Spill the Greens

Indonesia! What an amazing country with beautiful genuine people. I can’t say enough good things!

February is American Heart Month, the time of the year at Shaklee that we like to dedicate to raising awareness about heart disease and the importance of heart health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women; accounting for 600,000 or 1 out of every 4 deaths annually. Although death rates have declined since the late 1990’s, the American Heart Association reports that cardiovascular disease still takes the lives of more than 2,150 Americans each and every day, an average of 1 death every 40 seconds.

Despite these grim and rather frightening statistics, the silver lining in all this is that you can make significant changes in your diet and lifestyle and actually reduce your risk of developing heart disease. Where do you start? By attacking the most significant risk factors–your weight, your blood pressure, and your cholesterol level. If you are overweight (that means a BMI of greater than 24.9), commit to losing those excess pounds today! Losing weight can also help reduce your blood pressure and glucose levels, which also contribute to the development of heart disease. I urge you all to get out there and MOVE MORE. Whatever our level of fitness, we can all move a bit more each day. If you smoke, I urge you to talk to your doctor about quitting!

You may also want to consider consuming more soy foods as part of a heart- healthy diet. I have been primarily a vegetarian for more than 35 years and I rely on soy foods as a key part of my protein intake. I look for non-GMO sources of soy protein–my favorites are soy milk on my cereal, tofu veggie stir-fry for dinner, and convenient soy protein-based protein shakes as a breakfast or lunch option. Soy is one of the highest quality plant proteins available, is cholesterol-free, and naturally low in fat. Countless studies conducted over the past 15 years have found cholesterol-lowering effects of soy protein. But it wasn’t until in 1995 that soy moved to center stage when a meta-analysis conducted by researchers at the University of Kentucky based on 38 different studies was published and concluded that soy protein lowered blood cholesterol by about 13%. Significant reduction of cholesterol levels occurred without the risks associated with cholesterol-lowering drugs! In fact, such research prompted the FDA to approve a health claim for soy protein and heart disease in 1999.

Since that time, additional studies have been conducted and still show a cholesterol lowering effect, but at more modest levels–3 to 5% which is similar to the effects of soluble fiber. Although significantly less than a 13% reduction, a 3 to 5% reduction is still significant from a public health perspective. Research suggests that for every 1% drop in blood cholesterol your risk of developing cardiovascular disease is reduced by 2 to 4%. That means that over time, regular consumption of soy protein could lower heart disease risk by up to 10%. Not too shabby for a single food!

In addition to its cholesterol lowering effect, soy has also been shown to promote heart health in other ways, including lowering blood pressure and triglycerides, as well as promoting healthy arteries by enhancing artery dilation and flexibility.

I actually think that the very best reason to add soy foods to your diet is to replace meat-based meals that tend to be higher in saturated fat and cholesterol. So, in honor of American Heart Health Month and to help protect all the hearts of those we love, let’s all commit to adding three extra servings of soy to our diet this week. Hugs all around!

Jamie McManus, M.D., FAAFP
Chair of Medical Affairs, Health Science, & Education

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With Valentine’s Day approaching are you struggling to find that perfect gift for your sweetheart? I think the very best gift you can give to your loved one may be taking better care of your own heart.

February is not only for lovers, it is also American Heart Month. You may have heard that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Over 800,000 people die from cardiovascular disease every year; that means, on average, someone dies every four minutes from some complication of heart disease.

The numbers of heart attacks are even scarier to me–almost every minute in the U.S. someone has a heart attack–and for those who survive the heart attack, they often have severe limitations as a result of the damage done to their heart! Their lives are changed forever.

Heart disease is  costly, too, not only in terms of health care dollars but also in lost productivity.. But for me, the real kicker is that 80 percent of all heart disease is preventable. That means you have a choice. If you have high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, or are overweight, you are on the pathway to becoming a heart disease statistic.

So, let’s talk about what you can do starting today to put yourself on the path to prevention–keeping your heart healthy for your Valentine!

Here are my top three tips:

• Control Your Blood Pressure and Cholesterol: Monitoring your own blood pressure is easy, and if anyone in your family has heart disease you should regularly check your blood pressure. Blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke and a major cause of heart attacks. Testing for cholesterol has also become easy and should at least be done once a year. I encourage you to exercise, eat plenty of fiber-rich vegetables and fruits, limit foods with saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol, and reduce the amount of salt you are consuming. There are great natural supports for both cholesterol and blood pressure, including fiber and plant sterols for cholesterol and fish oils, CoQ₁₀, and garlic for blood pressure. Be sure to follow up with your medical doctor to assess how you are doing with achieving good blood pressure control and healthy cholesterol levels.

• Appropriate Weight: The farther away you are from your ideal weight, the higher your risks are for heart disease and stroke. There are many tools to help you control your weight. Just be sure to pick a plan that is based on sound nutrition principles and helps you keep your lean body mass (muscles), and therefore your metabolism intact.

• Exercise: Physical fitness not only helps you to lower your weight, but it also helps to control blood pressure and cholesterol. Start slow and then work your way up to exercising a total of an hour a day. While an hour a day may seem like a lot, remember that exercise is cumulative; you don’t have to do it all at once. You can exercise 20 minutes in the morning, midday, and evening to get your hour. Walking is probably the best exercise that everyone can do.

While taking care of yourself is not a traditional gift for Valentine’s Day, it can be the very best gift because it keeps on giving for many years to come.

Jamie McManus, M.D., FAAFP
Chair of Medical Affairs, Health Science, & Education

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