As a mother, grandmother, former cardiac nurse, and wife of a cardiologist, you can safely say that I am concerned about the healthy heart nutrition we are teaching our children. The high levels of salt, fat, and calories in fast food can cause serious harm to your heart and the rest of your body. But the reality of life is that, on any given day, one-quarter of North Americans will eat a fast food meal…many of whom are children.
Sadly, many of the meals served in our schools are not much better. Remember when President Reagan declared ketchup a vegetable? You get my point.
This week, in honor of National School Breakfast Week, why not take time to teach your children, grandchildren, nieces, and/or nephews good healthy heart nutrition, starting with a fun, easy, delicious breakfast.
A great option for those of you with kids at home? A smoothie. Let your kids add the ingredients themselves. This particular recipe is packed with omega-3s for brain health, antioxidants for a healthy immune system, and fiber to keep them full until lunch.
While you’re at it, why not whip one up for yourself? The same omega-3s, antioxidants, and fiber also help to control high blood pressure levels and maintain good cholesterol levels.
Smart Smoothie (Makes 1 serving)
1 Tbsp. flaxseeds, ground
½ cup fresh fruit—blueberries, a peach, kiwi, banana, or whatever you like
8 oz. organic rice milk, organic skim milk, organic yogurt, or unsweetened juice (you can also use water or a combination)
1 serving size (follow directions on package) of soy or whey protein powder
Put ingredients into a blender and whir. If you want a cold, shake-like taste experience, add ice or use frozen juice cubes. Fresh is best but you can use frozen fruits when fresh fruits aren’t in season. Depending on how you make it, this smoothie can come out so thick, you’ll need a spoon!
It absolutely amazes me how nature gives us so many opportunities to nurture our bodies and to keep cardiovascular problems at bay.
You may have heard of polyphenols, flavonoids, flavones, Pycnogenol (pine bark), grapeseed, catechins, tannins, quercetin and flavonol. You’ve also probably heard about the benefits of red wine, green tea, and grape juice. All are in the family of oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs), which are really the cream of the crop.
Discovered about 50 years ago, OPCs are abundant in nature: There are approximately 6,000 flavonoids in the plants around us! These free-radical scavengers are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream where they cross the blood/brain barrier. They show great promise in helping to improve blood circulation and they support blood vessel elasticity, blood stickiness, clotting, plaque buildup, and vein integrity. In addition, they promote healthy blood pressure and good eye health.
You can find grapeseed extract and pine bark extract (under the patented brand name Pycnogenol) in your local health food store.My “Dr. Sinatra recommended dosage” is 30–60 mg daily.
Dr. Sinatra has always told me that, should he suffer a stroke and be unable to communicate, he wants me to get him into a hyperbaric oxygen chamber—also known as HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen treatment).
Dr. Sinatra’s colleague Dr. Mark Breiner and his son Dr. Adam Breiner have one at their holistic medicine center in Connecticut, and some hospitals have them onsite to treat a myriad of health issues. HBOT delivers oxygen under pressure, and also stimulates stem cells to promote healing.
And speaking of what we would do brings up the importance of having a game plan for what YOU and your family would do if one of you should start exhibiting symptoms of stroke. We’ve known a few folks, some of them medically trained, who disregarded symptoms of impending stroke and paid the price for it. We don’t want that to happen to you.
The most appropriated game plan is to call 911 and let emergency medical professionals get you safely to the closest hospital—and it’s actually what I intend to do first if Dr. Sinatra is the patient…and vice versa.
As with any medical concern, prevention is the key. First and foremost, know your heart risk factors. These include:
Age 55 or older
Heredity/family history
Men
History of heart attack and/or stroke
Medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure levels, vascular disease, atrial fibrillation, and sickle cell anemia
Drug/alcohol abuse
Poor diet
Sedentary lifestyle
Living in the southeast US (“stroke belt”)
Low socioeconomic status
Secondly, take steps to prevent heart attack and stroke. This includes following good healthy heart nutrition and getting lots of exercise. Also, if you are diabetic, you need to keep an eye on your blood sugars, and take any medication that has been prescribed for you.
If you have atrial fibrillation, have regular follow-up with you MD. Atrial fibrillation is one condition where Dr. Sinatra firmly believes in taking anticoagulants like warfarin (Coumadin) to prevent blood clots and stroke, so make sure you take it if it’s been prescribed for you and have your blood levels monitored as recommended.
