Top Eight Vegetables To Fight Heart Disease (proven research)!

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INTRODUCTION:  You’re going to read the very basics of how your amazing heart works non-stop 24/7.  Then you’ll read the basics of heart disease.  Then I’ll tell you about the “Top Eight Vegetables To Fight Heart Disease!”

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Cardiovascular Disease – 1st Leading Killer Of Americans!

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What is the heart and what does it do?

The heart is a constant working muscle that beats approximately 100,000 times and pumps 4,000 gallons of blood each 24 hours!

The amazing work your heart does in one single day is equal to lifting 100 pounds one foot off the ground 1,500 times!

In your lifetime, your heart will pump some 400,000 tons of blood without rest!  Amazing isn’t it!

The heart provides life required nutrients and oxygen to all tissues of the body and even the heart itself.

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What is heart disease?

The heart has a separate circulatory system which nourishes the heart with nutrients and oxygen.  This circulatory system is made-up of two coronary arteries that are about the size of a pencil.

These two coronary arteries subdivide and encircle the entire heart.  Heart disease is the result of atherosclerosis.  Atherosclerosis sometimes called “hardening of the arteries.”

It’s a progressive condition in which deposits of cholesterol and lipids and other cellular waste accumulate on the inner walls of coronary arteries.  This accumulation of cholesterol, lipids, and cellular waste becomes plaque.  As the plaque accumulates, blood vessels become inelastic and clogged.

This leads to arteries that harden and become clogged.  At times, a blood clot will form on the plaque buildup and block the entire artery.  A heart attack or stroke is imminent.

Basically, cardiovascular disease takes the form in one or more of the following manners:

• Plaque that narrows arteries, inhibiting blood flow.
• Accumulation of sticky fragments, called platelets, that form clots.
• Spasms of arteries and blood vessels, creating restrictions that stop the heart and shut-off the blood to the brain – causing strokes.

Did you know every 02 minutes one woman dies of heart disease.  Approximately 40 million Americans suffer from heart disease alone!

Far too many will die because they were diagnosed too late, follow an unhealthy diet, and are ignorant of many healthy alternatives to recovery.

Cardiovascular disease (commonly called heart disease) is the #1 KILLER of Americans.  Every 40 seconds somebody in the USA has a heart attack, which results in killing approximately 630,000 Americans each year (2015 data from the Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke)!

SEE “Left For Dead” at the end of this blog post.

If conventional and alternative medicines could find a healthy blend of treatments, multitudes of patients afflicted with heart disease and many other diseases and maladies would be spared.

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What causes coronary blockages?

According to Dr. Dean Ornish’s Reversing Heart Disease:

“coronary blockages form when the lining of the coronary artery is damaged from excessive dietary cholesterol and saturated fat, high blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and nicotine.” 

The body attempts to repair the injured/damaged lining by placing cholesterol, collagen and other materials over it like a band-aid.

When this becomes chronic (damage to the coronary lining) the pile-up of these band-aids begins to block the arteries.  After time this coronary blockage may become life threatening.

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Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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What is a heart attack?

A heart attack (myocardial infarction) occurs when one or more of the coronary arteries is partially blocked by atherosclerosis and a blood clot plugs the remaining opening.

The part of the heart muscle beyond the blockage is deprived of oxygen which results in injury or death of that part of the heart muscle.

If that part of the heart muscle is large enough or is a vital area of the heart, the casualty will die.  Heart disease is the number one cause of death and disability in the United States.

In 1988, it was estimated $60 billion was spent on the treatment and care of heart attack victims (hospitalization, loss of work, medication, and therapies).

SEE “Left For Dead” at the end of this blog post.

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Cardiovascular Disease (National Center for Biotechnology Information – NCBI)

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Here are the Top Eight Vegetables To Fight Heart Disease:

• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Corn
• Kale
• Lentils (legume)
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Spinach

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OK, let’s start with delicious Artichokes.

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Artichokes

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A medium artichoke furnishes only 53 calories and is low in fat.  Artichokes provide:

• Calcium
• Iron
• Phosphorous
• Niacin
• Vitamin C
• Magnesium
• potassium

Studies in Japan, Switzerland, and Russia provide evidence that artichokes lower cholesterol.  Cynarin which is a drug derived from artichokes lowers cholesterol.  Cynarin is well known to be “liver protective” in both animal liver cells and living animals.

Russian scientists noted that the edible parts of artichokes were noted to exert an anti-inflammatory activity in dogs.  In 1969, French scientists were so successful in using artichoke extract for treating liver and kidney ailments, they took out a patent on it!

Artichokes are available throughout the year but their freshest peak production are the Spring months.  Artichokes are consumed by eating the tender part of the leaves.

Draw the leaf between the teeth to eat the tender meaty portion.  Discard the leaf.  Eventually, you’ll get to the very delicious heart or bottom of the tasty artichoke.  It’s very tasty and VERY HEALTHY for you!

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Asparagus

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Asparagus is undoubtedly one of the most healthiest foods on Earth!  Asparagus provides no fat, no cholesterol, and hardly a trace of sodium.  Four spears of asparagus provide only 13 calories.

