Nucleus of Our Lives

Some nights I lay in the still dark listening.

I hear random noises. Cars pulling up to their apartments. Teenagers frolicking doing teenage things. The creaks of a support beam settling in the midst of its aging structure.

Then I hear the thump-thump. Thump-Thump. Thump-Thump. An often forgotten, however, notable component to your and my existence. 

A heart, with its 100,000 times beats on any given day and up to 2,000 gallons of blood pumping a day.  Who works harder than that little guy?

Ever wonder what’s the actual size of your heart? A normal, healthy heart is the size of an adult fist clenched up. Go ahead and size it up. You know you want to!

Let me quickly state this isn’t a bash and burn folks. On the contrary, a lesson of simple steps to fine-tune your diet or correcting unhealthy eating habits to prevent heart disease.

Mayoclinic.com provides 8 steps to prevent heart disease.

I’m going to key in on two steps the reliving way:

Two Vital Steps to Protect Your Heart

Control Cholesterol.
Your risk for a heart attack rises with your cholesterol levels. Cholesterol builds up and narrows your arteries and makes them less flexible. To counter cholesterol, make plant sterols your friend. Plant sterols are found naturally in some vegetable oils, nuts, grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables. Soy is a significant source of plant sterols.

Plant sterols have been shown to reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by 20 percent in people with metabolic syndrome even if they continued eating a typical “Western” diet. The study showed those taking daily doses of plant sterols also dropped their total cholesterol by 16 percent, and their triglyceride levels by 19 percent.

Reliv’s CardioSentials^®, loaded with plant sterols and other heart-smart nutrients, has been clinically shown to reduce total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides for people with high cholesterol, as well as increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol and reduce blood glucose levels.

While soy benefits heart health because of its plant sterols and other antioxidants, the impact of soy and fiber together are even more powerful. One of fiber’s key heart benefits is reducing cholesterol. The combination of fiber-rich FibRestore^® and soy-based Reliv Now^® create a one-two punch against cholesterol. A clinical study found these products together reduce average cholesterol by 14 percent while they also reduce LDL, triglycerides, and uric acid.

Bring Down Blood Pressure.
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for developing heart disease and significantly increases stroke risk. One easy way to lower blood pressure is to bump up your soy intake. A combination of studies has shown taking soy isoflavone with soy protein each day lowers blood pressure as much as taking blood pressure medication.

Studies also show fiber can help reduce or even prevent high blood pressure. A Harvard study showed an intake of 20 grams/day or more of fiber provided significant protection against developing high blood pressure. FibRestore contains 10 grams of fiber in each serving to put you well on your way to reaching your optimum fiber count.

Did You Know……

Get Your Heart Pumping

Your heart also needs a regular workout. Studies show adding at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three or more times a week can increase your HDL (“good”) cholesterol by 5-10 percent and lower your triglycerides.

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