Today, our near-term goal is nothing less than a 25% reduction in coronary heart disease and stroke risk by the year 2010.

As we work toward that goal, we’re working hard to change the perception that heart disease is a “man’s disease.” And it’s working! By teaching more and more women how to talk to their doctors about heart disease, we can save thousands of lives every year. Because the good news is that heart disease is often preventable!

And in case anyone still believes that heart disease is only a concern for older women, we encourage you to read the Inspiring Stories we’ve collected. Together, they make the case plain and simple: the time for action is now!

SOURCE: www.goredforwomen.org

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Low Fat Thanksgiving Gravy

Cider Gravy

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cider_gravy.html

From EatingWell:  November/December 2007

Low Fat Thanksgiving Gravy

Make this low-fat gravy in the roasting pan while the turkey rests. Apple cider adds rich fall flavor.

About 2 1/4 cups | Active Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 cups Turkey Giblet Stock, (recipe follows) or reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups apple cider
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. When you remove the turkey from the roasting pan, leave the roasted shallots behind. Skim off any visible fat from the pan juices.
2. Whisk 1/2 cup Turkey Giblet Stock (or chicken broth) and flour in a small bowl until smooth; set aside.
3. Set the roasting pan over two burners on medium-high heat. Add cider and vinegar; bring to a boil and cook, scraping up the browned bits from the pan, until the liquid is reduced by about half, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the remaining 3 1/2 cups stock (or broth). Increase heat to high; return to a boil, whisking often. Boil until the liquid is reduced by about half, 8 to 12 minutes.
4. Whisk the reserved flour mixture into the pan. Boil, whisking constantly, until the gravy is thickened, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the gravy through a fine sieve into a large measuring cup. (Discard the solids.) Season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition

Per 3-tablespoon serving : 28 Calories; 0 g Fat; 0 g Sat; 0 g Mono; 7 mg Cholesterol; 5 g Carbohydrates; 1 g Protein; 0 g Fiber; 56 mg Sodium; 28 mg Potassium

Exchanges: Free Food
Click here for a Printable recipe

Hoping to steer clear of the 10-pound weight gain over the holidays? Making some healthy substitutions in your Thanksgiving recipes may be all you need to cut back on the calories and fat this season and maintain your healthy lifestyle. Common ingredients such as eggs, butter, cream of mushroom soup and ice cream all have favorable substitutes for the health-conscious holiday reveler.

Healthy Thanksgiving Ideas

Here are some healthy ingredient substitution ideas for your Thanksgiving recipes:

Butter Substitutions for Thanksgiving
When the Thanksgiving recipe calls for butter, switch to light butter or an olive-oil based margarine for a healthier dish or dessert. Butter substitutions work especially well in baked goods where you can add applesauce or low-fat milk to the mix, ensuring a moist and flavorful dessert or holiday bread.

Egg Substitutions in Thanksgiving Recipes
If the recipe calls for eggs, consider substituting two egg whites or an egg substitute for a single whole egg. Egg substitutes are your closest choice to the ‘real thing’ for Thanksgiving recipes, but if you do decide to use egg whites, you may end up making a lighter and fluffier version of your favorite baked good. Keep in mind that egg substitutions don’t work as well for recipes that require only egg yolks (e.g . custards and puddings), so think of other ways to lower calories and fat content from dishes that demand real egg yolks.

Ice Cream Substitutions for Thanksgiving
When the recipe calls for ice cream, consider switching to a low-fat version of your favorite flavor, or serving frozen yogurt instead. Frozen yogurt typically has half the fat (or less) than regular ice cream, and has the added boost of protein and calcium. Low-fat ice cream may suffice for traditional Thanksgiving favorites such as apple pie a la mode, or ice cream sundaes.
Chocolate Substitutions in Thanksgiving Recipes
Substitute low-sugar or sugar-free chocolate syrup and chocolate bars for desserts. If you’re making Thanksgiving desserts that require real chocolate bars or chocolate syrup, you can substitute with a sugar-free or low-sugar version for a tasty and flavorful treat. You will be compromising on taste with these, but the payoff comes in the form of over 50% fewer calories and less than half the fat, in some cases.

Cream of Mushroom Soup Substitutions for Thanksgiving
Planning on making your famous green bean casserole this Thanksgiving? Substitute the cream of mushroom soup in the recipe for the fat-free version and no one will know the difference. The substitution will save you a few hundred calories per dish and will lower the fat content of this popular side.

Sour Cream Substitutions in Thanksgiving Recipes
If you’re required to use sour cream in a Thanksgiving recipe, or when making desserts such as cheesecake and puddings, make the switch to a low-fat sour cream or skip the sour cream altogether and use low-fat plain yogurt instead. Low-fat plain yogurt still has that ‘kick’ you need to add some flavor to your dish, and has a similar texture to sour cream, blending into most recipes with ease.

