These are the foods you must have in your pantry and fridge to protect yourself against heart disease.

Raw nuts. All nuts must be unsalted and not roasted. Suitable varieties include almonds, Brazil nuts, pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, pistachios, hazelnuts and cashews. Walnuts and almonds are especially beneficial. Nuts are an excellent source of fibre and beneficial fats. They have a low GI, therefore are excellent for helping to prevent diabetes. Nuts make an ideal snack, or they can be added to salads. A handful a day is the recommended quantity.

Raw seeds. All seeds must be unsalted and not roasted. Suitable varieties include sunflower seeds, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), sesame seeds and linseeds. These may be added to salads or used as a snack. Linseeds need to be ground in a coffee grinder or blender. They can be added to cereal, smoothies, yoghurt, or sprinkled over fruit.

Fats and oils. Olive oil may be used as a dressing over salad or vegetables, either on its own, or combined with vinegar, lemon or lime juice. Olive oil may be used for cooking.

Flaxseed oil should never be heated; it can only be used cold as a salad dressing, or added to smoothies.

Virgin, unrefined coconut fat has many health benefits, and it is highly stable, thus may be used for cooking. Suitable brands include Melrose, Spiral Foods and Coconut Pacific.

Small amounts of butter and ghee may be used; preferably they would be organic.

Fish. This is best included in your diet four times a week. Fresh or canned fish may be used; suitable varieties include sardines, salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring and trout. Fresh prawns, crab and other shellfish may also be consumed.

Eggs. You may eat eggs every day if you like. Free range, organic or omega 3 eggs are preferable. The best cooking methods are boiling and poaching.

Chicken. Free range or organic chicken is best. Chicken is an excellent source of protein for those trying to lose weight and reduce their carbohydrate intake.

Red meat. Lean beef, veal, lamb, pork and game meat can be eaten a few times a week. Preferably this would be organic and pasture fed, not grain fed. Pasture fed meat is higher in omega 3 fats. Preferable cooking methods are boiling, roasting or stir frying.

Fruit and vegetables. All fruit and vegetables should be as fresh as possible. Try to buy produce that is in season and has been grown locally. Aim to have at least five vegetables and two pieces of fruit each day. Bananas and potatoes should be limited if you are overweight and limiting your carbohydrate intake.

Legumes. Suitable varieties include chick peas, kidney beans, borlotti beans, cannellini beans, haricot beans, Lima beans, black eyes peas, lentils and others. These can be bought dried; this requires soaking and boiling, or tinned and ready to use. Legumes are an excellent source of fibre, which helps to carry cholesterol out of the body in bowel movements. Aim to consume 1/2 cup three times a week. They can be added to salads, stews, soups and casseroles.

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Manganese

Manganese, an essential trace element, is needed for healthy skin, bone and cartilage formation and to regulate blood sugar levels. It also plays a part in cell protection because it helps to activate an enzyme called superoxide dismutase (SOD). SOD is an important antioxidant enzyme because it protects the mitochondria (microscopic structures containing genetic material found in cells) from free radical attack.

Research has shown that women with low manganese levels are more likely to give birth to a baby with a malformation.

You should take 5mg a day.

Your partner should take 5mg a day.

Iron

We need iron to make red blood cells and to transport oxygen around our bodies. Without iron, new cells could not be produced and our organs would be starved of oxygen. The negative side is that we do not eliminate iron; it is continually stored as ferritin. The only time we lose iron is during a period, childbirth, an accident causing blood-loss, or by donating blood. Iron is part of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of the blood. A deficiency of iron causes tiredness, because the body is being starved of oxygen.

Iron deficiency should always be checked during infertility investigations, as taking iron is known to have helped women regain their fertility.

Iron supplements, given together with vitamin Ñ (which increases the absorption of iron), have resulted in a number of women with fertility problems becoming pregnant, including one woman who had undergone nine years of unsuccessful fertility treatment.

Scientists used to believe that the more iron we had the better. Years ago iron supplements were given routinely during pregnancy, regardless of whether the woman had a deficiency or not. Thankfully, this practice has now stopped.

You should only take iron if you know you have a deficiency and your doctor can test you for this. Heavy periods (menorrhagia) can cause iron deficiency because of the excessive blood loss but, ironically, iron deficiency can also cause heavy periods.

