Fruits and vegetables are great for your health—and even better for your waist.  Some fresh foods are more powerful than others.

Some foods have more than their great taste but also healthy vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting nutrients. Pack your meals adding this range of wholesome choices to your diet.

1.) Alfalfa sprouts – you can add them to your salad, fruits, lean meats, even for you vegetarians to your veggie or bean burger.  You be creative and try alfalfa sprouts to many of your lunch and dinner meals.

2.) Apples are the richest fruit source of pectin, a soluble fiber that has been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, decrease the risk of colon and breast cancers, and maybe even lessen the severity of diabetes.  Try throwing a few slices on your sandwich or toss with your salads adding toasted pecans/walnuts or whatever nuts you love, and have a light vinaigrette for a delicious salad (one of my favorite is raspberry flavored). With so many varieties available, you’ll never get bored finding new ways to have apples to your daily diet.

3.) Avocados Just one half of a medium-size avocado contains more than 4 grams of fiber and 15% of your recommended daily folate intake. Cholesterol-free and rich in monounsaturated fats and potassium, avocados are also a powerhouse for heart health.
Avocados can be the base for a creamy homemade sandwich spread, or add a few chunks to your favorite salsa for a simple and delicious way to dress up grilled chicken or fish. Beets are loaded with antioxidants and have been found to protect against cancer, heart disease, and inflammation. Naturally sweet and full of fiber and vitamin C, beets make a delicious and nutrient-packed addition to any meal.

4.) Beets give a try as finely grated raw beets in your salads or roast them along with sweet potatoes and parsnips for a colorful and flavorful side-dish—just remember if you boil them it will decrease their nutritional value. And don’t forget about the leafy green tops, which are rich in iron and folate, and can be prepared much like their cousins, Swiss chard and spinach

5.) Cranberries great for protecting against urinary tract infections, but did you also know they may improve blood cholesterol and aid in recovery from strokes?  Cranberry juice has also been shown to make cancer drugs more potent.
Remember, the available frozen year-round, enjoy these tart and tangy berries fresh during their peak season which is from October through December.

6.) Papayas-Trying to get more vitamin C in your diet? One cup of papaya cubes supplies more than 100% of your daily requirement, as well as a hefty dose of potassium and folate. It is also a good source of vitamins A and E, two powerful antioxidants that protect against heart disease and colon cancer.
Savor the rich, and enjoy a buttery flesh of this tropical fruit in smoothies and salads, or simply scoop it out of the shell with a spoon.

7.) Quinoa-Is a packed with a variety of nutrients, including iron and copper, this has been known as the ancient seed “the mother of all grains.” Quinoa contains all the essential amino acids, making it a complete protein (perfect for vegans and vegetarians). It is also a great source of magnesium, which relaxes blood vessels and has been found to reduce the frequency of migraines. Researchers have found that consuming dietary fiber, specifically from whole-grain products such as quinoa, reduces the risk of high blood pressure and heart attack.

Keep your engine of the body=THE HEART in top shape by substituting quinoa for rice or pasta in your next meal. It makes a great base for seafood dishes and mixes well with beans.

8.) Raspberries-The tart, sweet, and incredibly juicy fruit.  Have one half cup of these berries provides a whopping 4 grams of fiber and more than 25% of the daily recommended intake for both vitamin C and manganese. Raspberries also contain a powerful arsenal of antioxidants, including members of the anthocyanin family, which give raspberries their ruby-red hue and antimicrobial properties.
I enjoy them in my salad or raw in my hand, after washing them but try a few berries with your morning cereal if you want.

9.) Spinach-Powerful antioxidants in spinach have been found to combat a variety of cancers, including ovarian, breast, and colon cancers. And it’s good for the noggin: Research indicates that spinach reduces the decline in brain function associated with aging and protects the heart from cardiovascular disease. Although it contains relatively high amounts of iron and calcium, oxalate compounds bind to these minerals and diminish their absorption. This vegetable has a mild flavor, so I spice it up with garlic, or you can try olive oil, and onions.

