Heart-healthy whole foods reduce men's risk of heart attack

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men, according the the Centers for Disease Control. Along with several diseases and lack of exercise, one of the major causes is poor nutrition.

Unfortunately, with all the processed foods and junk foods so quickly and readily available, more and more people are suffering from poor nutrition.

If you want to boost your heart health, leave the processed food on the shelf and enrich your diet with these:

Oatmeal
Salmon
Almonds
Beans (dried beans, lentils - even baked beans)
Fruits and vegetables

Start reading labels and cut down your intake of saturated and trans fats, partially hydrogenated oils, and high fructose corn syrup. (Yes, HFC is bad for you, despite what the new commercials say.)

The women in your life will also benefit from good nutrition, so make eating right a family thing!

Nature's Blood Pressure Reducer: Garlic

Friends have told me many times that garlic was good for reducing blood pressure, but I hadn't seen that news in print until this week.

According to a Reader's Digest article, studies really do show that it's true. Garlic helps to lower blood pressure and thin blood - preventing heart attacks.

The interesting part was that they found that the garlic doesn't have to be raw. It can be baked or boiled for up to 3 minutes and still retain the same healing properties. AND if you crush it, it can cook for up to 6 minutes.

Combine that with a recipe tip I read recently saying "For best flavor, add garlic during the final few minutes of cooking," and it's all good news.

But there is one caution: The same article said that if you cook the garlic in a microwave, it loses all of it's health-giving properties. So... no microwaves if you're using garlic for heart health.