According to an article published by time.com “one U.S. adult out of every three has high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. But the number of people with elevated blood pressure, not yet in the high range, is much higher. (870 million people worldwide are hypertensive.)

Elevated systolic blood pressure was found to be a leading contributor to preventable death in 2015 and was linked to more than 10 million deaths—1.4 times the number in 1990.
The 2015 results of the clinical SPRINT—short for the systolic blood pressure intervention—trial found that people who kept their systolic blood pressure at 120 had much lower rates of heart-related deaths and early deaths from any cause.

Not everyone needs to take a medication for elevated systolic blood pressure. It’s possible to lower your blood pressure naturally through changes in diet, exercise and weight, Roth says. The important thing is to start paying attention to blood pressure early. “Elevated blood pressure starts contributing to a very large amount of lost health at a relatively young age,” Roth says.

For more details go to:
http://time.com/4630345/systolic-blood-pressure-hypertension/?xid=tcoshare

Alan Thicke was a very nice man. I worked with him in several occasions and he was always the gentleman, kind, professional and a pleasure to be around. His untimely death was a shock to all of us.
I think the following advice from Dr. Oz is great to know and practice.

http://www.today.com/health/what-do-if-someone-having-heart-attack-t106021

We don’t know if following these practices might have saved Alan’s life, but they might have.

Unfortunately we’ll never know and the world has lost a lovely human being.

Photo is from The Showtime Comedy Club All-Stars. I was Producer/Director, Ken Weinstock on right was EP.

Fats:

There are two kinds of fats: Good and Bad.

The good guys are unsaturated fats: monounsaturateds (MUFAs), found in foods like olive oil and avocados, and polyunsaturateds (PUFAs), found in sunflower and corn oils, among others, and in the omega-3s in salmon and walnuts. Both types the “good ” title  because they’ve been shown to lower blood cholesterol and the risk for heart disease.

The villain, we’ve long been told, is saturated fat. The conventional wisdom, which dates to the 1950s, is that saturated fat, which is present in meat, dairy, and some plant products, increases our total cholesterol and chance for heart disease and stroke.

Bad Saturated Fats are: butter, milk fat, beef fat (tallow, suet) chicken fat, cream, pork fat (lard)stick margarine, shortening ,hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, coconut oil, palm and palm kernel oils.

Trans fat, the staple fat that  dominates packaged goods and fast food, is another very bad guy: It not only gooses up our LDL cholesterol but also lowers our HDL cholesterol (the kind that helps sweep bad cholesterol out of the body). The American Heart Association recommends limiting your intake of saturated fat to less than 7 percent of your total calories (if you eat 2,000 calories a day, that’s 16 grams, roughly the amount in a chocolate milk shake) and of trans fats to no more than two grams a day. Safest idea is to have NO trans fats per day.

What you can do immediately is swap animal fats for vegetable oils — for instance, using soybean oil or olive oil  instead of butter because studies have shown these lower LDL cholesterol levels and disease risk.  “Be careful not to replace saturated fats with refined carbs or your triglycerides can go up and your good HDL cholesterol can go down,” explains Alice H. Lichtenstein, the director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at Tufts University. High triglycerides and low HDL are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and criteria of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of health problems linked to heart disease and diabetes.

Salt:

Across the world, the excessive consumption of sodium–hiding in breads, soups and snack foods and beckoning from salt shakers everywhere–is the cause of some 1.65 million deaths by heart disease and strokes yearly, including roughly 667,000 “premature” deaths–those before the age of 70–says a comprehensive new study.[1]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state: “We all need a small amount (e.g., between about 180 mg and 500 mg per day) of sodium to keep our bodies working properly.   But the average daily sodium intake for Americans age 2 years and older is 3,436 mg.”

High sodium consumption raises blood pressure and high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, the nation’s first and third leading causes of death, respectively.

Research shows when salt intake is reduced, blood pressure begins decreasing for most people within a few days to weeks. Populations who consume diets low in salt do not experience the increase in blood pressure with age that is seen in most Western countries.

