And as much as we care for others, how often are we caring for our own hearts?

We may think about cardiovascular health and want to go for a brisk walk or jog around the neighborhood.

But we can do so much more when it comes to heart health.

Here are some interesting facts.

• Your heart beats on average 100,000 per day and 35 million times in a year. In an average lifetime, a heart beats 2.5 billion times.
• It’s the muscle at the center of your circulation system which  pumps blood around your body as your heart beats. This blood sends oxygen and nutrients to all parts of your body, and carries away unwanted carbon dioxide and waste products.
• Your heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood a day.

Your heart is your lifeline.

The K.I.S.S. ~ Eat your way to a healthy heart!

Now, most of what we eat is not the fruit and vegetables we need. It’s easy to drive up for fast food and order the stuff that hurts rather than the stuff that heals.

So today, I want you to take a look at some good food that will keep your heart healthy.

1. Shitake & Maitake Mushrooms
   • Shiitake mushrooms support cardiovascular health by lowering bad cholesterol.
   • Consuming shitake mushrooms prevent too much immune cell binding to our blood vessel lining which keeps our blood vessels healthy and our bad cholesterol at bay.
   • Maitake mushrooms help the body excrete bad cholesterol while activating natural killer cells. Natural killer cells are a type of cancer and virus-killing white blood cells you want on your team.
2. Every Day Onions

   • Amazing that this everyday food has such a powerful ability to raise HDL cholesterol, discourage blood clot formation while also lowering LDL.

   • Onions contain powerful sulfur compounds, flavonoids, polyphenols, and quercetin (that is not degraded by cooking and significantly lowers the inflammation setpoint) to give us health benefits way beyond the heart as well.

3. Electrolytes

   • The heart needs electrolytes in order to beat 100,000 times a day.

   • Electrolytes are minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphate & magnesium. They flow into and out of the nerve and muscle cells to produce the electrical current the heart relies on to contract.

4. Blueberries & Acai

   • They are both high in anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are antioxidants that lower cholesterol levels in the bloodstream while also having a cardio-protective effect on our cells.

   • They have this effect because they help prevent blood clots while improving circulation and relaxing the blood vessels.

5. Raw Cacao

• • Small daily doses of dark chocolate consumed over a two-week period improved the blood vessels’ ability to dilate or expand – thus resulting in stronger blood vessels.

Your heart is always working for you. So why not work a little with food for your heart.

CHALLENGE: What can you add to your every day to strengthen your heart?

“Train for life. Love your journey!“