The most absorbable form of iron, haem iron, is found in animal products such as fish and poultry. Non-haem iron is found in leafy green vegetables and dried fruit. Vegetarians can have smaller iron stores because the iron in the food they eat is less absorbable.

Apart from eating iron-rich foods, you can increase your iron intake by not drinking tea with food. This is because the tannin contained in tea can block the uptake of iron, as well as other vital minerals. You need to leave at least an hour between eating and then drinking tea, or, better still, eliminate it altogether because of the known effects of caffeine on fertility.

Your choice of cooking utensils can also affect your iron intake. For example, cooking acidic foods, such as tomatoes, in an iron pan can be a source of dietary iron; and studies show that cooking any food in an iron pot can increase iron intake.134

Aluminum, on the other hand, can actually diminish the iron content of food. Conversely, cooking in stainless steel has also been shown to significantly increase the iron content of food.

Symptoms of iron deficiency include:

• Fatigue

• Sore tongue

• Cracks at the side of the mouth

• Vertical ridges on the finger nails

• Spoon-shaped (concave) nails

• Hair loss or poor hair growth

• Breathlessness

• Pale complexion

Not all iron supplements are the same

If you are found to be deficient in iron, you will probably be given a supplement to take. Unfortunately, some iron supplements are ineffective, depending on the form in which they are given.

Inorganic iron, such as ferrous sulphate and ferrous gluconate (the standard irons given medically), is very difficult to absorb and can cause digestive problems, resulting in constipation or black stools. Inorganic iron or chelated forms of iron (which are combined with an amino acid) are much more easily absorbed and do not usually cause any bowel changes. Ask for the latter.

Iron supplements should only be taken if a blood test shows a deficiency.

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•    Simply slowing down the pace of one’s life can help prevent hypertension. According to one US expert, people who talk fast tend to have high blood pressure. ‘Such people don’t put commas into their sentences’ he claims. As a result they breathe poorly and this also contributes to their high blood pressure. This researcher uses a piece of equipment that can measure blood pressure very accurately during talking and other routine social interactions. He found that virtually everyone’s blood pressure goes up (by about 10-15 per cent) when speaking. Hypertensives, however, are more reactive-the higher a person’s blood pressure when quiet, the more it goes up when speaking. This statement is based on a study of 2,000 people from the cradle to old age. The researcher teaches people to speak more slowly and to put commas back into their sentences. Just using this method alone he has had formidable success in curing hypertension without drugs.

•    Take your blood pressure every day. It used to be thought that people taking their own blood pressure would be made anxious or neurotic about it but twenty years of clinical experience shows that this is not the case. Rather, research has found that people get reassurance from measuring their own blood pressure. This may account, at least in part, for the positive results achieved by people monitoring their own levels.

A study in Seattle asked sixty hypertensive people to measure their own blood pressure at home twice a day for a month. At the end of the month there were significant reductions in blood pressure (10 points or more) in 43 per cent of the sixty. Clearly the actual taking of the blood pressure had acted as a sort of simple biofeedback mechanism.

•    Getting a pet appears also to help with high blood pressure-even a tank full of fish can be beneficial! A researcher at the University of Pennsylvania thinks that ‘companion animals in particular provide an access to intimacy’. You talk to your pet more slowly, you smile a great deal, your voice becomes gentle and the cadence of the speech changes. It is a much more relaxed dialogue, characterized by a combination of touching and talking! Pets exert a calming effect through the day. He found that the presence of pets reduced their owner’s blood pressure by 10-15 per cent. Anything that turns your attention outwards to the natural environment around you is a powerful way of controlling tension.

•    Eat onions and garlic. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia tested extracts of garlic on forty-six hypertensives. Most showed a drop in blood pressure of about 20 points as well as a decrease in physical symptoms. Onions are now known to contain prostaglandins, natural hormone-like substances that lower blood pressure.

•    A recent study at the Oregon Health Sciences University has found that there is a link between calcium and high blood pressure. A study of computerized records of 10,000 people in the US aged between 18 and 74 found that there was a direct link between the amount of calcium they ate and their likelihood of suffering from hypertension. People suffering from the disease were on average eating between 18 and 22 per cent less calcium than those with normal blood pressures. Conversely, those who had a high calcium intake had low blood pressure. Clearly much more research needs to be done on this. In any event, the finding does not mean that we should all go out and drink large amounts of milk (which contains calcium), as milk (whole milk at least-skimmed milk is better) contains unwelcome levels of fat.