Asparagus is so low in calories that you would have to really eat huge amounts of it to gain weight.

Asparagus is full of three food-based nutrients that help in the defense of cancer.  These elements are Vitamin A, Vitamin C and the mineral selenium which is excellent for its antioxidant properties.

Asparagus also contains small amounts of cholesterol-lowering fiber.  Asparagus is ideal for heart-healthy menus.

According to studies at the University of California and Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, regular asparagus consumption demonstrates lower rates of cancer and heart disease.

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Corn

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A cup of cooked corn furnishes only 178 calories while a cup of creamed style corn furnishes 210 calories.  Corn is low in sodium and low in fat.

A high energy food, corn is full of:

• iron
• zinc
• niacin
• rich in potassium
• great source of fiber

Most people think of corn as a vegetable.  Corn is really a grain.  Corn has been noted to have the healing properties of controlling high blood pressure, fighting heart disease, lowering cholesterol, lowering risk of cancer due to its high fiber content, and helping prevent dental cavities.  Corn also contains the protease inhibitor chemicals that are cancer suppressors.

A worldwide study reported in 1981 by Pelayo Correa of the Louisiana State University Medical Center noted a strong correlation between low death rates from breast, colon and prostate cancer and heart disease and increased per capita consumption of sweet corn as well as beans and rice!

Another survey of 47 countries found that areas where people consumed starch in corn rather than wheat or rice had lower rates of dental cavities!

According to Dr. Virgil Brown of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York; the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico eat corn and beans and not much else.  High blood cholesterol and cardiovascular heart disease are almost non-existent among the Tarahumara Indians!

WARNING:  According to studies by Kenneth Carroll at the University of Western Ontario, corn oil was noted to cause cancer in lab animals.  Corn oil was noted to lower immunity in mice.

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Kale

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Kale is super vegetable as a potential preventative of several cancers including lung cancer.  Noted to be one of the richest of all green vegetables in cartenoids (anticancer agents).  A highly nutritious food, spinach has 36 milligrams of cartenoids per 100 grams.

However, an equal amount of kale has more than twice the amount of cartenoids (78 milligrams).  Too bad kale isn’t a popular food item in the United States and Western countries.

A study in Singapore noted that kale, along with common dark-green leafy vegetables like Chinese mustard greens, has significantly diminished the risk of lung cancer!

Kale also demonstrates its ability to prevent atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) via a carotenoid called lutein.  In an 18-month study at the University of Southern California, a group of 480 men and women with no history of heart disease were tested for serum lutein.  Those people with the lowest levels of serum lutein concentrations, had a ‘five-fold greater increase in carotid artery thickness.’

According to Dr.Fuhrman (Los Angeles Atheroclerosis Study), kale contains a special protective protein called Nrf2.  This Nrf2 and here’s a quote:  “It creates a sort of Teflon coating in your arteries to keep plaque from adhering.” 

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Paperback Book—————Kindle E-Book

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Lentils (legume)

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An international 25-year study that included 12,763 people from Japan, United States and 06 European countries found that legumes like lentils were linked to an 82% reduction in the risk of death from heart disease.  Why?  Cause lentils include:

• Fiber
• Folate
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Protein

George Matelijan, the author of “The World’s Healthiest Foods,” calls magnesium – “nature’s own calcium channel blocker,” a type of drug that fights hypertension.

1st Note:  I try to conduct more R & D on my ‘intensive research’ so I went out and purchased 07 01-pound bags of Lentils at $01.54 each for a total price of $10.78 excluding taxes.  See photo below.

2^nd Note:  I priced Lentils at www.amazon.com  If you want to save money, they offer Lentils in 25-pound and 50-pound bags!!!

3^rd Note:  I just made a big DELICIOUS meal of lentils and here are the details.

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Lentils Recipe

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Recipe:  01 medium size pot with lid, 01 spoon, 01 heaping tablespoon of coconut oil (cold), 01-cup of lentils and 02 ½ cups of pure water.

Step 01:  Place the lentils in the pot.

Step 02:  Pour the water in the pot with the lentils.

Step 03:  Add the heaping tablespoon of cold coconut oil.

Step 04:  Heat on low heat – simmer – for 30 – 45-minutes.  Test the texture to your liking.

Step 05:  The lentils will at least double in size.  This recipe will provide 02 meals.

Step 06:  I added my own concoction to my meal.  See Laydon’s Healing Spice Concoction followed by a couple pinches of sea salt.

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Onions

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A 1/2 cup of raw onions provide only 27 calories and are inexpensive.  Onions are used in just about every dish imaginable, from appetizers to main courses to soups to even jellies.

Onions can be eaten raw, they can be pickled, sautéed, deep fried, boiled, or steamed onions help boost the good cholesterol which is HDL (High Density Lipo-proteins), lower total blood cholesterol, slow down blood clotting, thin the blood, kill bacteria, and may even counteract against some allergic reactions.