You can reduce your sodium intake if you:

1. Cook at home from scratch and reduce the amount of salt you add to dishes.

2. Check labels for sodium in all its forms. Table salt is mainly sodium chloride, but canned or packaged foods can contain other forms of sodium.

3. In the kitchen and at the dinner table, substitute spices, herbs, and salt-free blends for salt.

4. When you do opt for packaged foods, choose products that are sodium free or low in sodium. A typical cup of miso soup, for instance, contains 700 to 900 milligrams of sodium, so look for canned soups with “low sodium” or “reduced sodium” on the label. Bread and cereals carry loads of sodium. Buy the lowest sodium kind you can find and avoid white flour brands.

5. Watch out for salad dressings, ready- made pasta sauces, cup-o-soup products, canned vegetables, frozen pizzas, sausages, pepperoni, canned tuna,  and pretty much any food that requires preservation or shelf life.

6. In a restaurant, ask your waiter which dishes are the lowest in sodium and ask of the chef can prepare yours without adding salt.

The overall best approach is to scan the ingredient list before eating or drinking anything. Any ingredient with “sodium” or “Na” — the chemical name for sodium — in its name contains the substance. Sodium might also be labeled as baking soda, baking powder, monosodium glutamate (MSG), disodium phosphate or salt.

Sugar

Astonishingly, Americans consume an estimated 130 pounds of added sugar per capita annually. That’s about 22 teaspoons daily for adults; roughly 32 teaspoons children (almost three-fourths of a cup). Topping the added-sugar intake list are soft drinks, accounting for 33 percent of added sugar consumed daily.

Overconsumption of added sugar and high-glycemic carbohydrates (like those found in breads, pizza, cold cereals and other baked goods) has been linked to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

One of the most effective things you can do to improve your health is to cut back radically on sugar consumption; in particular, avoid sugared beverages entirely. If this seems overwhelming, taper off slowly – add slightly less sugar to your coffee or tea every day and start by drinking  fewer soft drinks per week, etc. You will quickly discover that the craving for sugar dissipates. Foods that once seemed pleasantly sweet begin to taste sickly sweet .

Steer clear of artificial sweeteners – they have chemical components and adverse long term health consequences and the best solution is to choose natural sweeteners like organic raw sugar, maple syrup, or fruit sauces (apple or pear)  and cut way back on quantity and portion size.

If you reduce your consumption of Bad saturated fats, salt and sugar you will be on your way to a healthier body, a leaner frame, more energy and you will reduce your risk for heart disease, stroke,  obesity and diabetes.

[1] conducted by an international team led by Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of Harvard University’s School of Public Health, was published Aug. 13, 2014 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Garlic truly is a superfood—it lowers blood pressure and triglycerides…enhances the immune system…and has potent antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anticancer and antioxidant properties. Researchers decided to see whether “old” garlic that has sprouted would show any changes in its nutritional powers, so they allowed ordinary garlic to sprout. Then the garlic and sprouts were minced, ground and turned into an extract. For comparison, a similar extract was prepared using unsprouted garlic.

According to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry [1] sprouted garlic actually has stronger health benefits than unsprouted ones. They conjecture that the pod, when sprouted for five days, showed the maximum ability to help the human body.

The researchers aren’t sure which of the compounds in sprouted garlic are responsible for the increased antioxidant activity. However, they did find that sprouted garlic contains compounds that don’t exist in unsprouted garlic. This makes sense when you think about the fact that nature is meticulously protective of its species. By amping up antioxidant activity and creating protective new compounds, the immature plant—meaning the sprout—may be better able to protect itself from harmful pathogens.

Garlic has been used since ancient times as a medicinal remedy. It is a member of the allium family of plants, which also includes onions, chives and leeks. Garlic’s medicinal powers are attributed to its sulfur compounds, including a substance called allicin, which is formed when garlic is crushed or chopped. Besides fresh cloves, garlic is available in supplement form made from fresh, dried, or freeze-dried garlic, garlic oil and aged garlic extracts.[2]

Garlic is a great friend to our bodies.

