Product Description

"If I had first concentrated on heart disease prevention, rather than saving the lives of 150 people I could have saved the lives of 150 million people". In 1967 Prof Christiaan Barnard performed the world's first heart transplant operation. Now he shares his vast knowledge on how to prevent heart disease, with advice that includes: throw away your bathroom scales and never diet again!; drink red wine every day; don't let your mobile phone, pager or email dictate your life. You control it; sex is good for you; learn to sleep at midday; stop smoking now; express your emotions and learn to laugh; the more friends you have, the healthier your heart will be. There is a huge amount of conflicting information out there on heart disease. Professor Barnard steers a clear and accessible route through it all, giving definitive answers on how we should live our lives and avoid becoming the latest victim of Britain's biggest killer. His advice is punctuated with witty anecdotes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1447868 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Prof. Christiaan Barnard was born in South Africa in 1922. After his graduation and work in the USA, he performed the world's first heart transplant on December 3rd, 1967. He continued his work as a heart surgeon until arthritis forced him to give up the scalpel in 1987. Since then he has concentrated on his books, conferences and full time work for the Barnard Foundation.

Excerpted from 50 Ways to a Healthy Heart by Christiaan Barnard. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Live Naturally

You probably know that fruit and vegetables are good for you. But did you
know that the same applies to nuts and chocolate?

Where will our food come from in the year 2010? From the laboratory? From nature? Or perhaps it will be a combination of the two. Believe me: You will be confronted by this question much more often and urgently than you think now.

What has happened up to now: Nature is not perfect, that we’re aware of. Fruits and vegetables do not grow throughout the year, generally spoil quickly and can often look pretty awful. Grain used to taste bitter, butter could not be taken fresh out of the refrigerator and spread on a piece of bread. So man decided to doctor around a bit with nature, Fruit and vegetables are now harvested before they ripen and then synthetically ripened. The bitter substances were cultivated out of grain. Butter was made ‘spreadable’ with the addition of other substances.

So everything ‘s ok? Absolutely not, for people are ungrateful. They find synthetically ripened fruit tasteless, search increasingly for natural breads and want their proper bread back. For the food industry it means back to the drawing board to come up with something new. So what is new? Well, nothing is being added to fruit and vegetables, instead, something ‘s being taken out. Those active substances that we know are good for humans. Pills or powders are then made from them. It seems like a logical idea. In the morning you drink coffee and take a pill and, hey presto, you have given yourself the most important plant substances needed for the day….

…THE WONDER OF NATURE

The food industry has a very mighty opponent. Let’s take a closer look at it. Plants look pretty simple, however on the inside they’re little miracles, much too complicated to have been make by man. They are fuelled by the so-called secondary active plant substances or bio-active substances.

When you eat fruit and vegetables, you are also swallowing the ‘defence army’ contained in these natural foods.

It’s with these active substances that plants ward off enemies, attract beneficial insects, regulate growth and water balance as well as control their colouring. These secondary substances are becoming increasingly important to mankind, because every time you eat fruit, vegetables or herbs you are eating the complete package. And they have an amazing effect, because bio-active substances can:

· Help to lower the risk of cancer
· Be good for the heart, because they inhibit the production of free radicals and can lower cholesterol levels
· Strengthen the immune system
Protect against infections from fungi, viruses and bacteria….

….10 FRUITS AND VEGETABLES THAT ARE GOOD FOR THE HEART

Tomatoes – Have the most vitamin E of all plants. Can combat arteriosclerosis.

Red Peppers – Have more vitamin C than kiwi fruit. A good source of betacarotene

Spinach – Has less iron than once thought, but a good source of betacarotene

Grapefruit – Has a great amount of vitamin C and betacarotene. Contains substances that can lower cholesterol.

Carrots – Also a good source of betacarotene. 100 grams provide the daily requirement. Also contains calcium and iron.

Broccoli – Contains a great amount of vitamin C. 60 grams provide the daily requirement. Also contains calcium and iron.

Onion – Jack of all trades in the body. Lowers blood pressure. Supports the good cholesterol.

Garlic – Vitamins A, C and E. Also contains selenium, Reduces cholesterol and strengthens the immune system.

Strawberries – Have more vitamin C than lemons. Protect the cells. Combat oxidation

Avocado – Contains a great amount of unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin D and potassium. An ally against cholesterol.

The research into secondary plant substances is suddenly giving new life to foods which for years were on the to avoid at all costs list – chocolate, for instance. This sugar-filled delicacy was condemned for years, but is now considered practically medicinal. Researchers at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania discovered that chocolate is good for the heart and the immune system. It contains polyphenoles, which battle free radicals and help lower cholesterol. Chocolate contains 20 times more polyphenoles than the much-praised tomato and double the amount found in garlic. The higher the amount of cocoa in a chocolate product, the more valuable the substances it contains.

Customer Reviews

excellant and 'heart' felt
My father experienced a heart attack 3 years ago and had to have a triple by-pass. This is the first book that i've read that actually inspires me to do something about the health of my heart. Prof Barnard gave me clear direction and definate answers in escaping the worlds biggest killer!

Worth reading
If you or someone close has had - or is at risk of having - a heart condition, then this might be the book you're looking for.

It sets out to provide useful tips, guidelines and rules for the maintenance of a healthy heart / prevention of a problem.

Also of interest, is that some of the 'health advice' so often heard in the popular media, may not be the most helpful!