Walnuts Can Reduce The Risk Of Heart Attack And Diabetes

As I have mentioned before here about nuts can reduce the risk of a heart attack.

According to another research by Yale University study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, overweight adults can reduce the mortality risk from diabetes and heart disease by eating walnuts.

Back in 2011, a scientific study, walnuts are said to rank number one as heart-healthy antioxidants. Joe Vinson, Ph.D said that walnuts contains almost twice as much antioxidants as an equivalent amount of any other commonly consumed nut. [source]

The latest study also revealed that people who ate nuts, particularly walnuts, tended to have a lower body mass index and a smaller waist. They were less likely to smoke and were more likely to be physically active.[source]

 As I have mentioned before here about nuts can reduce the risk of a heart attack.

Calcium Supplements And The Increase Risk Of Heart Attack

All this time, we have read or heard that calcium is one of the many minerals your body needs for building strong bones.

Now, I read there is a possibility that calcium supplement could increase the risk of having a heart attack.

Not only calcium supplements have also shown to have little benefit to prevent osteoporosis, a study have shown women with consumption of calcium from dairy products had the highest risk of fractures. And also those who took calcium supplements had the highest risk for kidney stones. [source]

Another shocking 2001 finding is that men who consumed calcium from  diary products and the risk of prostate cancer.


According to Robert Thompson, M.D.'s book "The Calcium Lie II: What Your Doctor Still Doesn't Know: How Mineral Imbalances Are Damaging Your Health", if you take too much calcium through food sources or by taking supplements, you are going to end up with problems, that include obesity, Type 2 diabetes, kidney stones, Type 2 hypothyroidism, hypertension, depression, problem pregnancies and others.

Calcium And Heart-Related Disease
Most of the time, we read that the fatty plaques in our arteries is the buildup of cholesterol. But according to this article, cholesterol is soft and does not damage the elasticity of our arteries.You can rad more about what the called "The Cholesterol Myths".

The main culprit is the calcium deposits that harden your arteries and damage their ability to expand.
Watch the video below about "The Calcium Lie":

Receding Hairline, Baldness, Baggy Eyes And Creased Earlobes Signs Of A Heart Attack

This is what presented at the American Heart Association`s Scientific Sessions 2012.

According to a research, found older folks who have:

1. receding hairline at the temples,

2. baldness at the head`s crown,

3. earlobe crease

4. yellow fatty deposits around the eyelid (xanthelasmata)

have a 57 per cent increased risk for heart attack and a 39 per cent increased risk for heart disease. [source]

Four Tell-Tale Signs Or symptoms You Are Going To Have A Heart Attack

What I have read is that many people who are over 35 years old, are already having the early stages of cardiovascular disease without even realizing it.

Remember heart attack is popularly known as a silent killer. It is reported as high as 25 percent of all heart attacks happen “silently,”; without any obvious signs.

Watch out for these four tell-tale or warning signs of impending heart attack and heart-related disease.

1. Suddenly breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

2. Uncomfortable pressure squeezing in the center of your chest, which lasts for a few minutes. It goes off and it may come back again.

3. Uncomfortable pain or aching at your upper body area, which include shoulders, neck, arms and jaws.

4. Shortness of breath.

 The key thing is the sooner you receive treatment, the less damage will be done to your heart.

Drinking Coffee And Green Tea Every Day Could Save Your Life

Good news for me and many others, I'm sure. There is a new study from The Land of The Rising Sun or Japan, says that those who drink both green tea and coffee every day have a lower risk of stroke than those who drink just one or the other (or neither).

According to this latest study published in the American Heart Association's journal called Stroke, people who had a cup of coffee every day were 20 percent less likely to have a stroke as compared to those who didn't drink coffee at all.

I am sure many of us have heard about the benefits (antioxidant properties) of drinking green tea. This time says that folks who drank four or more cups of green tea a day, were also about 20 percent less likely to have a stroke.

As coffee and green tea help prevent strokes in different ways, so it is advisable to drink both drinks to lower your risk of stroke.

It was explained that regular consumption of both green tea and coffee it keeps blood clots from forming. As we know a stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery in the brain or when a blood vessel breaks, thus causing an interruption of blood flow to the brain.