The heart is like the engine to a car but for us it’s the “pump” for the human body; without the engine the car won’t run and without the pump we won’t live.  The normal size of the heart is about the size of your fist, maybe a little bigger.  It pumps blood continuously through your entire circulatory system.  The heart consists of four chambers, 2 on the right and 2 on the left.  The right side only pumps high carbon dioxide levels of blood, after all the oxygen was used by the tissues and returns to the heart in the right upper chamber and leaves to the lung from the right lower chamber.  From the lungs it than goes to the left side of the heart now, which is a very short distance as opposed to where the left side pumps the blood.  The L side of the heart pumps blood to the feet, brain and all tissues in between with high oxygen levels of blood.   This is why the L side of the heart does more work than the R side since the blood leaving the L side has a longer distance in distributing oxygen.  The heart pumps the blood with high oxygen blood levels to reach all your tissues and cells, going to the feet, brain, and to all other tissues in between returning home again to the right side of the heart (upper chamber) to get sent to the lungs again for more oxygen.  This is why the muscle on the L side of the heart is larger than the right, it works harder.  Every time your heart beats (the sound we call lub dub) the organ is sending out a cardiac output of blood either to the lungs for more oxygen or to the body tissues through the aorta to give oxygenated blood to your tissues and cells.  This is the mechanics of how the heart works in our body.

Let’s see what can occur if the heart doesn’t function properly.  If your heart is not pumping out a sufficient amount in your cardiac output to either the lungs (from rt. Side) or to the tissues (from the lt. side) than it tries to work harder where it does ok at first but over time weakens.  As this weak heart struggles to pump blood the muscle fibers of the heart stretch.  Over time, this stretching leaves the heart with larger, weaker chambers.  The heart enlarges (cardiomegaly).   If this continues to go on this could go into R or L sided heart failure.  When this happens, blood that should be pumped out of the heart backs up in the lungs (L sided failure) or in the tissues (R sided failure).  The side the failure is on doesn’t allow proper filling of the chambers on that side and back up happens; so if on the L the fluids back up in the lungs or the R the fluids first back up in the veins which can expand to hold extra blood but at some point dump the extra fluids in your tissues (This is edema in feet first due to gravity).   This is all due to overloading of the blood not filling up in the chambers of the heart to make a good cardiac output of blood and in time the fluid backs up (bad pumping=backup of blood=fluid overload in the lungs (pulmonary congestion) to fluid staying in the skin (first the lower extremities due to gravity=feet which we call edema working its way up the legs.).  This condition in time with no treatment will go into congestive heart failure (CHF) to the other side of the heart if not controlled.  CHF can range from mild to severe.   There is 670,000 cases are diagnosed with this every year and is the leading cause of hospitalization in people over 65 y/o.  Causes of CHF are: heart attack, CAD (coronary artery disease), cardiomyopathy, conditions that overwork the heart like high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity (These diseases can be completely preventable or at least well controlled).

There is many of us in this world with knowing how our activity/exercise, eating, and habits could be better for health but do little action if any on our own to change it, which is a large part for certain diseases being so high in America (diabetes, stroke, cardiac diseases=high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis to CHF and more).  If people were more healthier and more active regarding these diseases alone it would decrease in population creating a positive impact on how our health system with insurance presently (a disaster) with our economy for many could get better.  A healthy heart can pump to all parts of the body in a few seconds which is good cardiac output from the organ but when it gets hard for the heart to keep up with its regular routine it first compensates to eventually it decompensates causing ischemia (lack of oxygen to the heart tissue).  It’s like any tissue in the body, lack of oxygen=lack of nutrients to the body tissue=STARVATION and with lack of oxygen will come PAIN eventually to death if not treated.  Take the heart, if it isn’t getting enough oxygen it can go into angina.  That is reversible since it is heart pain due to not enough oxygen to the heart tissue=no damage but if left untreated what will occur is a heart attack=myocardial infarction (MI) and is permanent damage because scarring to the heart tissue takes place.

