Your heart is essential for life. It pumps oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood throughout the body to nourish every single cell. Your heart allows you to think, move, digest food, and do anything that any cell in your body does. When your heart isn’t working well, or has a disease, this doesn’t only affect your heart. Because it influences every cell, heart disease can negatively impact any part of your body.
The reality is that heart disease, also known as cardiovascular disease, is still the #1 cause of death in the U.S. One out of every five people in the U.S. who died in 2021, died of heart disease. This alarming statistic applies to everyone: men, women, and just about every ethnic background.
Heart disease is manageable with nutrition, a healthier lifestyle, and, when needed, medical intervention. This blog post shares evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle habits that can help reduce your risk for, and help manage, heart disease.
Enjoy a heart-healthy diet
There is no single food that is all good or all bad. What’s important for heart health is not individual foods, but the overall eating style. Eating nutritious foods that are higher in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants all play their role in reducing risk for heart disease.
In short, a heart-healthy diet includes more vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and beans, and fewer processed foods that are often high in salt and saturated fat.
Reduce intake of salt
Sodium is found in salt (table salt is mostly sodium chloride). Too much sodium is linked to higher blood pressure and increased risks for heart disease and stroke.
About nine out of ten people in the U.S. eat more sodium than they need. The recommended maximum amount of sodium for an adult is 2,300 mg per day. That’s the amount found in one teaspoon of table salt. Most of the sodium consumed isn’t from the saltshaker . . . it’s from processed and pre-made foods like deli meats, soups, pizza, burgers, and salted snacks. Your provider may recommend less than 2,300 mg per day.
Decrease intake of saturated fat
Consuming more heart healthy fats is another step toward eating for heart health.
Saturated fats can raise the levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. These fats are usually solid at room temperature and are found in beef, pork, poultry, eggs, full-fat dairy, and coconut and palm oils.
Maintain a healthy weight
Excess weight is a risk factor for heart disease and related conditions, just as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes are. Sometimes losing just 10-20 pounds of excess weight can reduce your risks.
It’s not always easy to change habits or reach a lower weight, so focus on eating more nutritious and heart-healthy foods and getting exercise every day. This might look like eating smaller portions, making half of your plate fruits and vegetables, drinking water instead of soda, and swapping in some whole grains where refined grains used to be.
Other heart-healthy lifestyle habits
In addition to the important role that a nutritious and heart-healthy diet can bring, there are a few other lifestyle habits that can help promote heart health.
Exercise
If you don’t get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, you can start getting a few extra minutes of exercise today. This will help not only your heart, but the rest of your body and your mind.
150 minutes is just 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week. Activities can include walking, swimming, dancing, biking, and more. If this sounds like a lot, then start out with a 5-minute walk once or twice per day and increase that over time up to 150 minutes per week.
Manage and decrease stress
According to MyHealthfinder, “stress is how the body reacts to a challenge or demand”. Stress feels like worry, sadness, anger, irritability, and lack of focus. Physical signs of stress can include headaches, tense muscles, upset stomach, and difficulty sleeping. Experiencing high levels of stress over the long-term can lead to health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and depression.
While no one can live stress-free, there are a few things that you can do. Taking care of your body and mind can help manage and decrease stress levels. For example, your body benefits when you eat nutritious foods and stay active. When it comes to your mind, try to notice when you feel stressed and take time to relax or talk to someone you trust.
Conclusion
Heart disease is all-too-common yet can be prevented and managed. Enjoying a more heart healthy diet that is lower in salt and saturated fats, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, and managing stress are all lifestyle habits that can help.
Concerned about your heart health and need help making a nutritious diet to work for you? Want help to implement sustainable lifestyle improvements that stick? Make an appointment for a nutrition counseling session at our Center for Health & Wellbeing, by calling (623) 471-9355 or visiting SunHealthWellness.org/Nutrition/.
