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34This Page © 2004 Connelly Communications, LLC, PO Box 592 Hampton, NH 03843- Contributed items and logos are © and ™ their respective owners Unauthorized reproduction of this page or its contents for republication in whole or in part is strictly prohibited • For permission, call (603) 926-4557 • AN-Mark 9A-EVEN- Rev 12-16-2004

PAGE 34A | ATLANTIC NEWS | FEBRUARY 4, 2005 | VOL 31, NO 5 ATLANTICNEWS.COM .

FOOD

Share some family time by preparing this easy-to-make pizza with the kids.

FRESH TOMATO PIZZAServes 4 (2 pieces per serving)Preparation time: 10 minutesCooking time: 15 to 20 minutesFor best results, use fresh Italian plum tomatoes, which are available all year.

Vegetable oil spray1 (10-ounce) package

refrigerated pizza dough3 or 4 medium Italian plum

tomatoes, thinly sliced1/4 cup snipped fresh basil or

parsleyFreshly ground black

pepper1 cup shredded part-skim

mozzarella cheesePreheat oven to 425°F.

Spray 12-inch pizza pan withvegetable oil. Press dough evenlyinto prepared pan. Arrange tomatoslices on top. Sprinkle with basiland season with pepper. Sprinklewith cheese. Bake 15 to 20 minutesor according to package directions.Cut into 8 wedges.Nutrient analysis per serving: Calo-ries 284, Protein 15g, Carbohydrates40g, Total Fat 7g (Saturated 3g, Polyunsaturated 1g, Monoun-saturated 2g), Cholesterol 16mg,Sodium 500mgReprinted with permission from thetrade paperback edition of “AmericanHeart Association Quick & Easy Cookbook,”Copyright © 1995, 2001 by The AmericanHeart Association. Published by Clark-son Potter/Publishers, a division ofRandom House, Inc.

Products that qualifyfor the AmericanHeart Association’sFood Certification

Program carry the heart-check mark on the label. Itlets consumers know instant-ly that the food has signifi-cant science to back the markand meet the American HeartAssociation’s nutritional cri-teria per standard serving:

■ Low fat (less than orequal to 3 grams)

■ Low saturated fat (lessthan or equal to 1 gram)

■ Low cholesterol (less thanor equal to 20 milligrams)

■ Moderate in sodium, withless than or equal to 480milligrams for individualfoods

■ Nutritious, containing atleast 10 percent of theDaily Value of protein,vitamin A, vitamin C, cal-cium, iron or dietary fiber

■ Meats must meet USDAstandards for “extra lean”

You can find a completelist of the association’s certi-fied foods by logging on toheartcheckmark.org. Whilethere, you can use the online “Grocery ListBuilder” to create, print andtake your heart-healthy gro-cery list to the store. It’s anadded convenience to helpyou shop smart — and fast.

To learn more about reduc-ing the risk of heart diseaseand stroke through goodnutrition, visit the AmericanHeart Association Web site atamericanheart.org or call 1-800-AHA-USA1 for yourfree copy of the “Shop Smartwith Heart” brochure.

Shop Smart.Live Well.

Look for the Heart-Check

Mark.

FAMILY FEATURES EDITORIAL SYNDICATE

SPECIAL FOR THE ATLANTIC NEWS

So, you’re out grocery shopping for, say,the ingredients to this delicious andheart-healthy pizza. But do you takethe time to read the nutrition informa-tion on the food labels? Fewer than half

of Americans do, according to a recent surveyby the American Heart Association. That’s adiscouraging figure, considering the tremen-dous effect the food we eat has on our health— particularly our heart-health.

However, research shows that shoppers whodo read food labels cut about twice the amountof fat from their diet as those who don’t readlabels.

If you’re trying to stick to a healthy eatingplan, having reliable label-reading skills isobviously important. Yet, in the modern mediaclimate of fad diets and daily “breakthrough”discoveries, choosing healthy food can be more

complicated than ever. Just getting through thegrocery store can be a challenge, consideringall the product “health claims” bombardingconsumers.

Take heart. There are simple ways to quicklyand reliably find what your body — specifi-cally your heart — doesn’t need in the foodyou eat.

First, look for these two red flags: saturatedfat and cholesterol. As the nation’s foremostauthority on heart-health, the American HeartAssociation states that reducing saturated fatand cholesterol in the diet helps reduce therisk of cardiovascular disease — America’s #1killer of women and men.