You must have adequate vitamin D levels for optimum health. If you are already diagnosed with cardiovascular problems, you can prevent complications, and perhaps turn your condition on its tail, by addressing your vitamin D status. Ask your doctor to get a level if it hasn’t been done.
To maintain the optimal level (60–110 nmo/L of 25(OH)) vitamin D, eat lots of vitamin D laden foods (such as sardines, vitamin D fortified milk, cod liver oil, etc.). In addition, get adequate sunshine (20 minutes per day when you can), and take a supplement containing vitamin D3. Dr. Sinatra suggests taking 2,000–4,000 IUs a day if you are healthy, and 5,000–10,000IUs daily if you have a chronic illness, such as metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and refractory high blood pressure levels.
It’s almost spring, and that’s means a welcome return of the sun and its warming rays. It also means a renewed opportunity for those in the snow belt (including us here in New England) to get more vitamin D—the sunshine vitamin that is needed to optimize your health.
It’s no news flash that vitamin D is needed for strong bones. We’ve been looking at bill boards, milk cartons, cereal boxes, and even calcium supplement labels brandishing “VITAMIN D fortification” in our faces for decades now.
One vitamin D basic that not everyone knows, though, is that there are two forms: vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. Vitamin D2 is found in a lot of preparations, but is a less active ingredient than D3. Plus, vitamin D3, we are learning, has properties that make it a hormone as much as a nutrient.
That being said, there’s a new standard for what’s an adequate level for vitamin D. There is so much press, in fact, that the big “D” is practically being touted as the “wonder nutrient” of the century. So, is the buzz deserved?
Seems so! These days, good news about vitamin D is pouring out of the research tap. Practically on a daily basis, we’re hearing how it affects immune function, helps fight inflammation, supports the body’s ability to make insulin, puts a brake on cancer cell growth, and improves muscular function. We are also finding that many people are deficient because they don’t get enough sunlight, which converts cholesterol in the skin into vitamin D.
The vitamin D–heart connection is one of the newer revelations, and it certainly warrants attention and more study. A review published in Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care strongly suggests that a vitamin D deficiency could be a risk factor for cardiovascular problems.
The authors, from Johns Hopkins and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, state that low 25(OH)D levels (the standard biochemical marker to measure vitamin D in the blood) are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure levels, stroke, and congestive heart failure, as well as obesity and diabetes.
Drugs typically prescribed for reducing cholesterol have no impact on Lp(a) levels. In fact, a study involving these drugs showed an increase in Lp(a) levels! And therein lies the dilemma.
While drugs prescribed to help you attain and maintain healthy cholesterol can reduce LDL, they can’t alter Lp(a). If you find that Lp(a) runs in your family, you must attack it with an alternative approach. Here’s what I recommend:
Follow my Pan-Asian Modified Mediterranean diet, making sure to eat fresh fish at least two to three times a week. Eat fresh fruits, legumes, cold-water fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel or fish oils, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which blocks the inflammatory and blood-clotting capabilities of Lp(a). Omit saturated fats. Instead, choose monounsaturated fats like olive oil and polyunsaturated fats like alpha-linolenic acid, found in flaxseed and flaxseed oil. (These are excellent tips to adhere to for overall cardiovascular nutrition.)
Take 100 mg of niacin, twice a day. If you experience side effects like flushing, headache, and diarrhea, follow the diet and stop the niacin. You can try a lower dosage at a later date, then slowly increase the dose to 500 mg a day, twice a day for further protection. TwinLabs' quick-acting Niacin is a good product.
Take 1–2 grams of vitamin C and 100–200 mg of CoQ10 each day.
Policosanol—20 mg daily at bedtime.
Exercise regularly.
Ask your doctor about screening techniques to assess your heart risk factors. If you’re concerned, you and your family members should have your Lp(a) and other risk factors (homocysteine, fibrinogen and serum ferritin) evaluated by your doctor.
Be aware of other risk factors for cardiovascular problems, including smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, glucose intolerance and repressed emotions, which can have a harmful effect on the health of your heart.
I have known for years that catch-and-release fly fishing is the #1 thing that reduces my busy husband’s stress levels. And, intuitively, I’ve been convinced that Dr Sinatra might escape cardiovascular problems himself, and even live longer, if he fished more often than his busy schedule often allowed. So, this month, I was very happy to see him set aside some extra days before his annual all-guy fishing trip time to fish a few extra bonefish “flats” by himself.