Green tea contains compounds known as catechins, which can help regulate blood pressure and improve blood flow. As for coffee, it contains quinides, compounds that can help control blood sugar; which cuts your risk of stroke by reducing your risk of Type 2 diabetes. [source]

Reduce Triglycerides To Prevent Heart-Related Problems

Some time ago I wrote about the level of triglycerides in your blood is an important indication of your health, especially your heart.

Today I read somewhere, in order to prevent triglycerides level from going up, do some light exercise after meals. Similarly as what I have mentioned in my past article, the researcher of Kyoto Prefectural University in Kyoto Japan, high triglyceride or fats in the blood level can put one at risk for cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and other heart-related conditions.

This Japanese researcher recommended that walking and light resistant training one hour after a fatty meal reduced the boost of triglycerides that normally occurs after consuming a high-fat meal.

So next time when you have your blood test, don't just concentrate on your cholesterol, but also look at your triglyceride level.

Less than 150 is Normal.
150 to 199 is Borderline-High.
200 to 499 is High.
500 or higher is Very High.

The causes of high triglycerides are usually caused by conditions, such as obesity, poorly controlled diabetes, kidney disease, regularly consuming more calories than you burn and also
drinking too much alcohol.

It is also said that some medicines may also cause to raise triglycerides, which include birth control pills, beta-blockers, steroids, estrogen, diuretics and tamoxifen.

Image courtesy of [anankkml] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Six Foods With Hidden Salt Which Can Cause Stroke And Heart Attack

We have been warned time and again the danger of consuming too much salt in our food intake. We know that we should not consume more than 5 grams of salt per day.

It is said that when we consume sodium or salt, it causes our body to retain water. Thus increases our blood pressure.

High blood pressure or hypertension is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.

But then again, back in 2011, there was an article published in the Nature magazine, which highlighted that there is no connection between of too much salt and the development of cardiovascular disease.

Anyway, whatever it is, I always believe we should always take everything in moderation.

Most of us when we mention salt, we always assume the salt shaker and those salty snacks are the culprits.

But in fact, there are foods which we have been consuming daily, without even knowing they are equally guilty of adding excess salt to our daily food intake.

Beware of these list of foods which are actually laden with salt:

1. Bread & Rolls
Do you know that a piece of bread is packed with about 230 mg of sodium?

2. Cold Cuts & Cured Meats
Next time when you are at the deli, go slow with all those cured meats, pre-packed turkey and cold cuts. It is said that a serving of deli can have as much as 1,050 mg of sodium.

3. Pizza
Do yo know just one innocent slice of pizza has about 760 mg of sodium?. Just stuffing two slices is and you have already hit the salt limit for the day!

4. Chicken Nuggets
If you can, avoid those frozen breaded chicken nuggets. They have about 600 mg of salt.

5. Canned Soup
A cup of canned soup contains around 940 mg salt.

6. Sandwiches
If you want to take sandwiches, avoid salt-filled condiments, such as mustard and ketchup.

[source:AFP-Relaxnews]

Which Is Worse, High Cholesterol Or High Triglycerides?

High Cholesterol Or High Triglycerides

The other day I went for my blood test. According to my doctor, she said generally I am physically fine. From my test results, other than the so-called good and bad cholesterol, I noticed this word "triglycerides".

When I asked my doctor about it, she just brushed off and mumbled that it was nothing important.

She just focused on the cholesterol levels. When I got home, out of curiosity. I looked it up in the internet and check out more about this medical terminology called triglycerides. And to my surprise, it seems triglycerides are in fact MORE important than cholesterol.

These are some of the information I found out from various sources, which I would like to share with you.

So, what are triglycerides? It is said that triglycerides are a type of fat that are important sources of energy to our muscles and our heart and other parts of our body.

Triglycerides are a type of fat (known as lipid) which you can’t control or get rid of them out of your diet because your body produces them from what you eat. And if you don’t cut off those calories you’ve ingested, your body will turn the rest into triglycerides and store them in fat cells.

