Winter is a time when many people in the health-care profession get worried. Why?
It’s when they see a large number of people suffering from heart-related issues.

The heart attack from shoveling wet, heavy snow, eating extra servings of dishes
like lasagna, coconut frosted cake, staying indoors (due to the cold) abandoning
exercise programs and too little sun.

And one of the ways to really avoid heart attacks is to get your triglyceride numbers
down.
What are triglycerides, you ask?
Blood fats and high levels of them can put an enormous strain on the heart,
so it’s important that you keep your triglycerides in a healthy range below
below 150mg/dL).
Keep them below this number and you lower your odds of getting heart
disease by 50%.
And if you think that all sweets are now off-limits, you’re wrong, listed
below is an exercise, a vitamin and a recipe for America’s favorite dessert,
(Brownies) and all three will help you lower the risks of the feared heart disease
(and heart attacks).

First up-
The exercise.
It’s really not an exercise, but a reminder to stand up more often if you do
a lot of sitting during the day.
Researchers say stand up and move around for a minute or two every half hour.
This simple task done throughout the day lowers triglycerides by 15%.

Next Up-
The Vitamin-
It’s vitamin B-3.
Also known as Niacin and taking between 1,500 and 2,000 mg. daily
curbs triglycerides by as much as 25%. Niacin works by reining in the
liver’s triglyceride output.
Important tip:
Do not attempt to add Niacin to your daily regimen without checking with
your doctor first.

And the last helpful trick:
Eat this sweet.
The Sweet Treat: Brownies.
If your New Year’s resolution was to give up sweets, perhaps this
recipe will help change your mind. Not only is gluten, dairy, egg and oil-free
(Vegan), it’s also good for your heart and waistline.

Vegan-Black Bean Brownies!
Ingredients:
Black beans (rinse and drain a whole can)
Rolled Oats, gluten-free 1 1/2 cups
Almond or peanut butter 1/2 cup
Coconut sugar 1/2 cup (a lower glycemic sweetener)
Baking soda-1/2 tsp.
Baking powder 1/2 tsp.
No baking powder? Use apple cider vinegar– 1 Tbs.
Cocoa powder- top quality (1/2 cup)
Organic chocolate chips- optional, 1 cup
To make-
Preheat the oven to 350*F.
You can buy oat flour, but if that’s too much, then you can
place 1 cup of oats in a high-powered blender or a Nutri-bullet.
Then pulse the rest of the oats.
Pulse until it’s a fine powder.
After that-just add the rest of the ingredients, (minus the choc. chips)
to the blender or food processor and blend until the batter is thick and
smooth. (not runny)
Using a spatula, spread the batter into a lightly greased (coconut or olive oil)
or place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan.
If you so desire, spread on the chocolate chips.
Bake for 18 to 20 mins and make sure to watch as some ovens cook faster
than others. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 to 20 minutes before
cutting and serving.
And now, the 2 ingredients that’ll lower triglycerides.
* Black Beans-
Replace oil or butter in baked goods with pureed black beans.
(the addition of black beans won’t alter the taste or hamper the
texture).
Or just eat 1/2 cup to 1 cup of black beans each day and reduce
triglycerides by 35%. Proteins in beans called alpha-amylase
inhibitors curb triglyceride production.

* Cinnamon-
If you’re already using cinnamon in your coffee, tea, hot cocoa
or oatmeal and you’ll reduce triglycerides by up to 30% in less than
2 months.
Cinnamon breaks down triglycerides in the blood so they don’t
build up.

Sources:
* USDA study
* Brigham and Women’s Hospital
* Diabetes Care study
* Lipids in Health and Disease

Please make sure to pass this article and (recipe) along to family and
friends who want to keep their hearts in tip-top shape.
Share it over at Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Tik-Tok, Pinterest,
Reddit, LinkedIn and Twitter.