Mediterraneanheart’s Weblog

Good morning,

You may agree with me that all those researchers who dedicate their lives to undo much of the damage we inflict on ourselves as a result of our lifestyle ought to be saluted. I feel this is the case of the researchers working on perfecting Cardiac stem cell therapy.

Much has been learned about the potential for using transplanted cells to treat varieties of cardiac disorders during the last few years; Cardiac stem cell therapy deals with the delivering of a variety of cells into hearts following heart attacks. However, we are not still “there”.

Amit N. Patel, MD, MS, director of cardiac cell therapy at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center comments that many questions still remain unanswered such as what types of cells may be most efficacious, about the dose, the delivery method, how to follow transplanted cells once they are in the body and questions about safety issues. The good news, of course, is that these types of studies make cardiac stem cell therapy closer to reality.

But, as you may realize reading this information, nothing can replace prevention. Thus, let’s give a break to those dedicated and overworked researchers and let’s change some of the habits that could make any of us a candidate for cardiac therapy.

Have a healthy and great day.

Emilia Klapp, R.D., B.S.

Emilia Klapp has a degree in Nutrition Science and is certified by the American Dietetic Association as a Registered Dietitian. With her new book, “Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet”, she has helped thousands of people just like you reduce the risk of heart disease, lose weight and enjoy a more abundant life at the same time. For more information on the book and to receive a FREE especial report on the “Top 10 Mediterranean Curative Ingredients” go to: http://MediterraneanHeart.com

Good Morning to all of you,

I always recommend in my nutrition presentations to stay away from refined sugar as much as possible. So, today I am bringing you an article by George E. Meining, DDS, FACD, and published by the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation that shows a scientific but quite simple explanation of the problems of ingesting refined sugar.

Enjoy the article.

Emilia Klapp has a degree in Nutrition Science and is certified by the American Dietetic Association as a Registered Dietitian. With her new book, “Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet”, she has helped many people just like you reduce the risk of heart disease, lose weight and enjoy a more abundant life at the same time. For more information on the book and to receive a FREE especial report on the “Top 10 Mediterranean Curative Ingredients” go to:

http://www.MediterraneanHeart.com

Sugar
by George E. Meinig, DDS, FACD

The sugar you eat is sucrose, a disaccharide C-12H-220-11. The sugar in your blood is a monosaccharide C-6H-120-6. Sorry to get so technical, but I hope in seeing the chemical formula you will recognize that a difference exists.

At any one time the glucose level in your blood stream should be 90 mg. per 100 ml . This means the total amount in your blood is about 5 grams or about one to three teaspoonfuls.

Now, when you eat a candy bar containing eight teaspoonfuls of sugar, or pie at 10, or ice cream at eight, you send in a high charge of eight to 20 spoons of sugar into a system that is geared to maintain itself with only one to three teaspoonfuls, a chaotic problem is encountered. This overload must be dealt with first by your pancreas and its hormone insulin. Then, when the insulin gets too high, the adrenal gland must manufacture and distribute into the bloodstream its insulin-governing hormones. Normal, natural food is not so highly concentrated and, more importantly, contains essential vitamins, minerals and enzymes which help the stomach to utilize what you have eaten. This in turn helps each cell to obtain its proper nutrients.

The continual overcharging of one’s glands with sugar has a depressing influence on your metabolism. That is, instead of speeding it up, it actually slows it down, resulting among other things, in a lower than normal blood sugar.

The slowdown foods are sugar, refined breads and packaged cereals, pie, cookies, pastry, ice cream, candies, coffee, tea, alcohol and soft drinks.

If you really want a pickup, use the speedup foods instead, for they stimulate metabolism. Meat, fish, seafood, poultry, fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses, eggs, butter, seeds, nuts, etc., all invigorate and vitalize the system. The actual time of absorption and development of energy from these foods is but a little more than with sugar itself. Besides, an important fringe benefit of the good speed-up foods is better handling of stress and one’s vigor is sustained over longer periods of time.

Happy day to all of you,

As I am sitting here in front of my computer a thought crossed my mind. Is the comfort we enjoy nowadays making us sick?

The answer is yes. Human species are designed for movement. In fact, in the past, we needed movement to survive. Hunting, fishing, etc, were activities necessary for that survival. But now, the way we live is making physical activity to disappear. Our lifestyle is making us sick and illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, etc, are quite common among the population. Unfortunately, this sedentary lifestyle is affecting all ages. Young people spend a lot of time in front of a computer or with the videogames. Parents take children to school by car. And so on.

Physical activity has to be adapted to the personal circumstances of each person. Some people feel they have to go to a gym in order to do some exercise, but there are many ways you can include physical activity in your life without going out of the way. You may be able to take the bus or the subway to work instead of taking the car. Instead of writing an email to your co-worker who is sitting in the next door office, you could walk to his or her desk, or you could take the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Your heart will be grateful.

