Introducing Amber Smith, medical journalist specializing in health, fitness, nutrition

Hi everyone! Welcome to my "Heart Beat" blog, where I endeavor to report on all things cardiac. My goal is to provide news and information of interest to patients, family members, caregivers and researchers who have anything to do with heart disease, our nation's No. 1 killer.

Who I am
For 22 years I've covered health and medicine in some capacity for The (Syracuse) Post-Standard. I'm a devoted and passionate journalist who likes learning, enjoys writing and feels grateful to play a role in helping to make sense of our often-confusing healthcare system.

My background includes training (and volunteering) as a paramedic until parenthood provided other things for me to do with my spare time. I also spent three years to obtain a master's degree in Health Services Management and Policy. For a while, I taught at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

I'm a runner. I do yoga. And when I miss either, I'm not at my best. I'm a lifetime Weight Watchers member--but could still stand to lose a few pounds. Heart disease runs in my family, though I'm blessed with low blood pressure and low cholesterol, myself.

What I want to do
This blog hopefully can answer your questions, tell you something new, keep you up to date and share information related to the vast field of heart disease. I'll blog about new discoveries and developments, significant research and what experts tell us we can do to keep our hearts healthy.

My plan is to provide heart-healthy recipes once a week.

I also plan to stock this blog with explanatory posts about, for instance, "What is an EKG?" and "How can I lower my cholesterol?" and "I've never heard of Antiphospholipid Syndrome; what is it?"

When & Where
Check this blog regularly, or subscribe to it and you'll get an email every time I post.

You can also catch up with me on Twitter, where I'll "tweet" each post.

How you can help
Let me be your journalist.

Got a heart-related question? See if I can find the answer for you. I don't pretend to know everything, but I am pretty good at digging. If this site is to be relevant to you, the reader, help me make sure I'm giving you what you want. Email me at heartbeatwriter@gmail.com with your suggestions.

And if you come across something I should know about, please send it my way.

Healthy Eats: White Bean Dip

A nutrient-rich dip can be the basis of a heart-healthy meal or snack. This one from the Mayo Clinic is easy to whip up. You may even have the ingredients on hand.

Ingredients
1 can (15 ounces) white (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
8 garlic cloves, roasted (* see below)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions
In a blender or food processor, add the beans, roasted garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.

Serve on top of thin slices of toasted French bread or pita triangles. This is also excellent placed on top of sweet red bell peppers cut into squares.

Two tablespoons is a serving, and that contains 3 grams of fiber, 109 calories, and 4 grams of fat--but only a trace of saturated fat; it contains mostly monounsaturated fat. One serving provides 5 grams of protein, and 105 mg of sodium.

(*) about the roasted garlic, here's a tip from a Mayo Clinic dietitian: Cut off the tops of several heads of garlic exposing the cloves. Spray the garlic generously with cooking spray. Wrap in aluminum foil also sprayed with cooking spray. Heat the oven to 350 F and roast about 30 minutes.

Conflict for Coca-cola to sponsor national heart health campaign?

Diet Coke sponsors the Heart Truth campaign. (Have you seen the limited edition heart graphics on special packages?) For part of the campaign, Diet Coke sponsors the Red Dress Collection Fashion Show. Heidi Klum is its heart health ambassador. Also, through MyCokeRewards, members who donate points can have Diet Coke match their donations and give money to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health "to further efforts of women's heart health awareness and research," says a description from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

It's all good...right?

Well, let's look at the truth. Soda, and all its easy-to-guzzle calories, has been blamed for our nation's obesity epidemic. Some nutritionists even fault the diet varieties, for fueling our appetite for sweets. For that reason, the Center for Science in the Public Interest calls the Heart Truth sponsorship into question. In a letter to institute director, Dr. Susan Shurin, the center says "It is like allowing Philip Morris to be a sponsor of the government anti-smoking campaign."

The New York Times' Tara Parker Pope asked readers of her Well column, Should Coke Talk About Heart Health? Many readers are responding, some chuckling about the irony, some with suggestions (attach the campaign to Dasani,Coke's brand of bottled water), and some with tangents (taxing soda.)

Diet Coke is a major sponsor, but keep in mind the other companies behind Heart Truth. They include: Swarovski, which makes jewelry; the makers of Tylenol and St. Joseph Aspirin; Bobbi Brown Cosmetics; A&E Group (medical apparel); Alps2o mineral water; CanolaInfo; Cheerios; Creative Nail Design; CVS Caremark; DERMadoctor specialist skin care; Dial, Essence, Eyebobs; Glamour; Graham Beauty and Graham Medical; Hamilton Beach; Johnson & Johnson; Lifespan (fitness equipment); Lifetime television; Metamucil; Minute Maid; Newsweek; Pretty City, Inc.; Prevention magazine; Roaman's (plus-sized fashions); and Sara Lee; Simon Property; Synder's of Hanover; Time Inc. Womens Group; and Woman's Day.

http://heartbeatnews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
57MQZ99ZHPKD