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7 Foods that Will Keep Your Heart Healthy
If you think a heart attack can’t happen to you, think again. The recent news of celebrity trainer Bob Harper surviving a heart attack shook the fitness community. E! Online reported that the 51-year-old devoted CrossFitter just switched, per the recommendation of his doctors, to walking and following the Mediterranean Diet, a plan that relies heavily on plants, some seafood, and a bit of poultry and dairy.
Seeing a guy like Harper get hit with a heart attack can make guys with a family history of heart problems a little extra nervous. But a lean, fit physique isn’t a direct reflection of what’s going on in your arteries. “Would you put the wrong fuel in a supercar, counting on it to run well because it looks good?” asks David Katz, MD, MPH, Founder of True Health Initiative. “The human body is a remarkable machine, but it, too, depends on the right fuel to run long and well.”
Fortunately, the same foods that keep arteries clear can also fuel workouts without tasting like cardboard. “Eat close to nature and predominantly plant foods and you can’t go too far wrong,” Katz says, explaining that this is the diet mantra to keep in mind if you want to prevent a heart attack.
While most edible plants in their lower-processed versions offer heart-attack protection, here are the foods that top the list.
Black Beans
One cup of black beans contains nearly five grams of soluble fiber, which binds to cholesterol in the digestive tract and removes cholesterol from the body. Black beans are also rich in anthocyanins, an antioxidant that helps protect the heart. “Beans figure prominently in all of the Blue Zone diets,” Katz says, meaning diets in regions of the world where heart disease affects just a small fraction of people as compared to those on the standard American diet. So in place of meat from the burrito bar, opt for black beans. Toss beans into salads and breakfast scrambles, or make your own quinoa patties.
Cooked Tomatoes
Canned tomato paste, juice, and sauce deliver the most lycopene, an antioxidant that has long been studied for its heart health benefits, including reducing inflammation and possibly lowering blood pressure, improving blood flow, and affecting fats in the blood. While raw tomatoes are also good for you, oil and heat make it easier for your body to absorb lycopene. Other essential nutrients in tomatoes support heart health, and it may be this precise combination that delivers the goods. So go ahead and slather whole-grain pasta with marinara sauce, request extra pizza sauce, or drink a Bloody Mary to get more lycopene in your diet.
Sweet Potatoes
One medium sweet potato contains 11 percent of the daily recommended amount of potassium, an electrolyte most Americans skimp on. That lack of potassium, especially paired with the overload of sodium in a lot of American diets, may eventually lead to high blood pressure. Swap in sweet potatoes as a side dish and cut them into sweet potato fries.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
This oil from the first pressing of olives contains mostly polyphenols and monounsaturated fat, which are good for your ticker. According to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation, people who stuck with Mediterranean diets with four tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil per day for a year had much better HDL function, meaning better plaque removal and more relaxed blood vessels. This diet went against a “healthy” control group that focused on reducing red meat, processed food, high-fat dairy, and sweets. To get better HDL function, drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over salads and hard-boiled eggs. Cook with it on low or medium heat.
Sardines
Sardines are a top source of marine-based omega-3 fatty acids, a special polyunsaturated fat shown to benefit the heart. Omega-3s also lower triglycerides (the fat in your blood) and slow formation of arterial plaque. You can eat them straight, in lemon-flavored olive oil, or with tomato sauce on seeded crackers. Or if you can’t stomach the idea of sardines, other good bets include albacore tuna, wild salmon, and trout. The USDA Dietary Guidelines recommend eight ounces of seafood per week, the amount associated with reduced cardiac deaths.
Ground Flaxseed
Flaxseed delivers plant-based omega-3s and lignans, a type of fiber with antioxidant effects that prevents plaque growth and blood clotting before a heart attack. Try flaxseed with yogurt, oats, cereal, and salads. Or use it as an egg replacer in breading and energy bars. By the way, nuts and seeds of all kinds offer up a slew of nutrients with heart benefits, like good fats, fiber, potassium, and antioxidants.
Berries
In a large study in Circulation, researchers looked at people’s food journals and found that those who ate strawberries and blueberries three days per week had a 32 percent reduced risk of heart attack, even when compared to people who ate plenty of other fruits and vegetables, independent of other risk factors. While other berries also contain the powerful antioxidant anthocyanins, strawberries and blueberries are most commonly eaten so usually get the attention. Either way, get some more berries in your life — and reap those heart benefits.
How Poor Sleep Affects Your Sex Drive
You may think spending hours on end in the office will lead to a big payoff. Who needs sleep when you’re making all that dough, right? Wrong. Your body needs sleep for damn near everything. Which is why the American Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get between seven to nine hours of it nightly. This is nonnegotiable. And you can’t just sleep three hours one night and 10 the next, either. You need consistency so you don’t ruin your game.