Think about this message. And if you are a desk or a couch potato remember that the comfort you are enjoying today could bring you a lot of discomfort and grief in the future.

So, let’s prevent. As the saying goes, better prevent than being sorry.

Have a healthy day.

Emilia Klapp has a degree in Nutrition Science and is certified by the American Dietetic Association as a Registered Dietitian. With her new book, “Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet”, she has helped thousands of people just like you reduce the risk of heart disease, lose weight and enjoy a more abundant life at the same time. For more information on the book and to receive a FREE especial report on the “Top 10 Mediterranean Curative Ingredients” go to: http://mediterraneanheart.com

Hello again,

Today I want to bring broccoli to your attention.

Broccoli’s key for success seems to be sulforaphane, a chemical compound discovered in 1992 by a team of scientists led by Doctor Paul Talalay at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. Doctor Talalay has also founded The Brassica Chemoprotection Laboratory.

As you probably have noticed, broccoli is one of the vegetables most talked about in health magazines and newspapers all over the world. Why? Because sulforaphane reduces the risk of cancer thus, researchers have named broccoli number one in the list of anti-carcinogen vegetables. 

But that is not all broccoli can do for us. Because of the array of vitamins and minerals found in this vegetable, broccoli can enhance our immune system, protect us from heart disease and help eliminate Helicobacter pylori bacteria. In addition, it works as a diuretic, laxative, and purifies the blood. It also fights anemia.

It definitely sounds like we should include broccoli in our meals. Don’t you think so?

Have a great day and make sure broccoli is part of your dinner today.

Emilia Klapp has a bachelor in Nutrition Science, is certified as a Registered Dietitian by the American Dietetic Association and author of “Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet”. For more information about the author and the book and to get a FREE list of the 10 Top Mediterranean Curative Foods, go to: http://www.MediterraneanHeart.com or http://www.EmiliaKlapp.com

Good morning to everybody,

Here is one more proof of how important is being physically active. An Italian university – University degli Studi in Naples, has conducted a study with 168 men and women of about 70 years of age. All the participants had suffered a heart attack and had gone through an angioplasty intervention before starting the study. This research has shown that elderly people who maintain themselves physically active after a heart attack have a better survival rate than those who are not physically active. The results of the study showed clearly that physical activity helped in the recovery.

Don’t wait until you have a heart attack. Start being physically active as soon as possible.

Good luck and good day to all of you.

 Emilia Klapp has a bachelor in Nutrition Science, is certified as a Registered Dietitian by the American Dietetic Association and author of “Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet”. For more information about the author and the book and to get a FREE list of the 10 Top Mediterranean Curative Foods, go to: http://www.MediterraneanHeart.com or http://www.EmiliaKlapp.com

Hello everybody,

A pedometer is inexpensive, easy to use, and ideal to maintain you in shape. The Researchers at the Stanford University, United States, worried about the high rates of obesity among Americans and the lack of physical activity of this population, decided to evaluate the effects of a pedometer on people.

A total of 2,767 participants, whose physical activity was none, were studied and the results showed that those who used a pedometer increased their physical activity by more than 2,000 steps a day. As a result, their Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood pressure decreased.

Dona Bravata, the leading researcher of this study explains: “systolic blood pressure decreased by almost 4mmHg, a substantial reduction when we take into consideration that a reduction of 2mmHg is associated with a 10 percent lower risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke”

The researchers noticed that the level of physical activity increased substantially on those participants who had a goal in mind and who kept a diary of the time spent exercising, something that did not happen with the rest of the participants.

Don’t think it twice and buy yourself a pedometer. Many of the people who attend my nutrition classes have reported to me the same experience; buying a pedometer motivates them to walk more. As a result, they feel happier, healthier, and they are done with the guilty feeling caused by not exercising.

Best wishes to all of you.

Emilia Klapp, R.D., B.S.

About the Author

Emilia Klapp has a bachelor in Nutrition Science, is certified as a Registered Dietitian by the American Dietetic Association and author of “Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet”. For more information about the author and the book and to get a free list of the 10 Top Mediterranean curative foods, go to: http://www.MediterraneanHeart.com or http://www.EmiliaKlapp.com  

Have you noticed that sometimes your blood pressure reading when taken at the clinic doesn’t correspond to the real one? The reason probably is the stress and anxiety we experience when we have to face the doctor since most of the times they have nothing but bad news to give us.

It happens to me all the time. I periodically go to see my doctor to have some tests done as prevention and this high blood pressure scary business never fails: if the nurse checks my blood pressure before taking my blood, the readings are much higher than when she does it after the “dreadful” event of blood taking because of my anxiety at the thought of a needle.

That’s why it will be ideal to be able to check our blood pressure at home. And now we may be able do it with a devise created by Microlife called Microlife Watch BP Home. This devise strictly follows the recommendations given by the European Society of Hypertension on BP monitoring and it has been tested quite carefully.