For Dr Sinatra, fly fishing is a form of “moving meditation.” His entire focus is engaged in studying nature—the nuances in the movement of the water’s surface, the behavior of the bait fish and surrounding birds, the direction of the wind, and the luminescence of the sun’s rays. Then there is best part—the soft scream of his line running out over the reel when a fish takes the fly and runs with it!
Now there is scientific evidence that stress reduction—whatever form it takes for you—bolsters longevity by directly impacting your DNA in a favorable fashion.
Groundbreaking research out of USCF has won investigators the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology. And it is something you, too, should know about if you’re looking to prevent heart attack and stroke, avoid cardiovascular problems, or just live a longer, healthier life!
Even before the American Heart Association finally identified “stress” as an independent factor for cardiovascular problems, Dr Sinatra was facilitating workshops to help local cardiac patients learn to identify their stressors, as well as discover interventions to alleviate them. Over decades since, we have finally collected sound research that stress reduction lowers blood pressure levels, relieves physiological strain on the heart, and may even save your life. I am proud to report that Dr Sinatra even contributed to that research!
Now we are learning that there may actually be changes to our DNA to enhance longevity if we can manage to reduce our levels of psychological distress.
The sudden onset of an emotional assault such as the loss of a loved one can be so intense that it can trigger serious cardiovascular problems – including a heart attack and stroke. This has to do with the release of your body’s “fight or flight” hormones in response to stress.
The “fight or flight” response is a set of involuntary physiological changes that occur whenever you are faced with a stressful or threatening situation. When your body enters into this response, the released adrenaline raises blood pressure and increases your heart rate and breathing. If your body remains in this alarm mode for any length of time, you become prone to stress-producing conditions, ranging from aching neck muscles and headaches to ulcers, allergies, diminished sexual desire and heart risk factors.
However, if the adrenaline rush is intense enough, it could lead to a heart attack.
Let me start out by saying that I realize it may feel strange to discuss cardiovascular problems in the context of your emotions. Your feelings are probably not something you ever thought about in connection with heart risk factors.
You may already be aware of heart risk factors commonly reported in the popular press and medical journals: older age, unfavorable family history, poor diet, elevated blood fats, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, high blood pressure, cigarette smoking and personality type (the infamous “Type A”).
This is why I want to make you aware of how the “lesser known” heart risk factor—your mind—affects your body. I want you to take advantage of new information that could dramatically improve your healing process.
I’m not surprised that you haven’t heard much about heartbreak’s role in heart disease. Heartbreak is not considered a medical “condition” because love is not a recognized physical function. Until recently, physiology has limited itself to the mechanics and chemistry of how organs work and has ignored the impact of various emotional states on those functions. Science is necessarily confined to phenomena that can be measured and quantified.
Although the feeling states lie outside the realm of science, I think it’s a mistake to exclude them from our understanding of the human body. Love is a tremendously vital force in human behavior, and I firmly believe that we must try to understand its nature and the role it plays in our emotional and physical health.
I want to make it clear that love and intimacy cannot “cure” cardiovascular problems. But if you learn to cope with heartbreak, anger, or resentment, rather than suppressing the feelings, you’ll be doing your heart a world of good. You will harness the power of your emotions to heal your body. Honesty, tears, and smiles have as much to do with recovering from cardiovascular problems as eating well, exercising, and taking vitamins.
I am always amazed at how frequently someone asks me about the “dangers” of grapefruit juice. I remember learning about the connection between grapefruit and medication back in 1989 when I was a practicing cardiac nurse.
We always warned patients that the seemingly healthy grapefruit could interfere with the medications they were taking, an effect that became well-publicized after being responsible for a number of deaths due to accidental overdosing on medication. It is always so upsetting when something as healthy as adding fresh juice, rich in vitamin C, to the diet is learned to be potentially hazardous.
At least 50 known medications are affected by grapefruit, including those used to treat cancer, depression, pain, impotence, HIV, allergies, the immune system, and various cardiovascular problems. Even Coumadin is on the list.
In some instances, the fruit increases the action of the medication (essentially putting you at risk for overdose). Two of the most common examples of this are calcium channel blockers (used to treat high blood pressure levels, angina, and arrhythmia) and statins (used in reducing cholesterol). In other cases, grapefruit can inhibit absorption of medications.
Dr Sinatra reported about grapefruit and dangerous medication interactions years ago in Heart, Health, & Nutrition. Now, the FDA mandates that drugs undergo testing for reactions with grapefruit, and an appropriate warning label is included with each prescription. Nevertheless, it’s reported that many patients, nurses and doctors aren’t aware of the interactions or the potential serious consequences.