Let’s understand what the heart can develop over time with an unhealthy heart due to bad health habits.  If you are eating too much for too long foods high in sodium your vessels will narrow in size.  By allowing this you increase the pressure in the vessels that increases your blood pressure called hypertension.  If you are also inactive you are at risk of obesity which puts stress on the heart and in time causing high B/P.  Constantly be in a high B/P and this could cause the vessel to rupture (at the heart=possible heart attack, at the brain=possible stroke, also called CVA with both on high occurrences in our population of the US.).   With bad habits (especially poor diet, inactive, and smoking) you can cause over time atherosclerosis=a blockage in the artery with the resolution surgery (from a cardiac catheterization up your groin or having difficulty in the arm to the heart where an angiogram to an angioplasty with possibly a stent is performed or if the blockage to blockages is so bad a CABG=coronary artery bypass=a 6hr plus operation where diversion of a vein from your leg (donor graft site) around the blockage is done.  Smoking can lead to this but it also can cause your vessels to become brittle=arteriosclerosis.  Healthy Habits would impact a positive result for all people who have had this diagnosis before but most important be a great PREVENTATIVE measure for people not diagnosed with cardiac disease.    There are 4 things you have no control over heredity, age, sex, and race but healthy habits are sure to benefit you by keeping the odds down of you inheriting, help your age factor, and race a lot can be associated with eating cultural habits.

If you make the decision to live a life that’s healthy for your heart through proper eating, doing healthy habits and doing some exercise or activity with balancing rest in your busy schedule and would like direction or want to expand your diet/exercise/healthy habits then you came to the right blog.  Go to my website for no fee, no charge, no hacking, just letting you check us out to look further in understanding how to take a healthier shape for your life with Dr. Anderson and even myself as your health coach in helping you learn what healthier habits or changes you feel you need and want for a healthier way of living. It allows you to make all the decisions in what you want to do regarding your health.  Includes what to eat (diet), what exercise/activity, and what healthy habits you want to add in your life.  We just provide the information and healthy foods in your diet through information to broaden your knowledge even a catalog on diet foods, if you so choose to do so.  You make all the choices.  Wouldn’t you want less heart disease or obesity or diabetes for yourself and for others throughout the nation including the future generations?  Than join me and others.  Thank you for taking the time to read my article in how we can help you with others gets healthier you including a healthier USA.  Click onto heathyusa.tsfl.com and I hope to hear from you soon.  If you like what you see spread the good cheer.   Let’s build a stronger foundation regarding HEALTH in America.

First diet doesn’t necessarily mean you’re on a struggle eating special foods.  Diet simply means the foods that your eating and if done regularly eating foods HIGH in FAT, CHO (carbohydrates), CALORIES, and SUGAR you will also be high in your weight count unless you are working out extensively since it allows you to burn off the excess in FAT, CHO, CALORIES and SUGAR that the body breaks down into simply sugar=Fat if its stored in your body.  The way to get the sugar not all stored in your body in your fat tissue is to exercise which causes your metabolism to work off the extra sugar.  BUT if you don’t exercise regularly weight will become a problem unless you naturally have a high metabolism.

What plays a role in keeping your weight down is your activity and this does not include your regular activities of daily living (so work doesn’t count even if you are in a job constantly on your feet, like possibly a Doctor, a traffic controller, or even a Nurse, like myself for over 25 years, in hospital settings…).   So some form of exercise, not having to be aerobic but if you do more power to you, it has to be done daily or every 2 to 3 times a day.  Why and how does this help the body?

