Message from the President

As I’m writing this I don’t know yet how March will come in, whether it will be a lamb or lion. What I do know is I’m sick of snow. I lived for several years in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, real snow country. It was expected that the snow that came down in November was the last to leave in April. People lived with it and adjusted to it. There were times when the school busses were in line behind the snow plow, having a snow day off was most unusual. Teachers were expected to be in school on time and for the most they were.

Fast forward, more years than I would like to count and here I am in New Jersey where 2 inches of snow is a panic, more than that, everything shuts down. I have to admit even I don’t like 3 feet of snow, they tell me we’re setting a record, I would be happier not being a part of that kind of record.

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For the first time we had to cancel a Mended Hearts meeting. We notified the 800-number staff, and anyone that had been registered should have received a telephone call notifying them of the cancellation. I also notified Anita in cardiac rehab of the cancellation in case anyone called her for information. I hope no one made the trip unnecessarily. Rule number one; always register for the monthly meeting.

On a much more serious note, a new study has elevated dark chocolate to superfood status. This information was reported in the Realage.com website and it describes three very important benefits.

1. “Chocolate makes you smarter.” Research suggests that the flavonols in dark chocolate increases cerebral blood flow. A new study shows that older adults performed better on cognitive tests after eating a small portion of the sweet stuff.

2. “Chocolate weakens heart attacks.” Although it is agreed that additional research is necessary, an early study indicates regular chocolate eaters with heart disease were less likely to die following a heart attack compared with people who don’t treat themselves to the dark delicacy.

3. “Chocolate has a cavity fighting compound.” One of the compounds in chocolate, theobromine, may be as effective as fluoride in hardening tooth enamel. It may be, in the future, toothpastes and mouthwashes will include this compound. Imagine dark chocolate flavored toothpaste. There is concern about item 3, chocolate contains a lot of sugar. Why else would it taste so good?

I received an action alert email from the American Heart Association describing a program that will help New Jersey residents make healthier choices eating out. I was reminded of the struggle we had a few years ago to eliminate smoking in restaurants and public places and how effective it is today. The healthier choices program is intended to support legislation that will require restaurants to provide nutrition conscious information. It’s always helpful to know what’s in the food you plan to order. It’s also helpful to know how many calories seemingly healthy items contain. They used the example of the Honey bran raisin muffins that weigh in at 480 calories while a glazed doughnut was only 230 calories. If you’d like more information, you can contact the American Heart Association person leading this program at corinne.wisniewski@heart.org.

We found an interesting new book in the library, another one of t hose that it is better to borrow than buy. Food Rules written by Michael Pollan is a small paperback listing 64 rules to follow for healthy eating. In th e introduction, the author identifies the people that should be paying attention to what they eat: most of us who eat the so-called Western diet. This is a diet consisting of mostly processed foods. Some of the results of this diet are: obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. It is the author’s contention that by following the rules you can live a healthier life. I picked five of the rules to follow; number 19 states, “If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant don’t.” Rule number 20 states, “It’s not food if it arrives through the window of your car.” Rule 36 tells us “Don’t eat breakfast cereals that changed the color of the milk,” rule 49 states, “Eat slowly&rdquo

Don’t forget March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, ERIN GO BRAGH!