The take-home message for you is to read the labels on any products you take. Be aware of food-drug interactions. They are REAL. If you are taking anything that has a warning about grapefruit on the label, ELIMINATE it from your diet until you can discuss your options with your doctor.
Ground flaxseed has the ability to lower your blood pressure levels and to help you to reach good cholesterol levels. It can also reward you with healthier skin, improved digestion, and a cleaner bowel, which results in less energy drain on the liver – the most important filter of the body.
You see, you can get two key types of essential fatty acids from flaxseed because it contains 19 percent activated omega-6s and 48 percent of an omega-3 precursor, alpha linolenic acid. This makes it a perfect food for people who are looking for natural ways to lower blood pressure and maintain overall good health.
In general, freshly ground flaxseed is better than flax oil because you’re assured the oil in the seed is fresh, plus you’re getting extra fiber and plant lignans. Simply grind two tablespoons of flaxseed and sprinkle on food or blend in a breakfast drink three to four times per week.
Click here for a delicious smoothie recipe using flaxseed and here for the recipe for a heart healthy flaxseed bran muffin to go with it!
For years now, I’ve been telling my readers and patients to avoid acetaminophen—especially the extra-strength variety—because of the potential for liver problems. I’ve also said to avoid NSAIDs because of the potential for gastrointestinal bleeding, liver damage, and kidney dysfunction.
My advice is clearly supported by a report from the Harvard School of Medicine’s ongoing Nurses' Health Study that suggests that the use of painkillers can make it difficult for women to control high blood pressure.
The report, published in the September 2005 issue of Hypertension, concluded that women are at increased risk for high blood pressure if they take daily doses of non-aspirin painkillers—such as extra-strength acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin).
This observation is especially troubling for pain-ridden patients looking for alternatives after learning a few years ago that prescription NSAID painkillers (such as Vioxx) are associated with higher risk for cardiovascular problems.
The Harvard study involved 5,123 women age 34 to 77, none of whom had high blood pressure at the onset. Here are the results:
For women not taking painkillers, the risk of developing high blood pressure levels was about 1 to 3 percent a year.
Women who were taking an average daily dose of more than 500 mg of acetaminophen (one extra-strength tablet) had a 93 to 99 percent increased risk of developing high blood pressure (and, most likely, a more difficult time maintaining healthy blood pressure) within three years, compared to women taking less than 500 mg.
Women who were taking more than 400 mg a day of over-the-counter NSAIDS (the equivalent of two ibuprofen) had a 60 to 78 percent increased risk of developing high blood pressure levels, compared to women taking less than 400 mg.
The widespread use of acetaminophen and over-the-counter NSAIDs may contribute to the high prevalence of chronic hypertension in the United States.
Please take this information to heart. If you take painkillers regularly, please inform your doctor. He or she may have some safer recommendations. Here are a few of mine:
White willow bark (180 mg twice a day); or
Low-dose aspirin (325–650 mg a day as tolerated, but discontinue if you experience abdominal discomfort); or
SAM-e (200–400 mg, once or twice a day as needed).
Remember, there are always safer alternatives to “the business-as-usual” drugs we’re being marketed in the media.
We have received several comments expressing a concern on proper supplementation—which nutrients are important, the right dosage, getting the biggest bang for your buck, etc. When we developed a nutrient line with Dr. Sinatra, we asked ourselves the very same questions.
We (and Dr. Sinatra!) believe that the foundation for healthy heart nutrition lies first and foremost in a solid multinutrient. A good multivitamin and mineral formula should contain, among other nutrients, significant levels of antioxidants, calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and folic acid.
And no cardiovascular nutrition advice would be complete without discussing fish oil. The omega-3s found in a high-quality fish oil are crucial for cardiovascular nutrition, promoting healthy blood pressure levels, good triglycerides, HDL/LDL cholesterol ratios, and more.
Lastly, given the time of year, you may also want to take nutrients that provide solid immune protection. A good immune product should contain a blend a nutrients, including quercetin, alpha lipoic acid, resveratrol, astaxanthin, and bromelain. Not only do many of these nutrients have heart benefits, but they also help to strengthen your immune system, as well as promote healthy aging.
As a cardiologist and a holistic health practitioner, I take blood pressure levels of every patient who comes into my office. And sadly enough, oftentimes, I find that that their blood pressure levels are too high. As you probably know, high blood pressure levels are often a precursor to serious cardiovascular problems, including heart attack and stroke, so this is a situation that I take very seriously.
