Great news!  One of the healthiest foods for your heart is oatmeal (http://www.health.com ).  This is great news because a steaming bowl of oatmeal is a perfect start to a winter's day.  Plain oatmeal begs for accessorizing so add some bananas, berries, cinnamon or nuts on top. 

We want to eat heart-healthy morning, noon and night so be sure to incorporate foods like avocado, olive oil, nuts, berries (the brighter, the better), beans and spinach into your diet as well as ...

1. Salmon  Omega-3 fatty acids.
2. Flaxseed (ground) Omega-3 fatty acids; fiber, phytoestrogens.
3. Oatmeal
4. Almonds
5. Red wine Catechins and reservatrol (flavonoids). Toast your good health! A glass of red wine could improve "good" HDL cholesterol.
6. Tuna  Here's lunch: Salad greens, fresh fruit, canned tuna. Keep "Salad Spritzer" - a light dressing -- in your office fridge.
7. Tofu  Niacin; folate; calcium; magnesium; potassium.
8. Brown rice B-complex vitamins; fiber; niacin; magnesium, fiber.  Microwavable brown rice makes a quick lunch. Stir in a few chopped veggies (broccoli, carrots, spinach).
9. Soy milk  Soy milk is great over oatmeal or whole-grain cereal. Or, make a smoothie with soy milk.
10. Carrots  Alpha-carotene (a carotenoid); fiber.  Baby carrots are sweet for lunch. Sneak shredded carrots into spaghetti sauce or muffin batter.
11. Sweet potato  Beta-carotene (a carotenoid); vitamins A, C, E; fiber.  Microwave in a zip-lock baggie for lunch. Eat au naturale, or with pineapple bits.
12. Red bell peppers  Rub with olive oil, and grill or oven-roast until tender. Delicious raw, in wraps, salads, sandwiches.
13. Asparagus
14. Oranges
15. Acorn squash  Baked squash is comfort food on a chilly day. Serve with sautéed spinach, pine nuts, raisins.
16. Cantaloupe  A fragrant ripe cantaloupe is perfect for breakfast, lunch, potluck dinners. Simply cut and enjoy!
17. Papaya  Serve papaya salsa with salmon: Mix papaya, pineapple, scallions, garlic, fresh lime juice, salt and black pepper.
18. Dark chocolate  Reservatrol and cocoa phenols (flavonoids).  A truffle a day lowers blood pressure, but choose 70% or higher cocoa content.
19. Tea  Catechins and flavonols (flavonoids).  Make sun tea: Combine a clear glass jar, several tea bags, and hours of sunshine
     

Recently, Medical News Today addressed the issue of working out when under the weather.   First the good news...folks engaging in regular moderate exercise effectively reduce the amount of time off from work because of cold symptoms.   So get a flu shot if your doctor recommends it, and keep working out to stay healthy!  These are both very effective at preventing illness.

Additionally, by visiting http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/AN01097 , you get some great tips about how to decide if you should head to the gym or stay home when you are not feeling well.  Perhaps the old "feed a fever" advice should be modified to "heed a fever".  This is your body's alarm system and should be taken seriously, particularly as it often includes dehydration. Keep in mind that you also may be contagious the first day or two you have symptoms so stay home from work and the gym for those first couple of days.
WebMD (http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu ) also has some sage advice.  First, they acknowledge that for many people, working out makes them feel better every day so if you are able, by all means get up and so something.  The best sign to watch for after your workout is if it did, indeed, improve your health.  This is kind of a variation of "if it feels good, do it" but is a simple and easily interpreted rule of thumb to use.  If you feel worse after working out, rest is probably indicated.  Trust your judgment and make the same decision for yourself that you would make for a friend or loved one.

And now I think I will take a page from Mr. Mojito's handbook and catch a quick catnap.  40 winks is good for the heart and the soul.

Stick to the proper portion size and PLAN AHEAD!

• 5 olives (any kind) (45 calories)
• 1 small Martin's pretzel (50 calories)
• 2 oz Applegate Honey and Maple Turkey Breast wrapped around 2 bread-and-butter pickles (80 calories)
• 1/4 cup hummus, 3 carrot sticks (80 calories)
• 1 Laughing Cow Light Swiss Original wedge, 3 pieces Kavli Crispy Thin (85 calories)
• 1 oz buffalo mozzarella, 1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes (94 calories)
• 15 Eden's Nori Maki Crackers rice crackers (110 calories)
• 1 cup unshelled edamame (120 calories)
• 50 Eden's Vegetable Chips (130 calories)
• One 1-oz package of Planters NUT-trition almonds (130 calories)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds in shell (143 calories)
• Smoothie made from 1 cup vanilla soy milk, 1 c frozen blueberries, 1 tbsp omega-3 oil
• 1 medium sliced pear with 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 cup vegetarian lentil soup with 1/5 Hass avocado and 1 tbsp sliced almonds
• 1 Laughing Cow Mini Babybel cheese, 1 cup seedless red grapes, 1 oz (23) whole almonds
• Sliced sweet potato that has been made ahead and pre-sliced to just pull out of fridge, dash of cinnamon