Reversing Heart Disease and An Anniversary To Celebrate

Well trumpets please, today is an important day!

It marks the 5-year anniversary of Bill’s “event.”  He prefers “event” to heart attack, and says it was the whack upside the head he needed to realize it was time to up his game.

reversing heart disease fixitplan

Five Years Ago Today …

Chugging along back then, Bill was overweight, struggling with uncontrolled blood pressure (though recently on BP medication),  his cholesterol was somewhat elevated along with his LDL and triglycerides.  Even though we thought we ate pretty good, and even though we exercised 2-3 times a week, his heart attack fired the warning shot.   We had work to do!

We are SO fortunate to have been in the ER checking out the chest pain we hoped was  heartburn because he had the heart attack right then and there!  Blessfully resulting in no permanent damage to his heart.  I’ve told this whole story here in:  “The Beginning.”

We desperately wanted to know “CAN THIS BE FIXED?  HOW?”

Continue reading Reversing Heart Disease and An Anniversary To Celebrate

Chana Masala

“Quick & Easy Chana Masala”
from Oh She Glows

heart healthy chana masala over rice

I just made Chana Masala for the first time, and I’m so happy to have discovered this recipe because it’s exceedingly heart healthy and delicious!   A dish popular in India and around the world, made with chickpeas, onions and spices, it’s flavorful and satisfying.  Chickpeas are loaded with protein and cholesterol-lowering fiber, and are a great source of folate, manganese, iron and magnesium.

“What you eat can fuel or cool inflammation.” 

~Harvard Health Publications

Plus this dish contains garlic, ginger and turmeric–some of the top anti-inflammatory foods and spices!  We know inflammation plays a role in heart disease, heart attack and Continue reading Chana Masala

MOCHA EMPOWER GLO BARS

“Coffee and Chocolate–the inventor of mocha should be sainted” ~ Cherise Sinclair, Hour of the Lion

 Mocha Empower Glo Bars

Mocha Empower Glo Bars
Oh She Glows Every Day

It has finally arrived! Angela Liddon’s newest cookbook “Oh She Glows Every Day”!  I pre-ordered it and then life got busy and I forgot all about it, so it was like a special gift when the delivery guy showed up.  Don’t you love when that happens?  And I finally found time to really settle in and thumb through it while it rained and the wind howled as Hurricane Matthew blew by.

Just like the last, her new book is filled with incredible looking, easy to prepare, plant-based recipes, and as soon as I saw this new variation of her amazing Glo Bars it topped my “to try” list.  Oats, almonds, chocolate–all heart healthy.  Add a little coconut and coffee.. yummy and so easy to make. Continue reading MOCHA EMPOWER GLO BARS

The Promise of Pomegranate

Pomegranate for atherosclerosis fixitplanPowerful Protection for our Arteries

The prevalence of heart disease and heart attacks has most people thinking arterial plaque, also known as atherosclerosis,  is inevitable.  But now we’re seeing proof that a lifestyle of exercise, a healthy diet, and managing stress can go a long way to prevent and reverse heart disease and can even shrink arterial plaque.

Enter the pomegranate!
A powerful fruit that helps us do just that.
pomegranate for heart health fixitplan
By Anton Croos (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0]

Digging into the research and studies from around the globe, I was surprised and encouraged to learn how the pomegranate fruit reverses some of our body’s underlying behavior that leads to heart disease.   It seems our ruby red friend has potent abilities to Continue reading The Promise of Pomegranate

Healthy Vegetarian Meatloaf

Fix It Plan’s Scrumptious Tempeh Meatloaf

Vegetarian Tempeh Meatloaf Dinner

There are a lot of good recipes out there for meatless meatloaf, but we particularly like this one because it has more bite to it–a real meaty texture.  Loaded with protein from tempeh and hemp seeds, deliciously seasoned with a tangy glaze, this is a favorite at our house.  And even the meat eaters enjoy it!

Tempeh is such a versatile food and often so misunderstood it seems.  While reaching for it in the refrigerator case at the store I’ve had people come up to me and ask what I do with it.  And when I tell them how good it is they look at me with disbelief!  I suppose it is rather unattractive in its sealed package, all pale and odd looking, naked and unadorned. Continue reading Healthy Vegetarian Meatloaf