Some of these patients, however, tell me that they are doing all they can to control high blood pressure and that when they go home and measure it themselves, their blood pressure levels are normal. Occasionally they’ll ask if the instruments in my office are off, or if my staff misread the result.
The actual problem, however, is a common condition called white-coat hypertension (WCH). It’s used to describe people who become anxious over a visit to a physician, dentist, or medical facility. The visit evokes a fight-or-flight response, and their blood pressure levels go up.
Research has shown that abnormally high blood pressure readings in a medical setting could be more than just a benign byproduct of anxiety. Although the condition is poorly understood, WCH could be a precursor to high blood pressure levels, poor blood circulation, and other cardiovascular problems.
A Danish study published in the Journal of Human Hypertension found a heightened cardiovascular event risk for patients with WCH over a 10-year period. A Japanese study reported in the journal Hypertension Research suggests that WCH contributes to carotid arteriosclerosis. And in another Japanese medical report, based on eight years of observation, researchers suggest that WCH is a “transitional condition to hypertension” and may carry a “poor cardiovascular prognosis.”
If you experience WCH, I suggest you take the following high blood pressure remedies to get it under control and avoid potential cardiovascular problems:
Introduce a regular stress-reduction program into your life. That could include activities such as exercise, tai-chi, meditation, or yoga. This is a wonderful way of lowering blood pressure naturally.
Watch the salt (again). This cardiovascular nutrition tip can’t be stressed enough.
Start taking blood pressure-friendly supplements on a daily basis—such as fish oil (2,000-3,000 mg), magnesium (400-800 mg), hydrosoluble CoQ10 (50-150 mg), and a garlic supplement high in allicin (500-1,000 mg). You can find these supplements in most health food stores.
One of the many things you can do to control high blood pressure levels is to carefully watch your salt intake. Doing so is one of those simple high blood pressure remedies that doesn’t involve a doctor’s visit or a pill -- and that’s a very good thing!
Your body requires sodium (a component of salt) to regulate fluid balance and distribution, as well as nerve and muscle cell function. But, while you need some sodium, the standard diet includes way too much. This is one of the reasons why so many people have blood pressure levels that are too high and suffer with a myriad of other cardiovascular problems.
The current recommendation for salt consumption is less than 2,400 mg of sodium a day, which amounts to about one teaspoon of salt. Recent research suggests that people ingesting less than 1,500 mg of sodium a day are better able to maintain healthy blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure levels, you should definitely aim for that number. Don’t use salt from the shaker, and read labels to add up the amount you’re taking in.
Many items at fast food restaurants are high in salt, so you can easily exceed the recommended level with one serving. That’s why I’ve always strongly urged people who are looking for natural ways to lower blood pressure levels, improve blood circulation, or to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke to avoid fast food restaurants. Going to one once in a while is okay for most people, but regular visits are a sure way to cause cardiovascular problems.
You can easily make up for the reduced salt in your diet by cooking with fresh herbs and spices such as basil, garlic, oregano, rosemary, chives, parsley, and onion. What’s more, all of these flavorings contain natural substances that make them good for any cardiovascular nutrition program, but also good for your overall health.
For decades I’ve been making spaghetti sauce for family and friends. As I prepare the sauce over the course of a day, I repeatedly taste it to make sure that I get it just right.
Twenty or so years ago, I noticed that the day after the meal I had gained a few pounds—and I was unusually thirsty as well. I was perplexed until I investigated and learned that the canned tomatoes, pastes, and purees I was using were high in salt.
Here I was, a cardiologist, as well as a holistic health practitioner, and I hadn’t made the connection. Excess salt contributes to water retention, and that was my problem. Of course, too much salt also makes it difficult to control high blood pressure and contributes toward a myriad of other heart risk factors.
I quickly changed my ways and my spaghetti sauce recipe. I started avoiding foods high in salt, which meant reading labels on foods in the grocery store. (This one act alone is an excellent way to naturally maintain good blood pressure levels.)Most people don’t think they eat too much salt because they didn’t use a salt shaker. Unfortunately, that’s simply not the case.
The average adult consumes the equivalent of nearly two teaspoons of salt a day—practically two times the upper limit for good health. And the majority of that excess salt is hidden in processed foods, such as canned spaghetti sauces, soups, and dill pickles.
I’ll never forget a patient of mine who had chronic hypertension and ate his fill of canned ham (packed with salt) on Easter Sunday. The next day he was in the emergency room with a hypertensive crisis and acute heart failure. His heart just couldn’t handle the large amount of salt he had consumed.