Is there anyone out there like myself that had nice legs but in time became bigger where you went from having 2 tone frankfurter legs ( nice and juicy) to 2 fat sausages looking well done (cellulite kicking in) causing you to cover them up with only fitting into dark leggings.  Well I resolved this problem and it didn’t take vigorous working out either.  It took discipline with the understanding of how the body works in creating pounds of additional fat/cellulite on the body due to diet and not doing routine or any exercise.  My arms, abdomen, face with the neck (to some degree) started looking better through my diet change.   I increased my metabolism and kept it at a steady rate=6 small low glycemic meals a day which takes into account the amount of fats, CHOs, sugars, calories and small HIGH PROTEIN meal sizes that you eat.   The ending result when eating high glycemic meals and even large portion low glycemic meals causes fat storage in the body=cellulite, which we see in time.  This is due to meals that are too high in calories, fat, sugars, CHO’s.  Most adult Americans are overweight (over 60%) this is because many eat more than what the body needs for energy at that one time.  After the energy that is needed by the body at that time is used from that meal then the extra energy=free circulating glucose in the bloodstream gets stored somewhere in the body causing an increase in fat storage on the body=Increase in the body weight.   Keep in mind ladies after 40 y/o pre and actual menopause occurs at sometime.  This causes the metabolism to slow down even more which in turn causes an increase in the chance of putting weight on at the abdomen, legs, & hips.  Our fuel for the body is FOOD&one of the ending products making up our fuel is glucose & when used in excess=a large meal, you store a lot of glucose away=fat storage=Wt. gain.    For further info go to my web page. 1

Another key in keeping healthy and even toning up muscles, especially in the legs is WALKING.  This activity helps the body in 2 major ways (without doing major work-outs).  One it helps the human body in both toning it (particularly the legs) and losing weight.  Than 2 it helps prevent certain diseases, especially if you are still young adolescence or a young adult aged without disease at this time .

What physical activity does (even just walking briskly for 1-2 miles a day or 2-3x a week on a routine basis) will help in weight and health.  Other than regular activities of daily living, like walking, burns calories, increases your good cholesterol (HDL) and decreases your unhealthy triglycerides.  This helps prevent certain cardiac diseases; like blockages in the arteries=arthrosclerosis or strokes due to blockages or even helping someone already diagnosed with it by maintaining it with other RX methods (Ex. Meds, diet, etc…).  Walking and even jogging improve circulation in the legs, and proper circulation helps ward off the development of varicose veins.  Exercise also reduces overall high blood pressure and strengthens your entire circulatory system.

The higher in the intensity of the activity the higher in number of calories you burn which includes CHO’s.   Activity/Exercise causes your metabolism to increase giving you an extra boost of energy (can even boost up the sex life, you have that extra energy)  I have even increased my activity outside at home using the pool and walking with my sweetheart & dogs on our 2+ acres which makes a nice walk for all.  It has proven to me that it has improved my sleep from doing the activity at least 4 to 6 hours, if not earlier, before sleeping, since it does increase your metabolism causing you to be more awake at first.  Activity in your life can only benefit you,Remember to check with your general practitioner before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have any health concerns/diseases.  If you want to learn more about how to diet with exercise (not necessarily intense workout) and make yourself healthier with even getting others involved to do the same than join me at my website healthyusa.tsfl.com and read the information it provides and see if this is something you would want.  No fee, no charge, no donations or hacking.  I hope you join me; if I can do it, you can do it.  All it takes is a little drive in wanting to feel and even look better for yourself and others being a good mentor (for children, spouse, family, and friends, etc…) to spread healthiness in the USA.   It would benefit everyone (even our healthcare) in time=less disease/illness for the next era and even generation to come.  Thank you for your time 2.

