Neal Pinckney - Healthy Heart Handbook

This book made available by the Internet Archive.

lo the loving memory of my father.

Leo Allen Pinckney (1902-1961).

who died of a heart attack at 59,

and who might be alive today

had this information

been available

r 1 or Andrew Allen,

Jennifer Elizabeth and

Matthew Ian

x~

Contents

18. Other Health Benefits 93

19. Eating Out and Traveling 99

20. Reading Labels 105

21. Exercise 109

22. Stress 117

23. Meditation 129

24. Yoga 135

Appendices

A. Understanding the Meaning of Laboratory

Tests and Heart Disease Risk 139

B. Calories Burned for Common Activities 145

C. Living with Omnivores 147

D. Dietary Fiber (Grams) in Common Foods 151

E. Iron Content of Some Plant Foods 153

F. Common Plant Sources of Calcium 155

G. Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets 157

H. A Healing Heart Progress Table 169

I. Commonly Prescribed Medications 171

Part Two: A Healthy Heart Cookbook 66 Very Low-Fat Vegetarian Dishes

Starting Out on the New Lifestyle 179

Basics

Wunderthin 191

Chick'n-Style Seasoning 192

Golden Cheaze Sauce 193

Snacks

Crispy Baked Onion Rings 197

Pretzels 198

Potato Pearls 199

Contents A vii

,'

Asparagus Guacamole 201

Artichoke and Tomato Alfredo 202

Creamy Corn Bisque 203

Boston Baked Beans 204

Quick Fixes

Sl( >ppy Joes 207

Potato Pancakes (Lathes) 2ns

Lima Linguini Diablo 209

5-Minute Bok Choy and Oriental Mushrooms 210

Seeded Zucchini Steam-Saute 211

Colcannon 212

Quick Southwest Skillet Dinner 213

Salads and Sauces

Cilantro Chutney 217

Aztec Bean Salad 218

Aztec Accent 219

Soups

Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup 223

Lentil Soup (Shorbat Acits) 224

Romany Potage 225

Sauerkraut Soup Soviet 226

Main Meals

Chili Chapultapec 229

Bayou Gumbo 230

Spaghetti Squash and Zucchini Casserole 231

Lentils and Rice (Daal Bhaat) 232

Shepherd's Pie 233

Savory Oatburgers 234

Stuffed Sweet Peppers 235

Bean Burritos 236

Roasted Eggplant (Mirza Ghassemi) 237

Sweet Potato and Green Beans Diablo 238

Figures

2.1 Cross-Sectional View of Circulation of

Blood Through the Heart 11

2.2 Coronary Arteries 12

2.3 The Heart Valves 13

2.4 Atherosclerosis 14

8.1 Angioplasty 39

9.1 Coronary Artery Bypass 44

20.1 Nutrition Label 106

Charts

P.l Major Factors Affecting Health xviii

XI

Tables

9.1 Risks from Lifestyle Changes,

Angioplasty and Bypass Surgery 44

10.1 Risk Factor Ratio 50

11.1 Common Sources of Caffeine 59

12.1 Comparison of Fats 71

12.2 Percentage of Calories from fat (CFF) 74

20.1 Nutritional Claims 107

20.2 FDA Nutritional Claims 108

21.1 Calories Burned Walking 112

21.2 Aerobic Benefit of Exercise 113

21.3 Fitness Level for One Mile Walk (Ages 30-69) 115

A.l Body Fat Percentage 141

A.2 Diastolic Pressure 143

A.3 Systolic Pressure (When Diastolic Is under 90)... 143

B.l Calories Burned 146

D.l Dietary Fiber 151

E.l Iron Content 153

F.l Calcium Content 155

G.l Suggested Daily Servings 160

H.l Body Measurements 170

II.1 Symbols and Abbreviations 182

IL2 Oven Temperature Conversion 182

11.3 Basic Foods 183

11.4 Spices 184

Acknowledgments

The information shared here comes from many different sources. Dean Ornish, M.D.. showed that heart disease is reversible and preventable; his research and writing is at the heart of this hook. John McDougall, M.D., revealed the role of nutrition in many diseases, and Ruth Heidrich's example provided challenge and inspiration. More than 450 participants in my Healing Heart support groups shared their experiences, reactions and encouragement. This book is their story as much as mine.

Hundreds of participants from many mailing lists and Usenet newsgroups on the Internet computer network have contributed information used in this book. An especially treasured resource continues to be Michelle Dick's Fat Free list.

There are many people who assisted in making this book possible, too many to name in this limited space. I am indebted to three friends who edited the manuscript. William Harris, M.D., advised on medical and nutritional points. Walter McKibben, a world-class athlete for over 45 years, scrutinized it and made dozens of helpful suggestions, and Raymond Corsini, Ph.D., author and editor of some 40 books, spent many hours suggesting ways to make it more readable. Any remaining errors are solely my own responsibility.

Preface

This book has a simple objective: to save your life.

Health experts say about 70 percent of deaths from heart attacks can be prevented with lifestyle changes. But just prolonging life isn't enough. The quality of those added years is equally important. To live life to the fullest, a person has to feel good, be free from pains and physical limitations. and look forward eagerly to tomorrow. How to make this happen is what this book is all about.

Every 25 seconds, someone in America has a heart attack. And every 45 seconds, a person dies of heart disease, the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. People are dying from a lifetime of making poor choices based on not knowing what was good or bad for their body.

But this book is not about dying; it is about living. About getting back control of your health, feeling your best, having more energy, and reversing heart disease and lowering the risk of a heart attack. This means learning better choices about what goes into the body, how it is used and abused, and how factors outside the body affect the inside of it. This knowledge is not new, nor is it a well-kept secret. It is amazingly close to common sense (which doesn't seem to be as common as it used to be).

According to the U. S. Centers for Disease Control, four major factors affect your health:

J^

Preface

Chart P.1. Major Factors Affecting Health

The one thing we have the ability to control by ourselves, our lifestyle, has more to do with our health than the other three factors combined.