awareness campaign, in conjuction with Acereel Studios of PA and the Smooches Models. More details will be forthcoming in future editions of Womensheart e-newsletter.
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Imagine a world without heart attack and stroke
Imagine area high schools being open year-round to offer free activites for every member of the community; a connected place where participation in multi-generational intramural sports is the norm, and includes swimming, courses in healthy cooking, and fitness and wellness classes; a place to live, laugh, learn and grow. Now, imagine an obese or overweight child who can't dream her dreams without fear that this illness will rob her of her future, or the same affliction take away a parent due to premature death.
A better future can be ours but it takes advocacy at the grassroots level.
Please consider making a donation and help us build a world without heart disease.
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