How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?

I cannot even begin to guess how many songs address the calamity of a broken heart. Hundreds? Thousands? Millions? I’ll never know, but that is mostly because I’ll never make much of an attempt to find out. I am comfortable with the knowledge that there are an awful lot of songs dealing with that particular piece of subject matter, probably too many. Beyond that, my interest wanes.

Most of these maudlin efforts try to convey a message of irreparable despair, a contention that there is nothing worse than a broken heart. How can anyone ever function again once romance has turned to ash and the one we love dumps us like a Sunday paper on a Monday morning? What could be worst than a betrayed heart? Well, how about a blockage in the heart? That’s pretty bad too you know, and I’m sure that you do.

Broken hearts can be repaired by someone who is more a comfort to us than the rascal who sent us on our way, but a heart attack is another story indeed. A heart attack is the first chime from Heaven’s bells.

So, if you are in no particular hurry to become an investigation on Ghost Hunters, here is a heart friendly diet plan to keep you on this side of the fence a while longer.

Factors That Promote Heart Disease

While being overweight or obese are certainly factors that can lead to heart disease or stroke, they are not the only culprits. High blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglyceride levels are also likely causes. Although being overweight or obese can contribute to the risk for having any of these maladies, there are more causes for them than just unmanaged weight.

Associated risk factors for high blood pressure include age, family history, ethnic background, lack of exercise, smoking, frequency of alcohol consumption, high salt intake, mental stress, and diabetes.

Causes for high cholesterol include diet, activity level, age, gender, family history, and smoking. 

While obesity is perhaps the most common cause of high triglycerides, other causes are diabetes, hypothyroidism, kidney disease, and some inherited lipid disorders. 

Ornish Diet for Heart Health 

Fashioned by Dean Ornish, MD, the Ornish program is one of the best -- and thought by many healthcare professionals to be the very best -- diet for maintaining a healthy heart.

A panel comprised of nutritionists, specialists in diabetes, specialists in heart disease, and other diet experts was assembled by U.S. News and asked to rate the Ornish diet in seven separate categories. Overall, the Ornish diet was ranked the best heart healthy diet among all diets rated.

The Ornish diet ranked high in the areas of heart health, prevention or control of diabetes, safety and nutrition. Both short term and long term weight loss ranked in the middle of the road. On the down side, it was rated as a difficult diet to follow.

Having said all that, Part 2 of the Ornish Diet Plan will provide an explanation of what it is, how it works, and a few of the recipes found in the plan. And remember, before starting any diet plan, you should talk to your doctor.