February is “American Heart Month” not only because of the romantic aura that spreads beyond February 14th, but also to raise awareness of the organ that beats for your life, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Heart disease is a vital topic to discuss as it’s the leading cause of death in America. Each year, more than two million heart attacks and strokes take place, resulting in 800,000 deaths. Research shows that one in every three deaths results from heart disease and stroke. So how does this apply to you and your life? What can you do to protect your heart?
5 Ways to Protect Your Heart:
1) Embrace Omega 3-Fatty Acids. These healthy fats known for their protection attributes are famous for helping to lower your “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and raise your “good” cholesterol (HDL). Research shows that omega-3’s can also reduce triglyceride levels, inflammation, atherosclerosis (plaque buildup) and blood clot formation. (Are you sold yet?!) Omega-3’s are found in fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, tuna and trout, and can also be taken in fish oil supplements. Aim to eat fish 2-3 times each week—and have fatty fish one of those times.
2) Reduce your sodium intake. I will elaborate on this in my next post during “Heart Month,” but the bottom line is too much sodium increases a person’s risk for high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke. Ditch the salt shaker altogether and minimize consumption of processed foods (such as deli meats, canned soups and packaged foods) which are loaded with sodium (which is used as a preservative).
3) Eat more fruits and veggies! This message will never get old 🙂 Fruits and vegetables are not only good for your waistline, but can benefit your body in countless other ways, including protecting your heart thanks to the antioxidants and fiber found in them. Don’t be afraid to load up. The traditional “Five-a-Day” mantra should be the minimum. Fill half of your dinner plate with an array of colorful vegetables, and have a piece of fruit on the side. Aim for eight or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day—the more colorful the better!
4) Avoid trans fats at all costs. Trans fats are just about the worst thing you could possibly consume because of their double negative effect: they increase your bad cholesterol while lowering the good. Not to mention the other harmful effects they have like increasing inflammation and triglyceride levels. Although it is now required to label the grams of trans fats on food labels, we really need to be on the lookout for these guys because companies can get around this. If one serving contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fats, it’s perfectly legal to label it as zero grams—and of course, many packages contain 4 or more “servings,” bringing the trans fat content up to 2 or more grams. Two grams may not sound like a lot, but just two grams is enough to significantly raise your risk of heart disease and obesity. Trans fats are used to increase shelf life of foods that aren’t good for us to begin with. They are hidden in commercial baked goods such as cookies, cakes and pies, as well as fried foods such as donuts and french fries, shortenings, and margarines. Your best bet is to search the ingredients list on the label for the term “partially hydrogenated” vegetable oil (a fancy term for this felon). Or simply avoid these types of foods altogether.
5) Be active! Regardless of the attention you pay to your diet, you will be at risk for heart disease if you overlook the importance of exercise. A sedentary lifestyle is one of the top risk factors for heart disease. You don’t have to start running marathons (although I’m a little biased on that one!) —even becoming just a little more active will benefit your heart.
And, although I’m not going to elaborate on these two (because we’ve heard these like a broken record), their importance should not be overlooked: Don’t smoke and limit alcohol consumption.
I truly hope you are able to celebrate “Heart Month” by opening your heart to some of the above suggestions. For more (shocking) ones, check out “7 Things Your Doctor Didn’t Tell You About Heart Health.”
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