Next, continue reading the food label forinformation on calories, sodium, added sug-ars and other ingredients your doctor mayadvise to watch in your diet.

For even faster healthy food shopping, lookfor the heart-check mark. The distinctive red

heart with a white check mark was developedby the American Heart Association’s FoodCertification Program to help consumersquickly and reliably identify foods that can bepart of a heart-healthy eating plan. Located onthe product package, the familiar mark is easyto find and easy to use — right when andwhere you’re making your food selection.

“The American Heart Association red heart-check mark is a great way to find heart-healthy foods simply and reliably,” saysRebecca Mullis, Ph.D., head of the Universityof Georgia’s nutrition department. “Con-sumers can rest assured that the mark is basedon the best science available.”

Mullis says it’s one tool she recommends toher own patients to help them build a heart-healthy diet. Anyone with a medical condi-tion, she adds, should contact a physician orregistered dietitian about special dietaryneeds.

Excellent Chinese Cuisine

7 Ocean BlvdHampton BeachLocated at Seabrook/

Hampton Bridge on Rte 1A

Prompt TakeOut Available

Hampton Beach(603) 926-6633

Learn to Eat Healthy!

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ATLANTICNEWS.COM VOL 31, NO 5 | FEBRUARY 4, 2005 | ATLANTIC NEWS | PAGE 15A .

HEALTH NOTES HEALTH

Vitamins - Minerals - Herbs - AromatherapyNatural Health & Beauty Aids

Staffed by licensed health care practitioners

“We’re dedicated to your health, Naturally!”

839 Central Avenue, Dover 03820 • 603-740-8400 (Hannaford Plaza)181 Lafayette Road, North Hampton 03862 • 603-379-8400

(next door to Philbricks Sales & Service)

open Monday thru Saturday 10 am - 6 pm

www. .com

Herb of the Week:Echinacea

Echinacea is taken orallyto stimulate the immune sys-tem and is effective againstthe common cold. It is alsoused topically in the treat-ment of wounds and burns.Echinacea is not recommend-ed for use by people withmultiple sclerosis, whiteblood cell disorders, collagendisorders, HIV/AIDS,autoimmune disorders, ortuberculosis.

STAY HEALTHY WITH SVNASEACOAST | The Seacoast Visiting Nurse Association

conducts blood pressure screenings for Seacoast area res-idents at various times and locations. This service is freeof charge, and no appointment is necessary.

Locations, dates and times are as follows: Seabrook,last Thursday of the month at 12 noon in the SeabrookRecreation Center on Route 1 in Seabrook; HamptonSenior Citizens meetings, second Thursday of the monthat 11:30 a.m. at the Methodist Church on Lafayette Roadin Hampton; every Tuesday from 1-3:30 p.m. at theSVNA agency office, 29 Lafayette Road, North Hampton.

SVNA also offers basic foot care clinics to Seabrook andNorth Hampton residents. Clinics are held on the thirdThursday of the month at the Seabrook Recreation Cen-ter and on the second Wednesday of the month at theUnited Church of Christ in North Hampton. Individualsunable to perform their own foot care due to visual prob-lems, difficulty with manual dexterity, etc., are eligiblefor these clinics. Individuals with diabetes or circulatoryproblems will require a physician’s approval for partici-pation. Appointments must be made in advance by call-ing (603) 926-2066, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.to 4 p.m. The charge for this service is $20.

Lastly, the SVNA’s Diabetic Support Group meets thefirst Tuesday of the month at 5 p.m. at the agency office,located at 29 Lafayette Road in North Hampton. Anyoneinterested in learning more about this disease is welcometo attend these meetings.

For more information about the clinics or the supportgroup, call the SVNA office at (603) 926-2066 or (603) 964-8082, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

COMPILED BY LIZ PREMO, ATLANTIC NEWS STAFF WRITER

SPECIAL TO ATLANTIC NEWS

NEWINGTON | Chapter 155 PresidentJohn Symington of the Air Force SergeantsAssociation (AFSA) recently presented acheck to Sarah Cherne,executive director of theAmerican Red Cross GreatBay Chapter.

The donation will gotoward the Armed ForcesEmergency Services pro-gram, which providescommunication betweenservice members and their families duringtimes of family emergencies. Caseworkers areon duty to provide continuous service (24hours a day, 7 days a week) to the familiesand members of the US military servingworldwide.