Junk food is simply what it states.  Its Junk.  What is consisted in junk food either too high in fats, trans fat, high sugar contents=high in calories, and carbohydrates that are processed which are simply this: foods that were processed or refined to make them more consumer-friendly and easier to transport, but have been stripped of most — if not all — of their nutrients and fiber along the way.  Carbohydrates provide energy for the body, particularly for the brain and the nervous system. An enzyme called amylase (from the liver) that helps break down carbohydrates into blood sugar, or glucose, which the cells of your body absorb for energy (our fuel for the body) that it needs at that time and whatever glucose it doesn’t need at that time we can’t get rid of it as waste but instead it gets stored in the body.  Where?  Well first the liver but if a large meal or just a moderate to small meal high in carbs or starches the liver can’t store all that so than it goes to the fat tissue to be stored=weight gain.  Remember sugars or calories get broken down to further simple sugars and even some fats depending on its make up.  So if sugar is primarily the ending result of what foods are made up of unless sugar & fat free than know the size of the meal plays a part in controlling your weight.  Since depending on the amount of sugar per meal will determine how much sugar will need to be stored in fat tissue after the glucose that needs to first be utilized by the body at that time of digestion than second the liver does its maximal storage and the remaining sugar in the blood that goes into fat tissue storage is determined by the size or the portion of the meal you  have with how healthy it is.  If it is fast food than consider it unhealthy especially if fried (no healthy energy).  So what is the answer here if you want to look good and eat fast foods at times (from pizza to buffalo wings to onion rings) you have to eat that way in moderation = occasionally.  If you are in your body mass index weight range with exercising on a regular basis than your even ok to eat fast food 2 times a week but if you eat this food constantly your still building up risk factors to prone you to cardiac, diabetes, stroke, hypertension, to cancers.

If you don’t know your BMR than

Calculate Your BMR

Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator – Free From Fitness® Magazine

www.FitnessMagazine.com

Examples

Examples of processed carbohydrates include most baked goods, white breads, pastas, snack foods, candies and non-diet soft drinks. Other examples of processed carbohydrates are bleached, enriched wheat flour and white sugar. Because these foods have been stripped of their nutrients and fiber, they are often referred to as “empty calories.”

Effect on Health

As our bodies try to digest the huge amounts of starches and simple sugars in a meal that is dominated by processed carbohydrates, hormone production, such as that of insulin, fluctuates dramatically. This causes

blood glucose levels to experience spikes and dips, a situation that may increase the risk of developing chronic illnesses such as obesity, diabetes, cancer and heart disease. In addition, our bodies are ill-equipped to handle the array of artificial flavorings, colorings and preservatives that are frequently part of the processing of refined carbohydrates.  Know when your glucose levels dip rather than stay at a steady rate by eating 5 to 6 HEALTHY meals a day and one being lean in meat and green in vegetables.  This won’t allow your sugar to spike and dip causing excess of glucose not needed to be utilized or store in the liver that will cause weight gain by storing in your fat tissue.  If you regularly eat only 3 meals a day you cause the spike and dip of glucose putting yourself at high risk for this to occur in you unless you have a high metabolism naturally.

Alternatives

Instead of getting your carbohydrates from processed or refined foods, choose to get your carbohydrates from foods like beans, legumes, whole-wheat bread, brown rice, whole-grain pasta and other grains that may be unfamiliar to you, such as quinoa, whole oats and bulgur. These alternatives are becoming easier to find in mainstream grocery stores. Not only will these sources of carbohydrates help to protect you from a range of chronic diseases, but they will also make your meals more enjoyable and interesting.

