Today, February 4, 2011 is National “Wear Red Day”. Heart disease is a real problem in women and our symptoms tend to be much different than they are in men. Make sure you are aware of the symptoms and don’t hesitate to act if you are experiencing them. Better to go to the ER, Urgent Care or DR and be sent home because it is nothing than to wait and suffer serious consequences or death.
Here is some very important information – please take the time to read this:
Signs of a Heart Attack:
Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience
some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.Signs of Stroke and TIAs:
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden severe headache with no known cause
For more information, including Risk Factors, click here to view all kinds of resources and a Knowledge Tool Kit.
In addition to wearing red today, here are some red foods you can eat to celebrate.
- Tomatoes
- Strawberries
- Red bell pepper
- Red wine (my personal favorite) – 1 glass a day for women is good for your heart
- Cherries
- Apples
- Sun-dried Tomatoes
- Cranberries
- Cranberry Juice
- Cherry Juice
- Watermelon
- Pomegranate Juice (POM Wonderful rocks)
- Red Cabbage
All the above are naturally gluten-free, making them perfect for celebrating Wear Red Day.
Some red recipe ideas:
- Lasagna
- Cranberry Sauce
- Parmesan Broiled Tomatoes
- Baked Apples topped with vanilla yogurt & cacao nibs
- Pizza
- Tacos with salsa
If you want to donate to help research, click here to find out where the money goes.
And, last, but not least, if you head to Macy’s today and wear red, you will receive 20% off of your purchase! Are you wearing red today? I am! I have a red sweatshirt on. 