It has cancer-fighting properties: The process of sprouting  garlic stimulates the production of phytochemicals, which has the ability to block and inhibit the activity of carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals) in the body. Garlic also produces a large amount of anti-oxidants that have preventative qualities for scavenging free oxygen radicals – one of the fertile soils for cancer growth.

It protects your heart: Phytochemicals boost enzyme activity and block the cholesterol deposits that lead  to plaque formation – an important factor in heart and artery disease.

A recent meta-analysis in China looked at 26 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials—the “gold standard” in scientific research. In that meta-analysis, researchers concluded that garlic reduces total cholesterol by 5.4% and triglyceride levels by 6.5% compared with a placebo. Garlic powder and aged garlic extract were found to be the most effective at lowering total cholesterol, while garlic oil had a greater effect on lowering triglyceride levels.[3]

It can prevent strokes:  Garlic on its own is a rich source of anjoene , an antithrombotic (anti-clotting) agent which helps prevent platelets in the blood from forming blood clots, and is packed with nitrites – a compound that helps dilate (or widen) the arteries. Both of these nutrients can help prevent the onset of a stroke (a condition caused by the formation of a blood clot in the blood vessels of the brain).

It can delay wrinkles and premature ageing: Antioxidants help prevent premature ageing by scavenging free radicals in our body – the leading cause of  ageing.  According to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry study, garlic pods sprouted for five days have the highest antioxidant activity – making them a youth elixir for your body.

It does boost your immune system:  If you suffer from frequent colds, coughs or infections you might also benefit from sprouted garlic. Sprouted garlic provides your body with a strong boost of antioxidants. Antioxidants strengthen your immune system which help you ward off infections. Historically, garlic has received attention as a potent antibacterial agent. In 1858, Louis Pasteur touted garlic as an antibiotic. Garlic was later used in World War I and World War II as an antiseptic to prevent gangrene.

How to sprout your own garlic:

Garlic normally sprouts on its own if left out in the open. But if you want to sprout them yourself, here is a way to hasten the process:

Place a pod of unpeeled garlic and gently poke in three tooth picks on three sides of the garlic. Make sure you place the toothpicks in the fleshy part of the pod. Fill up a small glass with clean water (tap water is fine.). Balance the garlic pod on the rim of the glass using the toothpicks as braces to partially submerge the root section in the water.

Allow the glass to stay on the windowsill for five days, making sure the bottom is  always submerged in the water.  Once it is sprouted, wash it well and add to foods for the nutritional benefits it provides.

If you have a personal or family history of heart disease, ask your doctor about using garlic (in food or supplements) as part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. Be sure to consult your doctor first if you take a blood pressure or statin drug.

Because garlic may also interact with certain prescription drugs, such as warfarin(Coumadin), consult your doctor before significantly increasing your intake of the herb if you take any medication or have a chronic medical condition.

Ingredients:

4 ripe avocados

3 medium ripe tomatoes

1 clove finely minced garlic

1 cup chopped sweet onion

2 teas. fresh lemon juice

1 teas. white wine vinegar (or regular white vinegar if you prefer)

1 T. Sriracha Sauce

1/2 teas. Kosher salt (add salt to taste- but remember to use sparingly)

1/4 teas. fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Remove skin and pits from avocados. Dice avocadoes into small pieces.

Finely mince one medium size clove of fresh garlic.

Dice the tomatoes into small pieces.

Dice the onion into small pieces.

Combine onion, avocadoes, and tomatoes with the salt, pepper, garlic, vinegar, sriracha and lemon juice.

Mix well. Taste.

You can also add a little more lemon juice if you prefer a tarter taste.

Serve with just about anything you want. Veggies, home-baked tortilla chips, home-baked whole wheat pita triangles or top a chicken taco salad. Yum.