The invention allows to check your blood pressure at home and thanks to the software installed in the monitoring device, the results are sent directly to the computer at your doctor’s office where they are evaluated.

Although this monitoring devise has originally been marketed in Europe, ask your doctor if his or her clinic has something similar you can use at home. It will give you a better idea of how you are doing with your blood pressure instead of leaving the clinic worried to death every time you pay a visit to your doctor.

Have a great day,

Emilia Klapp, R.D., B.S.

With her new book, “Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet”, American Dietetic Association Registered Dietitian Emilia Klapp has helped thousands of people just like you lower high blood pressure, reduce cholesterol levels and remove the risk of heart disease. For more information on the book and to obtain a free especial report of the “Top 10 Mediterranean Curative Ingredients” go to: http://www.mediterraneanheart.com

Good morning to all of you,

Although health experts keep telling us that being overweight or obese is a risk factor for heart attacks, the truth is that sometimes it’s difficult not to make a few trips to the kitchen to “raid” the refrigerator. Well, here is an interesting and revolutionary idea to cope with that temptation: The Diet Floor.

Pep Torres, a Spanish technician, has developed “The Diet Floor”, a tile that you install in your kitchen floor, in front of your refrigerator. The invention has a sensor and a microchip that detects at what time you step on the tile, how many times you do it, for how long you remain on it, and your weight. In other words, this technology allows the tile to “know” if you are really dieting, if you spend too much time in front of your refrigerator, or if you visit your refrigerator too many times in a short amount of time.

Thus, if you step on the tile and remain there for more than, let’s say, 20 seconds, the device activates a message refreshing your memory that you are suppose to be dieting. The message is delivered by a relaxed female voice in a funny tone. She kindly reminds you that visiting the refrigerator too often can cause you to gain a few pounds.

The Diet Floor allows changing or deactivating the message if a member in the family is not dieting.

Interesting, isn’t it? I guess the human imagination has no limits.

Have a happy day without too many trips to your refrigerator.

Best to all of you,

Emilia Klapp, R.D., B.S.

Emilia Klapp has a degree in Nutrition Science and is certified by the American Dietetic Association as a Registered Dietitian. With her new book, “Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet”, she has helped thousands of people just like you reduce the risk of heart disease, lose weight and enjoy a more abundant life at the same time. For more information on the book and to receive a free especial report on the “Top 10 Mediterranean Curative Ingredients” go to: http://mediterraneanheart.com

Good morning to all of you,

Yesterday I received an email from somebody who was recently discharged from the hospital with a heart attack diagnosis. Because he never felt any chest pain during the hours leading to his heart attack, his question was as follows: “I was under the impression that a person with my condition experiences a strong chest pain, but I didn’t feel any. Can a person have a heart attack and not feel any chest pain?”

The answer is yes. There are times when chest pain may not be one of the symptoms of an imminent heart attack. In some cases the person can experience instant difficulty in breathing, cold sweating, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, or a general feeling of discomfort. In these cases, the heart attack diagnosis is done through an electrocardiogram and a blood test to check the cardiac enzymes.

If a person is diabetic, the heart attack could be painless as diabetics have less sensitivity to pain.

It is very important for the recovery of the person experiencing the above symptoms to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

The best to all of you,

Emilia Klapp, R.D., B.S.

Emilia Klapp has a degree in Nutrition Science and is certified by the American Dietetic Association as a Registered Dietitian. With her new book, “Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet”, she has helped thousands of people just like you reduce the risk of heart disease, lose weight and enjoy a more abundant life at the same time. For more information on the book and to receive a free especial report on the “Top 10 Mediterranean Curative Ingredients” go to: http://mediterraneanheart.com

Good morning to all of you,

If you have been following my blog, you know that I am a fan of fruits. But can you eat as much fruit as you want and not gain weight?

Maybe yes, maybe not. All foods contribute calories to our diet but it depends on the portions you eat and especially on how you prepare them. When it comes to fruits, we know that some have more calories than others. Fruits in their natural state have almost no proteins or fat, except for coconuts and avocados.

Because fruit contains sugars, nutrition experts recommend 2 to 4 pieces a day.

Among the fruits that are low in calories we find melons, watermelons, papayas, and grapefruits with only about 40 calories per 100 grams.

Strawberries, apricots, oranges, pineapples, and tangerines have about 50 calories per 100 grams.

If you are trying to lose weight, count the calories in the fruit you eat as part of your general diet.

Have a good day,

Emilia Klapp, R.D., B.S.

About the Author

Emilia Klapp has a degree in Nutrition Science and is certified by the American Dietetic Association as a Registered Dietitian. With her new book, “Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet”, she has helped thousands of people just like you reduce the risk of heart disease, lose weight and enjoy a more abundant life at the same time. For more information on the book and to receive a free especial report on the “Top 10 Mediterranean Curative Ingredients” go to: http://mediterraneanheart.com