February is Heart Health Month

     Expand your knowledge of heart health with these books.

New American Heart Association Cookbook, 8th Edition, by the American Heart Association, offers over 600 heart-healthy recipes, 150 of them new, with accompanying nutritional analyses. Also included is updated information on diet, exercise and lifestyle.

The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won’t Prevent Heart Disease – and the Statin-Free Plan that Will, by Jonny Bowden and Stephen Sinatra, presents a four-part program to minimize and manage heart disease, not by relying on statin drugs to control cholesterol levels, but by easing such risk factors as inflammation, triglycerides, belly fat, high glycemic levels and more.

Prevent a Second Heart Attack: 8 Foods, 8 Weeks to Reverse Heart Disease, written by Janet Bond Brill, a dietician, who describes her plan to prevent further cardiac issues by prescribing such menu choices as Mediterranean-style diet, good carbs (i.e. oatmeal, popcorn, etc.), fish and red wine in moderation.

The Buena Salud Guide for a Healthy Heart, by Jane L. Delgado, a physician and president of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, identifies the ten points of a heart-healthy lifestyle, and then follows with brief descriptions of various cardiac problems. A section on diagnostic tests and procedures, and where to get further valid information follows.

Mayo Clinic Healthy Heart for Life!: the Mayo Clinic Plan for Preventing and Conquering Heart Disease presents the 10 steps to heart health, the types of heart problems, diagnostic tests to recognize them, and activities to boost your nutritional, physical and mental health levels.

The Cleveland Clinic Guide to Speaking with Your Cardiologist, written by Curtis M. Rimmerman, describes how to choose a cardiologist, the different cardiologist specialties, and the various diagnoses, diagnostic tests, treatment options and medications available.

Best Practices for a Healthy Heart: How to Stop Heart Disease Before or After it Starts, by Sarah Samaan, a cardiologist, helps the patient take charge of his or her cardiac health through the monitoring of weight, cholesterol and sugar levels, avoiding addictions, exercising, dealing with stress, and more.