Need assistance to reach this kind of an eating pattern with learning more about HEALTHY foods for the body that you should be eating out of the 4 food groups (that includes each group letting you know what is lean, leaner, and leanest)?  Than you have come to the right blog; go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and peek at what we can provide for you at no fee/charge, no donation, no obligation with guaranteed no hacking.  You will see what Dr. Anderson with his book “Dr. A’s healthy habits” and myself as your health coach in assisting you in anyway you need it and to learn how to eat healthy in aiding you to develop healthier habits in your lifestyle forever not just diet for 3 or 6 or 12 months than put the weight all back on again.  You make all the choices in what you want regarding foods, drinks, snacks and desserts or just learn about healthy foods through Dr. Anderson’s book to get the knowledge in what healthy dieting and healthy habits are that you make a part of your life.  If you want to lose weight or prevent disease or illness in your life and even pass it down to your children to be passed down to further generations this is the a good pathway to follow.  You reach that goal through learning proper healthy dieting, healthy habits and exercise with balancing it with rest.  Hope I hear from you and have given you another aspect of how to look at your health and even your friends and family.  For if we all thought this way, fast food businesses wouldn’t be the number one place in restaurant industry but at the bottom with our health care system better for all in our society as a whole showing a lot less disease/illness (since a lot of cardiac, obesity, diabetes II, and some cancers with more diseases are self inflicted due to our dieting and activity level of many American citizens.).  We can make a change and our society has done so before.  As the old saying history repeats itself time and time again, so can our society for the better of everyone.

“The term “congestive” heart failure refers to the fluid buildup in the lungs — that is, to lung congestion. Since this lung congestion occurs to some extent in the large majority of patients with heart failure, most people with heart failure can be said to have congestive heart failure. This is why “heart failure” and “congestive heart failure” are considered virtual synonyms by most doctors.”

Richard N. Fogoros, M.D. Updated November 15, 2011 STATED IN THIS DOCTOR’S ARTICLE ON CHF IN

The definition of heart failure, it occurs when the heart loses its ability to pump enough blood through the body.  Usually, the loss in pumping action is a symptom of an underlying heart problem, such as hypertension and CAD = coronary artery disease.  The term heart failure suggests a sudden and complete stop of heart activity but actually the heart does not suddenly or abruptly stop.  Instead the way it works is heart failure usually develops over time, years. The heart first compensates with the disease or illness the individual has but, just like a car, after wear and tear the heart goes into decompensating to heart failure due to the heart decline.  How serious is this condition?  It varies from person to person depending on factors like an individual with obesity & unhealthy versus a person in healthier condition.  All people diagnosed or not diagnosed with heart failure lose a pumping capacity of the heart happens as they age but diagnosed with heart failure makes the engine of the body a challenge in doing its function properly.  The pump loss is more significant in the person with heart failure and often results from a heart attack (actual scaring to the tissue=death to that tissue area) or from other diseases that can damage the heart.  The severity of the condition determines the impact it has on a person’s life.   At the other end, extremes, treatment often helps people lead full lives if the person follows the meds ordered by the doctor including the diet and activity/exercise the doctor orders to the patient with heart failure (compliance so important).  There are different levels of heart failure but even the mildest form is a serious health problem, which must be treated.  If not the pump (the heart) will just get worse in doing its function properly.  To improve the chance of living longer in an individual with heart failure, patients must take care of themselves, see their physician (cardiologist) on a regular basis, and closely follow treatments (as ordered) with knowing what heart failure actually to understanding how the disease works (is the failure on the right side or left side? Which in time will effect the other side in time).  In knowing what side the failure is on will make you understand what signs and symptoms to expect.

Types of Heart Failure

The term congestive heart failure (CHF) is often used to describe all patients with heart failure.  In reality, congestion=the buildup of fluids in the heart for not pumping correctly, just like pipes in a home not working properly=back up of water in the pipes, happens with CHF also to the  fluids (blood) backing up in the lungs.   This is just one feature of the condition and does not occur in all patients.  There are two main categories of heart failure although within each category, symptoms and effects may differ from patient to patient.  The two categories are:     1-Systolic heart failure (systolic is the top number of your blood pressure=the heart at work).  This occurs when the heart’s (muscle-myocardium) ability to contract (pump=being active) decreases, particularly starting on the L side of the heart where the muscle of the heart is greatest (myocardium=heart muscle).  The heart cannot pump blood with enough force to push a sufficient amount out of the heart into the circulation through  the aorta.  The aorta is a artery (vessel) that leaves the L lower chamber of the heart (left side of the heart=highly oxygenated rich blood).  Due to the heart not using enough force pushing the blood forward in the aorta this causes the blood to back up and cause it to go back up into the L lower to the L upper chamber that goes further back up into the pulmonary vein into the lungs=congestion in the lungs due to the heart failure.