In other words, if you have a high triglycerides, it simply means you have too much fat in the bloodstream. And according to many medical reports, it is a big problem.

From I have read, if you have problem burning those fat, it could lead you to chronic diseases of aging, and the risk of coronary heart disease.

Another thing which I found out was high triglycerides could be an early symptom of an increased risk of diabetes. According to a number of doctors, cholesterol or rather the bad cholesterol (LDL) is not the major culprit in heart disease.

Interestingly, some claim that there is so such thing as good and bad cholesterol. Both are lipoprotein. Or fats combined with proteins.

I also found out that the amount of cholesterol that one consumes has very little contribution to your cholesterol levels. It is said that most of the cholesterol in your bloodstream comes from what your liver; which manufactures and distributes it.

In fact we all need cholesterol in our body. It is a necessary ingredient in any kind of cellular repair. One of its function is to keep your cell membranes from falling apart.

There have been so many reports which said that those with high risk of heart attack, do not need to take cholesterol-lowering drugs; particularly the so-called "statins".

It was revealed that basically it is all about business. The multi-billion dollar sales of statin drugs. They discovered that eight of the nine "experts" who recommend the use of statin drugs, were on the payroll of pharmaceutical companies that manufacture those drugs.

In fact, cholesterol-lowering drugs have said to be harmful to muscles causing them damage. Many people who take statin, experience muscular aches and pains. This drug also said to cause nerve damage and to greatly impair memory.

So, it appears to me, I should be concerned with the level of triglycerides. In other words, triglycerides matter. So, how much triglycerides is considered normal or safe? Check the information below:

Normal — Less than 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or less than 1.7 millimoles per L (mmol/L)

Borderline High — 150 to 199 mg/dL (1.8 to 2.2 mmol/L)
   
High — 200 to 499 mg/dL (2.3 to 5.6 mmol/L)
   
Very High — 500 mg/dL or above (5.7 mmol/L or above)

From what I read in Mayo clinic, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that a triglyceride level of 100 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L) or lower is considered "optimal." This optimal level would improve your heart health.

The AHA doesn't recommend any drug treatment to reach the optimal level. What it suggests is,  make lifestyle changes, such as diet, weight loss and physical activity.

So for those of you who have high triglycerides, you better start to follow a healthier diet with more fruits, vegetables, fiber, and whole grains. Plus, watch your weight and most of all, exercise more regularly. Start off by doing brisk walking and it can burn your calories, thus lowering your triglycerides.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Risks Of Taking Aspirin For Older Folks

Do you know the risks of taking aspirin for older folks? I am sure you have read about the use of aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke. It says aspirin can help to thin the blood and reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke. But according researchers, those older folks who have been take aspirin to prevent strokes, is actually increasing their risk. In other words, aspirin is doing more harm than good to them.

Researchers discovered over 75 year-old folks who have taking blood-thinning drugs like aspirin and warfarin have more strokes. In fact, the proportion of seniors taking these drugs increased from 4 percent to 40 percent. [source]

Anyway, the best way to reduce the risk of stroke or heart disease is to go for your regular blood pressure checkup, eat a well-balanced diet, stop smoking, drink alcohol in moderation, reduce your salt intake and go for your exercise, like brisk walking or take up meditation.

How To Reduce Heart Disease With Exercise

We all know exercise can reduce the risk cardiovascular disease. But do you know that you don't need hours of strenuous exercise?

Read and find out how to reduce heart disease with exercise.

I came across an article which says a recent study reveals that by doing just 15 minutes a day or 90 minutes a week of moderate intensity exercise a day can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Besides reducing the risk of heart disease, the 15 minute-exercise a day, can reduce death and even extend your life expectancy. The study shows that with that minimum amount of physical exercise it can reduce your risk of death by fourteen percent. Yes, you get an extra three years of life expectancy.

Furthermore, according to the researchers, for every additional 15 minutes of exercise beyond that per day, it can reduced mortality by 4 percent, even for those of cardiovascular disease. [source]

It is said that exercise helps to lower the bad cholesterol (LDL) and raises the good cholesterol (HDL). In addition, exercise reduces inflammation in the body and makes it more difficult for blood to clot and cause blockage of coronary arteries.