You may think that’s just a pipe dream, but skipping out on sleep is messing with more than just your performance in the board room and the weight room. It may be the main culprit for your drop in sexual desire. Here’s how.
Sleep Boosts Your Testosterone
Testosterone is your body’s natural mojo. It’s what gives you that needed boost of energy and keeps you vitalized and horny. How much you sleep directly impacts your T levels. So you’re not just cranky when you don’t sleep — you’re trashing your manly energy.
A study from the University of Chicago measured men’s sleep time and quality through high-tech wristbands. Testosterone was measured right when the subjects awoke in the morning. Men who slept four hours showed significantly lower T levels than those who had slept eight hours.
In other words, all of those long nights and early mornings can’t possibly be worth getting less action. You should be doing all things with your T levels in mind. It’s what makes you tick.
Less Sleep Means Less Focus
When we sleep, our bodies get much-needed time to recover. It's how we reset and restore ourselves. With less sleep, your body’s forced to make do with less repair time.
“You’re more likely to make mistakes at work, for example, but less likely to realize it and correct them," says Shalini Paruthi, M.D., a sleep specialist and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. When you don’t sleep, you get sloppy. You’ll find yourself correcting errors you’ve made, leaving less time to focus on your love life. Lack of sleep has even been shown to make your dumber (not sexy).
When you’re tired, you’re not going to be on your A game. And what’s worse, it’ll hamper your chances of finding a lady-friend or giving your best performance in bed.
The More You Sleep, the Sexier You Feel
Is there anything more wonderful than waking up after a marvelous, rejuvenating night's sleep? (No, in case you weren't sure.)
When you get enough sleep, it affects your skin, waistline, and energy levels. All of these factors contribute to how sexy you feel. So when you don’t sleep, you don’t feel your best, and you can bet that this'll lower your desire for sex. Onestudy from the University Chicago showed that lack of sleep completely wipes out sex drive in men.
It’s not just you. Your partner feels the effects, too. A study from the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that sleep-deprived women were 14 percent less likely to have sex than those who had gotten proper sleep. You better download the sleep cycle app ASAP.
Getting Less Sleep Lowers Your Sperm Count
Sleep not only impacts your desire for sex, but also affects your fertility. According to a Danish study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, sleep deprivation lowers sperm count in men. Researchers found that, of the study's 953 subjects, those who were sleep deprived had lower-quality semen than whose who were not.
This occurs because most hormone secretion is dictated by the circadian clock, your body’s natural cycle. If your sleep cycle is interrupted, your body won’t release as many reproductive hormones, which affects overall fertility.
Sleep also impacts overall immunity and health, both of which contribute to strong fertility in both men and women.
Losing Sleep Boosts Your Stress Levels
When you lack sleep, your body is on constant high alert. A 1997 study from the University of Chicago found subjects who slept fewer hours in a night experienced raised cortisol levels, the body’s stress hormone. In a 2010 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers found that a rise in cortisol negatively impacted sex drive in subjects.
Ironically, cortisol is naturally decreased during sexual arousal and orgasm, so this is actually the saddest vicious cycle ever.
Sleepless Nights Can Cause Erectile Dysfunction
As if you weren’t already convinced that sleep is critical to bettering your sex life, sleep deprivation can also cause erectile dysfunction. Several studies have shown that a lack of sleep is directly linked to ED.
A 2009 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine took a look at 401 male subjects with sleep apnea. Of those observed, 70 percent also had erectile dysfunction. Yes, that means poor sleep could actually make it hard to get hard. So get some shut-eye. All those appointments and your “to-do” list can wait. It is just not worth it to skip the Zs.
We Asked 20 Women: Is there a booty call or text you'd actually want to receive?
THE BOOTY CALL has evolved over time. A decade ago, men actually picked up the phone to charm the pants off a woman, hoping not to sound utterly desperate or obscene. With the advent of texting, though, things became less thought-out, more spontaneous, and (admittedly) decidedly less charming. Then apps like Instagram, with its sneaky direct message feature, and Snapchat, with its trashy allure for dick pics and 'disappearing' convos and pictures, threw things for a serious loop.
Point is: By now, modern-day booty calls have become a minefield of bad decisions and ignored come-ons. So, since you're already being docked for reaching out late at night or during the wee hours of the morning when you've mostly had a few too many, why not employ some strategies that might actually elevate your odds of meeting up with a woman?
We asked 20 ladies to dish on the messages that almost always work or the ones they desperately wish guys would send. Take your pick and try your luck—just note you'll more than likely have to have a stockpile of food and wine on-hand, or some good take-out restaurants handy.
“‘Wanna come over? I’ve got half a pizza and a bottle of wine with your name on it.” - Christina W.
