Sea Salt - swap table salt for sea salt – avoid foods with low quality salt already in, and control the amount you consume by seasoning with it only. Instead use more herbs & spices to flavour food.

Improve diet – its not about swapping butter for a margarine with a mind boggling list of unnatural, unrecognisable ingredients. Instead focus on wholesome natural ingredients – vegetables, almonds salmon, walnuts. Cut out refined carbohydrates and sugars.

Coconut oil - although technically classed as a saturated fat, coconut oil can actually protect against stroke and heart attacks. It actually increases HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).

Countries like Sri Lanka, where coconut oil was a primary fat source, have lower incidences of heart disease. Populations where coconut oil was a key element of their diet also benefit from improved cholesterol readings, lower body fat deposition, higher survival rate, reduced tendency to form blood clots, fewer uncontrolled free radicals in cells, low levels of blood and liver cholesterol, higher antioxidant reserves in cells, and lower incidence of heart disease in population studies.

Exercise -Not only will regular exercise increase fat loss, help weight control & build muscle mass, but it helps lower blood pressure(a major risk factor for heart disease). It also improves circulation, preventing blood clots that can lead to heart attacks and stroke.

Exercise also increases HDL, transporting fat away from the arteries and to the liver for processing, whilst reducing LDL cholesterol that can form fatty deposits and contribute to heart disease.

Fish oils - Higher amounts of two kinds of omega-3, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), may benefit some people with established heart disease or high triglyceride levels and can have an anti-inflammatory effect for people with rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, DHA is being studied to see if it can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

For heart disease prevention, near-maximum benefit comes from eating two 3-ounce servings of cold water fish a week. Read the rest of this entry »