Cheese Substitutions for Thanksgiving
Whether you’re making cheese bread, cheese fondue or a cheese quiche for a Thanksgiving brunch, there are many ways to make your dish healthier. Low-fat versions of your favorite cheeses may not melt as well as the full-fat kind, but you can consider making the switch to mozzarella, Parmesan and extra-sharp cheeses that offer plenty of flavor and texture, without adding on too many calories and fat grams. Smaller servings of sharp-flavored cheeses may help to offset some of the quantities required in many Thanksgiving recipes.

SOURCE: Sabah Karimi
associatedcontent.com

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Traditionally, cardiovascular disease has been thought of as a “male” disease, but cardiovascular disease is in fact the leading cause of death for women as well as for men in the United States. In 2003, all forms of cardiovascular disease claimed the lives of about 500,000 American women, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). Statistically, 2 out of every 5 female deaths in the United States is caused by cardiovascular disease, especially coronary heart disease and stroke.

Alarmingly, studies continually reveal that women lack understanding of the risks they face from heart disease and stroke. While the media tends to emphasize breast cancer, cardiovascular disease claims more than 10 times as many lives as breast cancer annually and more than 8 times as many lives as lung cancer. It is responsible for more deaths annually among women than all other causes combined. Minority women face an even greater risk. Cardiovascular disease claims a significantly higher number of black and Mexican American women than white women, possibly because of higher rates of obesity and lack of exercise in these populations. While there has been positive news in recent years — overall rates of heart disease have declined in women, possibly due to risk factor reduction — there is still significant room for improvement in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women.

Studies are ongoing to understand the gap between the dangers of cardiovascular disease in women and its treatment. In recent years, researchers have begun to understand that women experience cardiovascular disease differently than men, especially coronary heart disease. It may have different symptoms, and onset tends to occur later in life. Because of these differences, women may be less likely to be referred for testing for heart disease. As a result, women have to be more assertive in seeking out appropriate care. Also, women have different target goals when it comes to controlling risk factors such as cholesterol levels and triglycerides. It is important that all women understand the dangers posed by cardiovascular disease and take appropriate steps to prevent it.

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Source: yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com

Broken Heart Syndrome (BHS) also called stress cardiomyopathy, is triggered by extreme and sudden emotional trauma. Reported triggers have included unexpected news of a death, domestic abuse, armed robbery, and even a surprise party. The condition manifests with symptoms suggesting an acute heart attack (severe pressure-like chest pain, shortness of breath, and a sense of impending doom).

BHS has been written about for many years in Japan (where it is called “octopus trap cardiomyopathy” because of the peculiar shape of the ballooning heart muscle), but until relatively recently it has been poorly recognized in the rest of the world.

From: heartdisease.about.com

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From: www.hopkinsmedicine.org

Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that sudden emotional stress can also result in severe but reversible heart muscle weakness that mimics a classic heart attack.  Patients with this condition, called stress cardiomyopathy but known colloquially as “broken heart” syndrome, are often misdiagnosed with a massive heart attack when, indeed, they have suffered from a days-long surge in adrenalin (epinephrine) and other stress hormones that temporarily “stun” the heart.

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From: takotsubo.com
Click here for more info and great illustrations
Tako-tsubo Cardiomyopathy or Syndrome is also known as:

* neurogenic myocardial stunning,
* stress cardiomyopathy
* stress-induced cardiomyopathy,
* transient left ventricular apical ballooning,
* “ampulla” cardiomyopathy
* “broken heart syndrome”.

Root cause of tako-tsubo syndrome: Stress appears to be the underlying root cause in many cases. Because of this, some have investigated an excessive norepinephrine release over the heart muscle. Because this mechanism is not yet proven scientifically to satisfaction, we are a bit helpless for the treatment of this syndrome (we really only have standard support measures that we give to other patients with standard heart failure). There are some attempts to give a calcium channel blocker to prevent coronary spasm, but there is no solid literature on that. Besides, patients often have low blood pressure, prevent us from giving a vasodilator such as a calcium channel blocker. Like everything else: better prevent and recognize tako-tsubo syndrome rather than wait for the full syndrome.

Donor heart removed 10 years after toddler’s piggyback heart transplant
n an unprecedented procedure reported online Monday in the medical journal Lancet, a donor heart was removed from a British girl, Hannah Clark, 10 years after it was grafted in a piggyback heart transplant. The procedure, known as a heterotopic heart transplant, was performed by Dr. Magdi Yacoub of Imperial College London and Harefield Hospital and involved grafting the donor heart, obtained from a five month-old baby, parallel to Hannah’s own heart.

Following the surgery, doctors found that Hannah’s heart had miraculously healed itself. Though they cannot explain how the regeneration happened, some researchers speculate that a small number of stem cells in the heart may have somehow been triggered in the crisis situation to heal the damaged tissue. If a treatment could be developed one day from this phenomenon many cardiac patients could be benefit.

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