Living a Healthy Lifestyle Starts By Building a Heart Healthy Diet

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, but it’s not the only thing in February directly related to the heart. February is also National Heart Month. Many people don’t realize the severity of heart health in America, and that is a tragic error. Roughly 610,000 Americans die each year from heart disease. That number is equal to one in four deaths. Heart disease is hands down the leading killer of people of most racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Saying that this is a problem in our country is quite an understatement.

Understanding Heart Health Issues

The first step to preventive dieting is understanding the most common heart disorders. It’s important to take step back and ask ourselves ‘what factors in our lives are causing heart problems?'

Image courtesy of Understanding Chronic Conditions: Cardiovascular Disease by University of Arizona

Coronary heart disease is the most common pitfall to heart health. CHD occurs when the walls of arteries become built up with plaque, usually due to unhealthy eating habits or other factors such as genetics. When CHD goes untreated the outcome can be a fatal one.

Unfortunately, what is deemed as the typical ‘American diet’ is greatly to blame. Americans envelop themselves in over consumption and conveniences like fast food and other unhealthy restaurant meals. We live for massively over the top indulgences.

An example of clean vs clogged arteries via CDC

Beyond poor diet choices, there are several risk factors related to heart health that we should all be familiarized with. It’s important to recognize that having just one risk factor increases your chance of developing a heart disease in your lifetime. These factors include:

• Family history of heart disease
• Diabetes
• Blood vessel inflammation
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Alcoholism

Proper Planning And What to Avoid

A little planning goes a very long way when it comes to health goals in general. An excellent starting point is to develop a list of heart friendly foods that you also find appetizing, and stick to eating those foods regularly.

Sure, healthy fats do exist and may even benefit heart health but unhealthy fats are a main point of concern in terms of heart health. Trans fats and unhealthy saturated fats are extremely dangerous when over consumed. The American diet is often times composed of excessive amounts of meat, salt, and sugar. These are all specific overconsumption tendencies that are damaging to the heart.

A previous Wellness article highlights the importance of balancing consumption of meat when it comes to heart health awareness:

“The connection between heart disease and red meat consumption has long been established. Saturated fat and cholesterol have taken the blame for the clogged arteries found in those who regularly include red meat in their diets. A research team at the Cleveland Clinic has identified another way red meat may contribute to heart disease. According to their study published April 2013, the compound carnitine, found in high concentrations in red meat, metabolizes in the human digestive tract to produce TMAO, trimethylamine-N-oxide. TMAO is a metabolic by-product that past research has found advances atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries.”

Consuming too much alcohol is also linked to some heart health issues. While a plethora of studies suggest a small amount of alcohol may be good for your heart, the fact remains that the average everyday drinker usually doesn’t hold themselves to one drink per day. When it comes to long term, excessive drinking, it is substantially damaging to the heart.

So now that you know what to avoid, you can start taking preventative measures for heart health, through proper meal planning and an emphasis on foods that are good for the heart.

Hold Superfoods ‘Close to the Heart’

Certain extra healthy foods can greatly increase the longevity of the heart. The following superfoods contain what the heart craves.

• Blueberries have a high anthocyanin content, which aid in removing the buildup of plaque arterial walls.
• Antioxidant tea consumption leads to a healthier heart. In a study of 37,000 people, those who drank three to six cups of tea a day were almost 50% less likely to die from heart disease than those who rarely drank tea.
• Chia, flax, and hemp seeds all contain copious amounts of omega-3s and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
• Quinoa contains heart-healthy fats like monounsaturated fat as well as some omega-3 fatty acids.
• Salmon and other oily fish are high in omega-3s, which help protect the heart.
• Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, chard are full of vitamins  A, C, and K, which can help reverse heart diseases.
• Steel cut oats decrease total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.
• Coconut oil contains vital salubrious saturated fats which are protective against heart disease.
• Tomatoes contain lycopene and antioxidant activity that is undiminished when cooked.
• Pomegranates are rich in antioxidants. A study of heart disease patients found that drinking pomegranate juice daily showed improvements in blood flow to the heart over the course of three months.

The Importance of Exercise: Keep Your Heart Pumping!  

In addition to these adding superfoods to your diet, exercise is also very important in maintaining heart health. The American Heart Association posted recommendations for physical activity for adults.

“To improve overall cardiovascular health, we suggest at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise (or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity). Thirty minutes a day, five times a week is an easy goal to remember. You will also experience benefits even if you divide your time into two or three segments of 10 to 15 minutes per day.”

Keep your heart on the forefront of your mind this February and use these guidelines to start developing lifelong wholesome habits. A combination of awareness, proper dieting, and ample exercise will keep your heart happy; prevention is the best medicine!