His was an extraordinary situation, but it underscores the need to be careful with salt intake. So let his story and mine be lessons for you as well.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure levels (or hypertension) is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Often, there are no symptoms, so you may not know you have it unless you have your blood pressure levels (BP) checked regularly.
A person is considered to have high blood pressure levels when he or she has a systolic pressure of 140 mmHg or greater, and/or a diastolic pressure of 90 mmHg or greater. Systolic is the pressure when your heart contracts, and diastolic is the pressure between heartbeats when your heart relaxes. Eighty percent of people fall in the borderline-to-moderate range, which is 120–180 systolic over 90–114 diastolic. A normal blood pressure is considered 120 over 80 or lower.
High blood pressure levels are the result of your heart having to work harder to pump adequate blood through your system. Reasons for this include constricted arteries, emotional tension, poor nutrition, hormone imbalances, and innate physical tendencies. For example, women are more likely to have high blood pressure levels because they have smaller arteries than men.
There are often no symptoms—which is why hypertension is called the “silent killer.” However, unexplained headaches can be one noticeable sign. Flushing—when you feel heat in the face, or get red in the face when angry—is another.
Obviously, it’s better to maintain healthy blood pressure than to have to treat it. In the interest of prevention, over the next several blog entries, I will share several important points that can help you keep high blood pressure levels at bay.
Any approach to lowering your heart risk factors must begin with lifestyle. I am going to put the ball in your court: Can you reduce LDL cholesterol levels, lower your blood pressure levels, lose weight, walk more, dance more, love more, reduce stress?
You can do this with a Mediterranean diet, exercise, emotional release, stress management, vitamins and minerals, touch therapy, phytonutrients, and L-arginine. If you have heart disease, it is essential that you incorporate as many of these complementary methods as possible to protect the integrity of your blood vessels.
I challenge my patients, as I’m challenging you now, to become proactive. I’m saying to you, let’s walk with one another and make strides together. I’m going to give you more control over your health. But you must realize that all of the advice, medicine and technology in the world won’t help you if you continue to violate your system or be pessimistic or habitually angry.
If you have a family history of heart disease and abuse your body, you have a greater risk of heart attack and stroke. If you have no family history and abuse your body, you still increase your risk of heart attack and stroke, unless you are one of the fortunate few born with genetically high good cholesterol levels.
Sadly, some of my patients continue to live an unhealthy lifestyle despite the inevitable consequences. Others “get religion,” read my books and newsletter, but still need some outside help to control their symptoms.
Pure flax oil is the world's most abundant source of omega-3 fatty acids, containing an amazing 55 percent by weight. As such, flax oil offers incredible health benefits that should not be discounted.
Specifically, flax contains alpha linolenic acid, which your liver must break down to form the more commonly known omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. There has been debate about whether alpha linolenic acid effectively converts to EPA and DHA. However, research shows that it does.
Research suggests that increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can reduce several cardiovascular problems by helping to promote healthy cholesterol levels, as well as healthy triglycerides. They also help keep blood pressure levels in the normal range. In addition, omega-3s help reduce circulatory problems by supporting healthy circulation and blood flow throughout the body.
One of the best ways to reap these benefits from flax by eating ground flaxseed. And yes, you must grind the seeds to release the oil. Otherwise, they'll pass right through you, undigested. I recommend getting a coffee grinder and dedicating it to flaxseed, because you don't want to mix ground coffee and flax. It's not a taste sensation! Also, you must use the flax within hours of grinding it. Once exposed to air, the oil in ground flax goes rancid quickly. (For the same reason, flax oil must be refrigerated.)
You can sprinkle ground flax on just about anything—soups, stews, ice cream, you name it. Above all, avoid cooking with ground flax, because again, the oil will become rancid.
The beauty of flaxseed is that you get significant amounts of protein and fiber in a tiny package. In a typical 2 oz. serving (1/4 cup), you'll get approximately 11 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein. Exact amounts will vary with the quality of the flaxseed and how it's grown.
Easy Flax Shake
One of the easiest (and tastiest!) ways to get your daily flax is to add it to a shake or smoothie. Here’s one of my favorite versions.
1. Grind up 2 tablespoons of organic flaxseed. 2. In a blender, add 8 to 10 ounces of chilled soy milk, ½ a banana, 1 cup of your favorite berries, and the freshly ground flaxseed. 3. Blend well and enjoy!
remember learning about the connection between grapefruit and medication back in 1989 when I was a practicing cardiac nurse. 
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