Dr. Victor Gurewich, professor of medicine at Tufts University, prescribes and tells his patients to “Eat onions.”  Dr. Gurewich notes that raw, strong onions elevate critical HDL-type blood cholesterol.  The typical therapeutic dose is only 1/2 a medium-size raw onion – or equivalent juice – each day.

Dr. Gurewich says that is usually enough to “dramatically raise” HDLs (good cholesterol) an average of 30 percent in about 03 out of 04 heart disease patients!  In a few cases, HDL levels have doubled or tripled on the onion regimen!

He says that raw onions work best because cooking reduces or destroys the onion’s power to raise HDLs.  Raw or cooked onion works as a natural anticoagulant to help prevent life-threatening blood clots that may cause heart attacks and strokes!

According to a study in India, test participants were purposely fed fat-intensive meals that raised their cholesterol to dangerous levels, thus increasing the risk of blood clots.  The participants were then given only two ounces of onion, which was added to their diet, and their cholesterol levels were quickly brought within safe limits!

Onions may be a potential source of possible cancer antidotes because of their concentrated sulfur compounds that are able to turn off cell changes preceding cancer growth.

Researchers at the M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute have isolated propylsulfide in onions that in tests blocked enzymes needed to activate a potent cancer-causing substance.

Researchers at Harvard School of Dental Medicine discovered that putting onion extract on cultures of oral cancer cells from animals significantly inhibited proliferation of the cancer cells and destroyed some.  As a matter of fact, the National Cancer Institute has funded much research on sulfides in onions and garlic, naming them promising agents in fending off cancer!

Note:  I try to add onions to my meals.  I add chopped / sliced onions at the very end of the cooking process so the onions are still crunchy.

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Potatoes

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The potato originated in South America.  Botanically, the potato is related to the eggplant.  The potato is a tuber according to Dr. Mike Samuels the author of Heart Disease.

A medium potato provides:

• only 110 calories
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin B6
• significant niacin
• more potassium (don’t peel, 60% is close to the skin) than a large banana
• low in sodium.

A processed potato chip has six times the calories, 400 times the fat, and 250 times the salt of the same amount of a natural unprocessed potato chip.

Do you think these saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol packed potato chips might hinder you from the healthy body and longer life you deserve?  If you must have your potato chips, try making your own without the great amount saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol.  Shop around for a product that can turn potato slices into fat-free, sodium-free, low-calorie potato chips.

According to Dr. John McDougall, director of the nutritional medicine clinic at St. Helena Hospital in Deer Park, California, potatoes are an excellent food for rapid weight loss (DO NOT put the fat tasty stuff on potatoes like butter, margarine, or sour cream).

Potatoes are a great source of fiber and other nutrients mentioned above and help lower cholesterol while protecting against strokes and heart disease!

White raw potatoes have high concentrations of protease inhibitors, which are compounds known to void-out certain viruses and carcinogens.  Of several foods, inhibitors found in the potato were found to have the strongest antiviral powers!  Potato chemicals stopped viruses better than soybean inhibitors, which are considered one of the fiercest antiviral agents.

Potatoes, especially the skins, are rich in chlorogenic acid, a polyphenol which prevents cell mutations leading to cancer.  Potato skins were found to have antioxidant activity – neutralizing “free radicals” that damage cells leading to many disorders including cancer.

It’s a crying shame!  According to the Agriculture Department and National Cancer Institute, the closest many children get to a vegetable is eating French fries!

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Spinach

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A cup of raw spinach furnishes only 12 calories, whereas a cup of cooked spinach furnishes only 42 calories.

Spinach is and provides:

• very low in fat
• Vitamin A as carotene
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Calcium
• Iron
• and many other nutrients.

Spinach provides that much needed fiber to help prevent cancer and helps to lower cholesterol, lose weight, and control diabetes!

According to Dr. Richard Shekelle, an epidemiologist at the University of Texas, spinach has it all including the ability to rev up the metabolism.  According to the Journal of American Medicine, spinach is called ‘king of vegetables.’

One of many dark green vegetables, spinach tops the list (along with carrots) of foods eaten most often by people worldwide with lower rates of all types of cancer, especially cervical, colon, endometrial, esophageal, laryngeal, lung, pharyngeal, prostate, rectal, and stomach.

Spinach provides high amounts of chlorophyll, which is a noted cancer blocker.  Italian studies found that spinach, in test tube tests, was dramatic at blocking the formation of one of the most powerful carcinogens known – nitrosamines.

Of the foods tested (carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, and strawberries), spinach juice was by far the most potent!

Spinach contains folic acid, which is noted as a mood booster.   Are you suffering from depression?  Eat spinach!

An amino acid called homocysteine found in the blood is noted to increase the risk for heart disease.  To counter homocysteine levels, Doctor Havala Hobbs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, recommends a cup a day of dark green leafy vegetables like spinach.

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Summary:  Now you got a good ‘taste’ of delicious vegetables to help you fight heart disease.  Plus, as you just read, these vegetables have plenty of other health benefits.  Upon your doctor’s approval, consider adding some or all of these vegetables to your diet.

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