“This is just one partnership that we arehonored to support” said Cherne. “Our sup-

port of the military and their families on theSeacoast is one of the most important pro-grams of our mission and we are fortunate tobe able to provide them a home at our loca-

tion in the Pease Interna-tional Tradeport.”

Chapter 155 of the AirForce Sergeants Associa-tion meets on the secondWednesday of every othermonth at the Red Cross-Great Bay location. All mil-itary, either active or

non-active are invited to attend. The nextmeeting will be held on Wednesday, March 9at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contactAnne Sowers at annesowers @comcast.net orvisit www.afsa155.org. For directions to theGreat Bay Chapter of the American Red Crossor for more information on the Chapter, visitwww.greatbayredcross.org.

AFSA supports US troops, families

SPECIAL TO THE ATLANTIC NEWS

SEACOAST | It’s been afull year since the AmericanHeart Association announceda new set of guidelines forpreventing heart disease andstroke in women based on awoman’s individual cardio-vascular health.

The guidelines were pub-lished in “Circulation: Jour-nal of the American HeartAssociation.”

Cardiovascular disease isthe leading cause of death formen and women in the Unit-ed States. It kills nearly500,000 women each year.

“For the first time we aregiving clarity about howmuch we know and howmuch we don’t know,” saidLori Mosca, M.D., M.P.H.,Ph.D., chair of the writinggroup and director of preven-tive cardiology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Med-ical Center. “The concept ofcardiovascular disease (CVD)as a ‘have-or-have-not’ condi-

Special guidelines help prevent CVD in womention has been replaced withthe idea that CVD developsover time and every womanis somewhere on the continu-um.”

The guidelines are basedon the highest-quality evi-dence from all the availableresearch related to CVD pre-vention.

According to these recom-mendations, the aggressive-ness of treatment should belinked to whether a womanhas low, intermediate or highrisk of having a heart attack inthe next 10 years, based on astandardized scoring methoddeveloped by the Framing-ham Heart Study.

“This provides a very indi-vidual approach to prevent-ing CVD throughout thepopulation,” Mosca said.

Low risk means a womanhas a less than 10 percentchance of having a heartattack in the next 10 years,intermediate risk is a 10 to 20percent chance, and high riskis a greater than 20 percentchance.

Aspirin recommendationsillustrate how recommendedtherapy varies across threelevels of risk. For all high-riskwomen and for those whohave documented cardiovas-cular disease, aspirin is rec-ommended, but is not

recommended for low-riskwomen. Among intermedi-ate-risk women, aspirin canbe considered as long asblood pressure is controlledand the benefit is likely to out-weigh the risk of side effectssuch as gastrointestinal bleed-ing or hemorrhagic stroke.

Lifestyle interventionssuch as smoking cessation,regular physical activity,heart-healthy diet and weightmaintenance were given astrong priority in all women,not only because of theirpotential to reduce existingCVD, but also because heart-healthy lifestyles may preventmajor risk factors from devel-oping.

ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers were recommendedfor all high-risk women.

The guidelines alsoinclude a strong recommen-dation that high-risk women,even those with low-densitylipoprotein (LDL) cholesterollevels below 100 mg/dL,should receive cholesterol-lowering drugs, preferablystatins. Routine statin therapyhas not previously been rec-ommended for these women,but previous studies haveshown a benefit in this sub-group. The use of niacin andfibrates, other cholesterol-lowering drugs of particular

benefit in specific cases, is alsodiscussed.

For stroke prevention,women with atrial fibrillationand intermediate or high riskfor embolic stroke are recom-mended to take warfarin. Ifthey cannot take warfarin, orif they are at low risk forstroke, they should be givenaspirin.

Prevention measures, bothlifestyle and medical, weredivided into classes based onthe strength of the recommen-dation for each level of risk.Class I is the most stronglyrecommended intervention,followed by Class IIa and IIb.The guidelines also provideguidance on what not to do,with certain interventionslabeled Class III indicatingthat an intervention is eithernot useful or could be harm-ful, or both.

“The Class III category isimportant, especially in areaswhere there has been a lot ofconfusion, such as hormonetherapy and antioxidant sup-plements. Research hasshown that these interven-tions have no benefit for pre-venting CVD in women,”Mosca said.

Another example isaspirin use, which is Class IIIfor low-risk women because

CVD Continued on 36A•