Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
MACA ROOT: THE LIBIDO BOOSTER By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Maca Root is a very interesting nutrient that many people aren’t familiar with but is incredibly versatile. It can be found in a powder, in a capsule form (Maca Root) or even as …
Cardiomegaly- best known as an Enlarged Heart Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND What is cardiomegaly? Well basically cardiomegaly means that when doctors look at your heart on routine tests such as a chest x ray the heart is larger than it should be. There are …
FEBRUARY~LOVE AND HEARTS…THE RECIPES
By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT
February is an interesting month. Not only is it Valentine’s Day which is always full of love but it’s also heart health awareness month….quite fitting if you ask me. Let’s spend this month together discussing love and the heart.
Let’s begin with the perfect Valentine’s Day dinner menu. These are all great recipes that not only contain healthy foods for the heart, but are also said to aphrodisiac-like effects (foods that are said to increase blood flow and libido…more on this in our next article), making this a perfect Valentine’s Day menu. This is great to share with a special someone or for a Valentine’s Day get-together.
BEET AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD
2 Golden Beets
2 oz. Plain Goat Cheese, softened
2 scoops Beets Hx
1 cup Arugula
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus a little extra
Sea Salt
Fresh Black Pepper
Preheat oven to 400′. Cut off both ends of the beets, including the green tops. Peel off skin and cut beet into six wedges. Repeat with the other beet. Add beet wedges, a tablespoon of olive oil, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to a sheet of parchment paper, toss together and fold up. Place package on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until beets are soft.
Blend goat cheese and Beets Hx until well combined. Make six dollops per plate, about an inch apart. Once beets are done, set them aside to cool slightly. As they are cooling, toss arugula with a drizzle of olive oil. Next, place a beet wedge on each dollop of goat cheese and add arugula between each beet stack. Serve and enjoy!
BONUS PAIRING:
WINE~Try a Sauvignon Blanc 2 oz.
MOCKTAIL~Try mixing 1 oz. cherry juice with water and pour over ice
TUNA STEAK with LEMONY ASPARAGUS
2 Tuna Steaks, 4 oz. Each
1 bundle Large Asparagus stalks
2 teaspoons capers
2 capsules Turmeric with Ginger
2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra
Juice of a lemon
Sea Salt
Fresh Black Pepper
Preheat oven to 400′. Take an asparagus stalk and snap off the bottom, leaving the green stalk and “tree top” for to prep. Cut the asparagus stalks so all are the same size and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the juice of a lemon, contents of two capsules of Turmeric with Ginger. Mix together until combined. Add in the capers.
Add asparagus to a baking dish and sprinkle with a dash of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Pour lemon juice mixture over asparagus and lightly toss. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until asparagus is tender.
While asparagus is baking, massage both side of the tuna steaks with olive oil and season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Heat a nonstick pan on medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Once hot, add tuna steaks and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Place a tuna steak and half the asparagus and each plate, serve and enjoy!
BONUS PAIRING:
WINE~Try a dry Rosé 2 oz.
MOCKTAIL~Try mixing 1 oz. cranberry juice with water and pour over ice…bonus points if you add in the contents of a Cranberry Extract capsule
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
1 Avocado
½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
4 scoops Cocoa Hx
2 capsules Maca Root (contents inside capsule), optional
2 teaspoons Honey
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
6 Raspberries
Set aside raspberries. Add all other ingredients to a blender and blend until all ingredients are well incorporated and smooth. Add evenly into two martini, wine or parfait glasses and top with raspberries. Eat and enjoy!
BONUS PAIRING:
WINE~Try a Prosecco or Champagne, 2 oz.
MOCKTAIL~Try mixing 1 oz. white grape juice with sparkling water/seltzer
Each course should make enough for 2 servings, with the exception of the drinks, which is enough for one glass. Share this meal with a special someone, or adjust the recipes to have a small dinner party with great friends and fun conversation. Enjoy….and much love and health to you in February!
Greens Hx part 2 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In our last blog we were talking about how one of our most popular supplements can be beneficial for our heart. This supplement was Greens Hx and we will be continuing this exciting topic today! So …
Greens Hx….for our heart? Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Greens Hx is probably one of the most popular products at Invite! Everyone knows how amazing Greens Hx is for our liver, immune system, detox and even energy! What most people may not know is that …
Coronary Artery Disease
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Coronary artery disease is considered to be the most common type of heart disease in the United States. Other names for coronary artery disease include coronary heart disease or ischemic heart disease. (1) While most people have heard the name coronary artery disease (CAD for short) and have even read the name throughout this series just knowing the name doesn’t mean you know what it is. So just what IS CAD? CAD is a type of heart disease where the arteries of the heart cannot bring enough blood to the heart. It is called CAD because it specifically refers to the coronary arteries. So basically in CAD the coronary arteries are unable to bring enough blood to the heart. Related to CAD is a condition called coronary microvascular disease which affects the tiny arteries within the heart. Just as an aside women are more likely to be affected by coronary microvascular disease. (2) What does this look like? Well take a look at the attached picture! (5)
One of the main points I want to make about CAD is that it may be asymptotic. Which is why it is always important to do our yearly physicals which can catch certain risk factors that we may have such as high cholesterol. Having these tests can help to catch something like CAD even when we don’t have any symptoms because if we have the risk factors the doctor will investigate further! That said what are the most common signs of CAD? Angina is one of the most common signs of CAD. Take a look at my blog for a quick refresher on what Angina is. Another common symptom is shortness of breath. As the CAD worsens over time the symptoms will also worsen over time. CAD may also mimic heartburn. (3) Now as I have mentioned before while women can and do present with typical symptoms they also can and usually do present with more atypical symptoms when it comes to heart health. In the case of CAD these include extreme fatigue, sleep changes, indigestion and anxiety. (4)
Now what are the risk factors for CAD? The number 1 risk factor is atherosclerosis because the buildup of plaque lowers the size of the opening of the blood vessel thus lowering how much blood can go through it. Other risk factors include smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and being overweight or obese. Additionally having a poor diet, a lack of exercise and stress can all increase our risk for CAD. (5) Studies have found that approximately half of all cases are linked to genetics! (6) Studies have also found that smoking even 1 cigarette a day can increase the risk of CAD! (7) Certain autoimmune disorders such as Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus and Psoriasis can all increase the risk of CAD. (5) Other studies have found that job stress alone can account for 3% of all cases of CAD! (8) For females under the age of 40 having endometriosis is also a risk factor. (5) While this list is not all the risk factors that cause CAD they are the most common.
What are the most common complications of CAD? Well as we know CAD can have some pretty severe complications. CAD can lead to heart attack, heart failure, irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) and angina. (9) As you can see these are possible complications that are better avoided than having to treat after the fact. But can we do anything to lower our risk of CAD? Absolutely! First it’s a great idea to have routine blood work to see what risk factors you may have. Then here are some tips and tricks to help!
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