Now, El Chef Efrain is not going to force anyone to eat any kind of way, as this is always a personal choice. He has been making vegetarian and vegan foods for some time now, but can make virtually any kind of seafood, Latin or Italian cuisine as well. We all know how hard it is to eat ‘healthy’ and there is no solution for everyone, as our bodies are different. He just loves to make healthy taste great.

Most of us do not think much about heart disease and what it actually is; coronary heart disease happens when arteries supplying your blood to the heart, start to become narrow and hard. This is due to the building up of plaque on the inner walls of those arteries.

This plaque in reality, is just the accumulation of different substances, such as cholesterol and fats. This ultimately leads up to the blood flow to be reduced to this muscle and an attack can happen, once the artery gets fully blocked with this plaque.

When nutrients and oxygen stop flowing to the heart, you know what happens. The dreaded heart attack. This can lead to non-reversible damage to your heart. There are several other kinds of of several cardiovascular diseases, which are high blood pressure, rheumatic heart disease and even strokes.

If you live in America, your chances of having heart disease are very high and with the lifestyles of most people, it is very difficult to get away from. We like to think that bad things can never happen to us, but that is just not realistic. Even teenagers already have at least one risk factor for heart disease. Poor diets are the main cause.

Most of us think that a heart attack only happens to other people, but the statistics state that every year, approximately 500,000 people just in the United States alone, die of heart disease. It is actually the top killer of both women and men almost equally. No gender bias here!

Most people are affected at age 45 for men and 55 for women, but it is such an epidemic that it affects many people at younger ages. Even those that feel great and don’t have any symptoms are at risk. This is not intended to scare you, but to make you aware. There is always hope and in my opinion, never too late.

There are many things that you can do to avoid heart disease or greatly reduce the chances of having poor heart health. We all know that we should exercise, at least to some level, even though most of us do not take the time to even walk more than we have to. It really does not take much to get into some kind of exercise routine, at least walking once a day even helps. Always start off slowly and build your endurance up.

A good doctor can help you get on track also. Either a Medical doctor or a Holistic doctor can be a great guide in getting your heart health on track. They both have different types of training, but can give you some insight as to your personal situation and how to start feeling better.

There seems to be a few healthy habits that can either make or break your heart health:

* Foods you eat
* Daily physical activity
* Not smoking
* Watching your weight and fat levels

El Chef Efrain understands how difficult it can be to eat properly, so he has come up with some healthy alternatives to meat, cheese and even dairy. With the growing movement of veganism and vegetarianism, there are so many more options on the table. During his mother’s final time on this earth, he started making healthier foods for her, but she was on a lot of medications that might have affected her health. He did his best to make healthier foods and it taught him how to get more creative as well.

For your next event, even if you do not choose El Chef Efrain, it might be a good idea to consider making wiser food choices, for your sake and for those that you love. The sooner that you start, the better off you will be.

This is not an effort to lecture you and tell you what to eat. You have every right to do what you want and try to just enjoy life the best way that you can and want to. We all just want happiness and freedoms. Food makes me happy and I tend to overeat sometimes. Seems that no one is immune to the effects of good cooking, no matter what kind of food that it is.

None of this is to be construed as medical advice. Always consult with your doctor in the event that you feel any pains or any medical issues that you might have.