On Friday I had the opportunity to join a group of Latina bloggers and interview Dr. Cristina Rabadán-Diehl, deputy director of the Office of Global Health for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

Dr. Rabadán-Diehl, who has a degree in pharmacy from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid, Spain, a Ph.D. from the University of Miami in Florida, and a M.P.H. and Health Communications Certificate from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, is an expert on cardiovascular health with a keen focus on the Hispanic community.

Yes, our community is plagued by high obesity rates and related illnesses like type II diabetes and heart disease. But this is an American epidemic currently being tackled on by our First Lady Michelle Obama and was even addressed by then First Lady Laura Bush. As it turns out, heart disease is the No. 1 killer for women, and we are more susceptible to the disease than men -- a notion Dr. Rabadán-Diehl wants to turn on its head.

Dr. Rabadán-Diehl, who is also a mother to two (now grown) sons, was on hand to discuss this and other issues.

How do you prevent heart disease? Heart disease is something that has been accumlated or brewed over decades. It's never too early to start preventing that. We need to start sharing information...and showing that we love ourselves. Health and nutrition are very important. If we are overweight, we have to become active and we have to bring our daughters. It's never too early and never too late to start incorporating these messages....With lifestyle changes, we can prevent this disease.

In the recession, it seems like working families are having a harder time to eat well, exercise and go to the doctor regularly on top of all their other responsibilities. What do you suggest? The key here is to be informed and to understand that there are many ways one can continue to maintain heart health. Nutrition is important. Choosing a balanced diet is important. I know that for the Latino community access to fresh fruit and vegetables is an issue. But there are frozen foods which are healthier than canned foods. Make sure to look at the saturated fat and fat content of foods.

What are some of the misconceptions you have encountered in how to prevent heart disease?: There is a misconception that eating out in places that offer fast food might be actually cheaper than buying food from the supermarket. That is a misconception. What is very important is that (people) decrease their consumption of foods that are already prepared. I would tell people to avoid pre-prepared meals like frozen foods that have a lot of preservatives and a lot of fat. We have a lot of recipes and information on our website.

Is there a relationship between stress and heart health? There is research on this biological mechanism....We cannot change the things that are around us. But we could try to work on how we perceive those stresses or how we internalize them. Some people might just go and take a walk. Some people relieve stress by watching a movie. I love watching movies from Spain! Some do yoga or meditation.

What's your typical day like? How do you balance family life with a career in the medical field?
Yes, I am a mother to two boys. One is 20 and one is 18. But when they were little I made them my priority even though I have always worked outside the house....When they were younger, one of the things I was concerned about, especially coming from Latino culture where food is important and I didn't have immediate family in the area, on the weekends I always cooked a lot to make sure we had nutritious foods throughout the week. I made sure to have enough time in the afternoons to be there for them during activities and homework. If I brought work home, I worked at night. I always worked around my family, not around my work.

What would you say to someone who knows the risk factors for heart disease but doesn't follow through? It's really an issue of empowerment. We (women) tend to put ourselves at the bottom of the list. We can empower ourselves to realize that our health is very important. By leading a healthy lifestyle, you can lower your risk of heart disease by 82 percent! But it's not enough to know that those are the risk factors. It's important to know that it affects me. If I have high cholesterol and am overweight, that can affect me and my family....We want to be there for our children. We want to be there to drive them to the soccer game, or see their first communion or quinceañera. We do that with good heart health.

How do we recognize the symptoms of heart disease? There are common symptoms like pressure in the chest and pain to the arm. But sometimes women may have other symptoms as well like a pain in the neck....Even if we are not sure, it doesn't matter. Immediately call emergency or call somebody. It is better to end up in the emergency room even if it's a false alarm.

What should you do if you have already had heart disease? For those who have already developed heath disease, they should keep in close communication with their physicians. Many recurrences of heart disease are influenced by risk factors like high cholesterol or high blood pressure. We tend to take medicines because we don't feel well, then we feel better and start taking the medication once a day rather than twice a day. That's behavior we need to stop. Please maintain that communication (with your physician) open.