The role of calcium in blood pressure is complicated and not yet totally worked out, but there is now considerable interest in calcium-antagonist drugs. Epidemiological evidence suggests that there is a link between low dietary calcium and high blood pressure as we have seen, but large trials have yet to be carried out. Some studies giving one gram of calcium to people with normal blood pressure have shown a substantial lowering of blood pressure. There is epidemiological evidence linking high blood pressure in pregnancy with calcium deficiency.

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One major difference between self-help gr0Ups and therapy is cost. Professional therapy, by definition, involves people who are reimbursed for their time. Self-help groups are usually free, though they welcome donations. While therapy groups usually meet in clinics or professional offices, self-help meetings take place wherever adequate (and, one hopes, free) space can be found.

A self-help group usually does not screen members; anyone may join. In contrast, a support group or a professionally led group may ask that prospective members meet with leaders before attending to make sure that there is a “fit.” Attendance at self-help groups is voluntary; therapy group members are expected to show up.

A handful of self-help groups require their members to participate in some kind of professional therapy. Most make no such demand, although they sometimes encourage their members to get other help. This can be especially important in dealing with eating disorders, since these are sometimes life-threatening illnesses that require a doctor’s attention.

Having a professional involved with a self-help group is both a blessing and a curse. In the “plus” column, professionals are usually up to date on the latest information. They can teach useful skills relating to self-esteem, assertiveness, and better communication. Professional leaders can often help by developing meeting guidelines and then stepping back from the group while remaining available for consultations as needed.

In the “minus” column, a group may feel it must surrender its autonomy to the professional. Members may thus forget the original goal, which was to look to them for support. Professionals may confuse self-help with group therapy, and lose sight of the needs of group members.

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Ask John Therkelsen how he feels since he lost 189 pounds, and he’ll likely tell you that he is healthier, has more energy, and has a brighter outlook on life. It’s these sorts of positive changes—not just the decreasing number on the scale—that kept him on track for weight-loss success.

“Had I focused only on how many pounds I was taking off, I don’t think I would have remained as strong and determined as I did,” says the 53-year-old Colonia, New Jersey, resident. “What kept me going was how good I felt and how much more I could do.”

John had been heavy for most of his life. But his love of sports kept him active—until he developed plantar fasciitis, a painful foot condition, in 1996. Suddenly, he found himself sidelined, unable to golf, bowl, play tennis, or engage in other activities that he had always enjoyed. In the 2 years that it took his foot to heal, his weight climbed to 364 pounds. By that time, he was so out of shape that he couldn’t resume his active lifestyle.

Realizing that he was dangerously obese and that he needed help to slim down, John researched several weight-loss facilities before settling on Structure House, located in Durham, North Carolina. “A coworker had recommended Structure House to me, and several health-care providers whom I know personally gave it their thumbs-up,” he says. He signed up for an 8-week residential program, during which he learned about the three major components of weight loss: nutrition, exercise, and he psychological aspects of food and eating.

The education and support that he received enabled John to lose 56 pounds during his 8 weeks at Structure House. Once he returned home, he continued to follow the Structure House eating plan and to track his calorie intake. He made visits to a local gym and looked for ways to increase the amount of activity in his daily routine, like walking to work or to the grocery store. He also eased back into the sports he loved—tennis, golf, and skiing.

As determined as he was to slim down, John understood that he had a long way to go before he reached a healthy weight. To keep himself motivated, he looked for other markers of his progress. And he found plenty: his increasing strength and stamina from regular exercise, his lower blood pressure and cholesterol readings, his more positive attitude. “Watching all of these things improve provided tremendous motivation for me,” he says. “It really kept me encouraged.”

By spring 1999, a little more than a year after starting his weight-loss program, John stabilized at 175 pounds. His waist measurement shrank from 60 inches to 34, reducing his clothing size from a 3X or larger to a medium. Needless to say, he’s fitter, healthier, and feeling better than ever.

John will be the first to tell you that slimming down takes time and commitment. “But so many positive changes occur along the way,” he says. “Look at these other accomplishments as part of your success, even if weight loss is your ultimate goal.”

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