Another Tip On How To Reduce Heart Disease With Exercise
From an article published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, it indicates that with a moderate amount of exercise seems to be beneficial.

Just two hours of brisk walking every week is enough to lower the risk of reducing the risk of heart disease.

Go for 17 minutes brisk walking a day and your risk of having heart disease is greatly reduced by 40 percent. No need to huff and puff. Just brisk walking. [source]

Image: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Quotes About Optimism And Life

Today's topic: Quotes About Optimism And Life

What does optimism mean? Hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. In other words, tending to take a hopeful and positive view of future outcomes. If you are an optimist, you tend to look at the brighter side of life and happier outlooks on life. You have a greater chance to achieve more in life and enjoy life to the fullest.

Optimism And Health Benefits

According to a study by the University of Pennsylvania's Martin Seligman, Ph.D., and Gregory Buchanan, Ph.D., folks who learn to maintain an optimistic attitude, not only can they avoid depression, but their physical health improve as well.

Optimists Live Longer
It is proven that optimists not only potentially be happier, they could also have a healthier heart and immune system. They live longer and healthier. These positive people less likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes or even take up smoking.

Learned Optimism How To Change Your Mind

If you want to find out more about optimism, then you should get Martin Seligman's best seller "Learned Optimism: How To Change Your Mind And Your Life". Learning optimism is about you consciously challenging any negative self talk.

In the meantime, read through these quotes about optimism and life. Hopefully these optimistic quotes can lead you to walk on the sunny side of life.

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” - Winston Churchill

“The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose” - Kahlil Gibran

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." - Albert Einstein

“Teaching is the greatest act of optimism” - Colleen Wilcox

"Optimism is the foundation of courage." - Nicholas Murray Butler

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I try to avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward." - Charlotte Bronte

"If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come." - Chinese Proverb

“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” - Jimmy Dean

“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.” - Peace Pilgrim

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” - Helen Keller

"The world of achievement has always belonged to the optimist." - J. Harold Wilkins

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” - Maria Robinson

"If the sky falls we shall catch larks." - American Proverb

“Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A word of optimism and hope. And you can do it when things are tough.” - Richard M. DeVos

"Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you." - Jan Goldstein

“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise” - Oscar Wilde

"While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us." - Benjamin Franklin

"If you can imagine it you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it." - William Arthur Ward

“I'm a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will” - Antonio Gramsci

"Always look at what you have left. Never look at what you have lost." - Robert H. Schuller

"It's not that optimism solves all of life's problems; it is just that it can sometimes make the difference between coping and collapsing." - Lucy Macdonald

"Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other." - Brian Tracy

"Optimism. The doctrine or belief that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly." - Ambrose Beirce

"People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them." - Epictetus

"We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words.
Keep your words positive, because your words become your behavior.
Keep your behavior positive, because your behavior become your habits.
Keep your habits positive, because your habits become your values.
Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny." - Mahatma Gandhi

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Find Out The Cholesterol Truth From Dr Earnest N. Curtis

Here are some interesting facts about the cholesterol truth: According to Dr. Ernest N. Curtis, a California cardiologist, your cholesterol levels have nothing to do with whether you develop heart disease, stroke or has a heart attack.

We all have read or be informed that too much of bad cholesterol is the contributing factor of atherosclerosis, aka hardening of the arteries. But according to this doctor, the hardening of arteries is a biological fact of aging. In other words, your arteries harden with age and NOT because of too much of saturated fat and bad cholesterol in your diet.

The Cholesterol Truth You Need To Know

Dr Curtis says that cholesterol is not deposited on the inner surface of the arteries and then built up over time and thus block the flow of blood, as we all have learned from our cardiologists. Actually, there is no built-up of deposit on the inner lining of the artery. Our artery hardens is because of a proliferation of smooth muscle cells from the middle layer of the wall of the artery.

These layers of cell form a firm plaque which hardens that portion of the arterial wall. In his over thirty years of cardiology training, Dr Curtis found most patients with advanced atherosclerosis had different cholesterol levels.