2-Diastolic heart failure (diastolic is the bottom number of your blood pressure which is the pressure when the heart is at rest).  This failure occurs when the heart has a problem relaxing.  The heart cannot properly fill with blood because the muscle of the heart due to trying so hard to compensate over a long period of time with disease (ex. High B/P, Obesity, etc…) strains the heart in doing its function that failure finally starts that the muscle of the heart (myocardium) becomes stiff.  This causes the heart to lose its ability to relax to allow proper filling of the heart in upper and lower chambers=back up of the blood.   This failure starts on the right side of the heart causing the blood to back up away from the heart and may lead this blood that is highly concentrated with carbon dioxide to accumulation especially in the feet, ankles and legs.  Some patients may have lung congestion.

Causes of Heart Failure:

As stated, the heart loses some of its blood pumping ability as a natural consequence of aging.  How- ever, a number of other factors can lead to a potentially life-threatening loss of pumping activity.

As a symptom of underlying heart disease, heart failure is closely associated with the major risk factors for coronary heart disease:  smoking, high cholesterol levels, hypertension (persistent high blood pressure), diabetes= abnormal blood sugar levels, and obesity.  A person can change or eliminate those risk factors and thus lower their risk of developing or aggravating their heart disease and heart failure through healthy habits performed routinely, proper dieting, and balancing rest with exercise.

Among prominent risk factors, hypertension-HTN (high blood pressure) and diabetes are PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT.  Uncontrolled HTN increases the risk of heart failure by 200 %, compared to those who do not have hypertension.   Moreover, the degree of risk appears directly related to the severity of the high blood pressure.

Persons with diabetes have about a two to eight fold greater risk of heart failure than those without diabetes.  Women with diabetes have a greater risk of heart failure than men with diabetes.  Part of the risk comes from the diabetes association with other risk factors for heart disease such as high cholesterol or obesity or other risk factors.  However, the disease process of diabetes also damages the heart muscle.

The presence of coronary disease is among the greatest risks for heart failure.  Muscle damage and scarring caused by a heart attack greatly increase the risk of heart failure.  Cardiac arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, also raise heart failure risk.  Any disorder that causes abnormal swelling or thickening of the heart sets the stage for heart failure.

In some people, heart failure arises from problems with heart valves, the flap-like structures that help regulate blood flow through the heart.  Infections in the heart are another source of increased risk for heart failure.

A single risk factor may be sufficient to cause heart failure, but a combination of factors dramatically increases the risk.  Advanced age adds to the potential impact of any heart failure risk.

Finally, genetic abnormalities contribute to the risk for certain types of heart disease, which in turn may lead to heart failure.  However, in most instances, a specific genetic link to heart failure has not been identified.

SO LIVE AS HEALTHY AS POSSIBLE IN YOUR ROUTINE HABITS,  YOUR DIETING OF THE 4 FOOD GROUPS, MAINTAINING YOUR WEIGHT IN A THEREPEUTIC RANGE (look as calculating BMI online for free to find out what your weight range for your height is), and BALANCING REST WITH EXERCISE TO HELP DECREASE THE CHANCE OF GETTING HEART FAILURE.  Go to healthyusa.tsfl.com to learn what Dr. Anderson through his book of “Dr. A.’s Healthy Habits” and me as your health coach could provide you within a reachable cost.  To just view what can be offered to you for no price with no hacking go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and take a peek;)

CHF part 2 tomorrow and learn what the signs and symptoms with how its diagnosed, how its treated with tips on the disease (most importantly prevention).