“‘Weed, chocolate, and sex—come over.’” - Heather A.
“‘Let’s binge-watch old episodes of The Office. I bought wine.’” - Annie E.
“‘I’ve been thinking about you all week. Come over now?’” - Alex M.
“Something to do with him having an array of junk food waiting for me.” - Carly G.
"'Hey, I bought three boxes of mac n’ cheese, and I can’t eat them without you. Come over.’” - Sam M.
“‘Chicken nuggets and chill?’” - Elizabeth J.
“I could go for something straightforward, like ‘I need you now. Come over?’ That would either be a win or it would piss me off, depending on our relationship status. Anything funny or something I have a personal connection to is also good, like ‘There’s an empty spot on the couch and I have Parks and Rec on.' Anything that includes food and/or dogs is as good as it gets.” - Lauren M.
“‘Wanna come over? I made dinner and have your favorite wine.’” - Nicole G.
“I love when a guy booty calls me, but only if he's sarcastic and funny about it. ‘Just got back from the bar and you’re not at my place? Strange.’” - Julia F.
“Say: ‘You can call me out for texting you late, but I’ve been thinking about you all day and would love to see you right now.’ Be honest. And don’t be a jerk. If I know you’re a decent human being, I won’t find it douchey or disrespectful.’” - Mollie G.
"I would respect a booty call if he included something about an inside joke we have. So if I told him previously how I'm obsessed with The Real Housewives, then he could be like 'Please come over. I'll even watch The Real Housewives with you.' Not kidding. I would go." - Caroline T.
"A successful booty call or text should be specific (i.e. don't just say 'Hey, let's meet up'), actionable on the guy's end (i.e. you're not making me trek across a city), and not vulgar. We both know a late-night get-together can very well end in sex, but don't be crude about it. A good example: 'I know it's late, and this is probably mildly annoying, but what if I come over with take-out and we watch finally catch up on Game of Thrones? I'll even let you eat some of my pad Thai.'" - Marissa F.
"If it's anything food-related, I'm in." - Gabrielle D.
"If I've been seeing the guy for a while and we've already slept together, then I don't mind if he cuts to the chase and says something like, 'There's nothing I want more than to be in bed with you right now. Meet at your place in 30?' It's sexy if he's showing such a strong sense of urgency and desire. And if I know he's not the type to bolt the minute we're done in bed, I'm far more likely to say yes." - Brigid N.
"I like it when a guy is dominant and direct with me. Tell me I’ve been on your mind. Tell me you’re mine tonight. Tell me you want me. I’ll drop essentially whatever I’m doing at any time to come come hang out." - Dani G.
"Show up at my door with a pizza. It's a guaranteed home run." - Cassie T.
"This is one that actually worked on me in college. All my friends knew I had a huge sweet tooth and that candy is my biggest weakness. So this guy texted me asking if I wanted to come over and study for an exam, and that he had tons of candy from a study session I had missed. After that, my friends started calling him the 'Candy Man.'" - Ashley F.
"Food involved booty calls, like 'I'm coming over and have your favorite ice cream.'" - Nickole M.
"Want to come over to my place? Movie's on you, dinner's on me.' Checkmate." - Laura H.
Regular sexy times mean a better work life
GETTING IT ON often at home should be a priority if you want to make your work life as satisfying as possible says a new study from Oregon State University. The findings reveal that if your work life is suffering, your troubles may not solely originate from a cranky boss or an irritating co-worker, but may be linked to how much nookie you're having with your partner during downtime.
Researchers followed 159 married couples over a two-week period, asking them to fill out two questionnaires each day. They discovered that when couples had sex the night before work, they were in a sunnier mood the next day, performed their job tasks better, and had a more satisfied and fulfilling day at work. The afterglow lasted about 24 hours and still had a powerful effect, no matter the status of the marriage or how well they slept.
“We make jokes about people having a ‘spring in their step,’ but it turns out this is actually a real thing and we should pay attention to it,” said study lead Keith Leavitt, Ph.D., an expert in organizational behavior and management at the university. “Maintaining a healthy relationship that includes a healthy sex life will help employees stay happy and engaged in their work, which benefits the employees and the organizations they work for.”
The study also found that when work-related stress was brought back home at the end of the day, it affected how often the couples had sex, setting up a vicious cycle of no sex and bad work performance. “Making a more intentional effort to maintain a healthy sex life should be considered an issue of human sustainability, and as a result, a potential career advantage,” he said. “Technology offers a temptation to stay plugged in, but it's probably better to unplug if you can…And employers should encourage their employees to completely disengage from work after hours.”
To up your game take a look at our sex guide? and a recent feature showing how food can make your testosterone levels higher and create a better mood in the bedroom.