He added that according to statistics, men suffer heart attacks at a rate 3-5 times that for women. But on the average, women have higher cholesterol levels than men. When he studied the figures closely, he found that patients with heart attacks, all have different cholesterol levels.

He argues that if the human body manufactures 80-90 per cent of the cholesterol in our system, then how could we survive with so much toxic substance in the arteries? In his research, this cardiologist also discovered there were dubious data and statistics, unscientific reasoning, and statistical manipulation designed to make cholesterol as the culprit of causing heart attacks and strokes.

Dr Curtis even called it outright scientific fraud. Well, if you want to know more about the cholesterol truth or hoax, then get his book "The Cholesterol Delusion". The book is helpful for those who have high levels of cholesterol are high and also for those who have been prescribed statin drugs.

Check Out This Drinking Green Tea Information

Drinking green tea information. I keep hearing people asking these questions: Is it good to drink green tea everyday? Is it healthy or bad to drink green tea everyday? How much green tea to drink for help benefits?

It is said that green tea has many health benefits, as it contains a plant nutrient known as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). It says that it can help to burn fat (especially belly fat) faster, stabilizes your energy, lower the risks of various form of cancer, prevent skin damage and formation of wrinkles, and kills free radicals.

Drink Green Tea In Moderation

And of course we have read countless articles about drinking green tea can help to lower the risk of heart disease. It says to reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or aka "bad" cholesterol, while maintaining the the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or the good cholesterol level.

Anyway, recently I read that according to a study, it says drinking green tea only reduces slightly less than 2 per cent of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The researchers said it is catechins (a type of antioxidant) in the green tea which which decrease the absorption of cholesterol in the gut.

So we are advised not to resort to merely drinking green tea as a cholesterol-lowering medicines for people with high cholesterol.

In addition, some researchers are concerned about the possible side effects from drinking too much green tea or green tea extracts. There have been reported case of liver damage, and green tea may also reduce the effectiveness of some medications.

So, just like every other things in life. The simple advice is drink your green tea in moderation.

Image: happykanppy / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Cholesterol Myths: True Or False?

What do you think of the cholesterol myths? As a layman, we are confused by the so-called findings of medical researches; especially about the correlation between cholesterol, saturated fat and heart disease.

All these while, we read that high cholesterol levels are the cause of heart disease. But now we keep hearing conflicting and contradictory findings about saturated fat and cholesterol which are said to be the cause of heart disease.

According to doctor-author of "The Cholesterol Myths" Uffe Ravnskov, cholesterol is not a deadly poison, but a substance vital to the cells of all mammals. There are no such things as good or bad cholesterol. There is no strong evidence that too much animal fat and cholesterol in the diet promotes atherosclerosis or heart attacks. Many scientists and physicians believe that cholesterol and saturated fat are wrongly accused for causing heart disease.

I have also read Dr Al Sears' book "The Doctor's Heart Cure" which also says that cholesterol does not cause heart disease, but instead it is the high homocysteine levels. And it is not fat, but starches which is the culprit of heart disease.

There is a fat researcher says that the key to stopping heart disease is by eating less sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Plus minimizing free radical damage by not consuming refined and therefore rancid vegetable oils and by reducing systemic stress.

The reason why we laymen, and even doctors and most scientists have been misled over these cholesterol myths is because opposing and disagreeing results are systematically ignored or misquoted in the scientific press.

There are claims that those cholesterol-lowering drugs which are supposed to address the true cause of heart disease are actually killing us as well. Those statin drugs which lower the cholesterol levels seem to be associated with higher rates of cancer.

Then you may ask, why are we still using these dangerous drugs? Well, It is said that perhaps pharmaceutical companies and the processed-food industry made mega bucks by keeping this "false" belief alive. Statin drugs like Lipitor, Mevacor, Zocor, etc are big money earners. Remember heart disease is still the number one killer in the world.

Personally, I am still in the dark over who is right or who is wrong over the cholesterol myths. When I had my heart problem, I was told of high level of cholesterol, plaque blockages and hereditary (my mum and brother died of heart attack).

Anyway, for those of you who are suffering from heart attack warning signs, quickly go for your checkup now.

Heart Attack Warning Signs You Should Know

Before I had my coronary heart problem, I did not bother much about heart attack warning signs. I had never read or find out more about this silent killer.

After all, I didn't gorge on high cholesterol junk food, consume food or drink laden with excess sodium. The only things were, I didn't exercise, and I was living a sedentary lifestyle. Since I didn't have any health problems, I didn't go for medical checkup. Like many folks, I thought it would never happen to me. Anyway, I was not overweight, having any chest pain or shortness of breath. I thought heart attacks are just like those featured in movies; those sudden and intense where the victims felt pain and grabbed their chests and collapsed.

After I was diagnosed of having coronary heat problem, then only I found more about heart attack warning signs and symptoms from my doctor. Not all heart attacks are sudden and intense like what we see in the movies. Some will just appear slowly with mild pain or discomfort, which what had happened to me.

It was from my own experience with an heart attack, I came to know terms like angina, ECG (electrocardiogram), Thrombolysis, (PCI) Percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary angioplasty, etc.

Anyway, here are some common heart attack warning signs:

- When you feel discomfort pressure squeezing in the center of the chest.

- When you feel discomfort in other areas of the upper body, like neck, jaw and both arms.

- When you are having shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.

- When you break out in a cold sweat, feeling nausea

For many of us, we feel that all the above symptoms are just normal when we are not feeling well, may not serious warning signs of a heart attack.

Anyway, if you are suffering from any of these or all of these symptoms, you should quickly call 9-1-1 or get help from someone who happens to be in the vicinity.

For those of you who are not sure it's a heart attack sign, I strongly advise you to go for check up. Tell your doctor about your symptoms. I did not know all these heart attack warning signs before, and it nearly cause my life. So take it from me, read more about heart attack and its warning signs.

Want To Reduce The Risk Of Heart Attack: Eat Nuts!

Do you know that you can reduce the risk of hear attack by eating nuts? I know most of us will think you are a nut, when you tell them that nuts are part of a healthy diet. Like many others, I too tried to avoid nuts before because of their high fat content and calories. Now, let's forget everything you ever heard "bad" about nuts. Actually they are not that "bad".

Several studies over the past several years have shown the health benefits of nuts. They contain monounsaturated fat, vitamin E, folic acid, magnesium, copper, protein, and fiber, and are rich in antioxidant phytochemicals.

But a word of caution here. As you already knew that nuts have high calories, so the key thing is you need to control the portion. What I mean is don't overindulge!

It is said that nuts are nutritious and they can dramatically reduce the risk of heart disease. They also help to lower the density of lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) or "bad" cholesterol levels and raise "good" cholesterol levels. In addition, they can help dilate blood vessels and prevent hardening of the arteries. I read somewhere the nut consumption appears to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes; and, in spite of their high fat content, nuts do not necessarily make us fat. Wow! Isn't it great?

So, it is time to go nuts at nuts, but know your limit of intake. As I have just mentioned nuts are quite calorically dense. For instance, 15 cashews have 180 kcal! You got go slow or restrain yourself from overeating them.

Health Is Wealth

Today I would to share with you my personal experience of health and happiness. We keep hearing the adage: "Health is wealth." The problem with adage or old saying is, it sounds cliched and trite. This old saying "health is wealth" seems dated and meaningless to almost every one of us. We don't give a hoot, until the day when we are seriously down with illness or some critical health problem. Only then, you realize this old saying is not silly or cliched.

I know because I was one of those indifferent folks who always scoff at "health is wealth", until I had a heart attack. Then suddenly my life took a drastic turn. I went for angiogram test, and result showed I had coronary artery disease. I went through a painful, risky and expensive bypass surgery. I was given a second chance at life, so to speak.

My life has changed from that fateful day. Now I have to be wary of my diet and my daily activities. No more physical or mental stress. From that day onward, I view life very differently. I appreciate every living moment and never take things for granted now. The value of health is seldom known until it is lost.

Someone says count your heart beats, before you count your bucks. Always stay healthy, then only you have the chance to be wealthy and happy.

health and happiness heart attack angiogram health is wealth adage coronary artery disease