Wellness Posts by Tracy Dudley

7 Foods to Boost Heart Health

2025-03-11T04:00:00Z

Wellness.com - 7 Foods to Boost Heart Health by Tracy Dudley

With heart disease being the world's leading cause of death, accounting for more than - 25% of all deaths - , everyone should reevaluate their diet. Eating the wrong foods could increase your cholesterol and blood pressure levels, thereby paving the way for heart disease. However, eating more of the following 7 foods will have the opposite effect and will help promote a healthy heart. #1) Almonds - With a 1/2 cup packing up to 250 calories, almonds aren't necessarily low in calories but they are still an -excellent snack to boost your heart health. They contain substantial amounts of fiber, protein, potassium, polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat. Known as healthy fats, polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat are particularly beneficial because they keep blood cholesterol levels in check. As blood flows freely through your body, you'll have a lower risk of stroke and heart attack. #2) Salmon - Making salmon a regular part of your diet will suppress inflammation in your body and lower your risk of heart disease. A - meta-analysis - of 20 studies on the health benefits of fish found that adults who ate 1 or 2 servings of fatty fish per week (such as salmon) were 36% less likely to die from heart disease than their counterparts who didn't eat any fish. Like almonds, salmon contains healthy fats that reduce plaque buildup in the arteries. #3) Spinach - There's a reason spinach is Popeye's favorite food, and it's not the flavor. While many prefer the flavor and versatility of spinach, -this leafy green vegetable offers a myriad of benefits for your heart health. A single serving, for example, contains about 18-20% of the recommended daily intake of folate. Folate, along with folic acid, protects the heart from disease by regulating levels of the amino acid homocysteine. When homocysteine levels increase, it stresses the heart and increases the risk of disease. But spinach can help your body control this amino acid and improve your heart health. #4) Jicama - If you enjoy foods with a nutty flavor, try adding jicama to your diet. Also known as Pachyrhizus erosus, it's a root vegetable that's semisweet with a peanut-like flavor. Thanks to its nutrient-rich composition consisting of antioxidants like Vitamin C and beta-carotene, jicama can protect your heart from disease. Research - has shown that people who consume lots of natural, plant-based antioxidants have a lower risk of heart disease than people who consume few or no plant-based antioxidants. #5) Avocado - Avocados are often misunderstood because of their high-fat content. With 1 cup containing nearly one-third of the daily recommended intake of fat for the average adult, many people are reluctant to include them in their diet. In reality, though, avocado is a nutritious food that promotes a healthy heart. Most of the fat in avocados is either polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat, and - studies - have shown that consuming them regularly can lower a person's risk of heart disease. If you prefer to turn your avocado into guacamole, don't add too much salt. Dumping tablespoonfuls of salt in your guacamole will negate the heart health benefits of this delicious fruit. #6) Sweet Potato - Rather than eating white potatoes with your meals, switch to sweet potatoes. A 1-cup serving contains 377% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin A. Some people assume that vitamin A only affects the eyes and skin, but this isn't true. Vitamin A also plays a role in heart health. Some studies have shown that -pregnant women are especially prone to vitamin A deficiencies in their third trimester-, so if you are pregnant take extra care to get plenty of vitamin A. #7) Dark Chocolate - Chocolate is often perceived as candy, offering little or no nutritional value. While true for most milk chocolate, dark chocolate is a different story. Characterized by a high concentration of cocoa with little or no milk, dark chocolate contains beneficial compounds like polyphenols and flavanols that -promote a healthy heart. When consumed, they'll reduce inflammation and fight free radicals. Eating more of these 7 foods will set you on the path for a healthier heart. For maximum benefit, however, you should also follow an exercise regimen that consists of at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every other day. When combined with a healthy diet, you'll minimize your risk of heart disease and live a happier, healthier life, and you'll feel so much better.

8 Eating Habits That Make You Live Longer

2022-06-03T04:00:00Z

Wellness.com - 8 Eating Habits That Make You Live Longer by Tracy Dudley

Your food choices matter. The foods you eat can impact your moods, increase or decrease your risk of getting certain diseases, and even affect how long you'll live. If you want to live as many years as possible (and who doesn't?), these eating tips will help you stay healthy for the long haul.

-1. Choose unprocessed foods.
If it's time to overhaul your diet, you can't go wrong by ditching the processed foods and replacing them with fresh, healthy options instead. Unprocessed foods - such as fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains - are more nutrient-dense than refined foods, and they're often lower in calories, too. Eating a minimally-processed diet can also help - reduce inflammation in your body-, which cuts down on your risk of developing many different diseases.

-2. Fill up on vegetables.
For most people it's hard to go wrong by eating more vegetables. Veggies have their healthy reputation for a reason: they're filling, packed with vitamins and minerals, and low in calories. Eating five servings of vegetables every day will help you maintain a healthy weight, get all your daily nutrients, and keep your digestive tract healthy, all of which will help you live a longer life.

-3. Focus on antioxidants.
Antioxidants aren't fully understood yet, but researchers believe that they can prevent harmful molecules called free radicals from causing oxidative damage in your body. This, in turn, cuts down on your risk of developing some diseases. If you're a coffee drinker, good news: coffee is the - single best source of antioxidants - in most people's diets. Other good sources of antioxidants include berries, dark chocolate, pecans, walnuts, and leafy greens.

-4. Watch your sugar intake.
Remember how an unprocessed diet reduces inflammation? Well, a sugar-filled diet does the opposite. Sugar is one of the most inflammatory things you can consume, and it doesn't matter what form it comes in. Honey and agave nectar, for instance, are just as unhealthy as table sugar, despite sometimes being considered better for you. If you love sweets, you don't have to give them up entirely, but get into the habit of monitoring your sugar intake so that a treat is really a treat - not an everyday occurrence.

-5. Include fish in your diet.
If you want to live a long and healthy life, taking care of your heart should be a top priority. Eating fish is a great way to keep your heart in good shape. Fatty fish - such as sardines, salmon, and mackerel - contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which can - improve cardiovascular health - and reduce inflammation. Fish is also a good source of protein and vitamin D.

-6. Count your calories.
Maintaining a trim figure can boost longevity. Even if you are overweight now, dropping as little as ten pounds can make a noticeable difference in your health and help you live longer. The simplest and most effective way to control your weight is to count calories. You can find plenty of apps that make calorie counting easy and even fun. And if you're following the other tips in this list, you probably won't have a difficult time meeting your calorie target every day! -

-7. Drink green tea.
Tea drinkers tend to be healthier than people who never drink tea. In particular, green tea consumption is associated with - all kinds of health benefits-, from lower levels of abdominal obesity to less risk for having a stroke. Drinking green tea even appears to reduce your risk of developing depression.

-8. Snack smarter.
A healthy diet has room for snacks. However, if you like to eat between meals, make sure to do it mindfully and choose the right foods. Go for snacks that are low in calories and contain some protein or fat, both of which are more filling than carbohydrates alone. A few healthy snack ideas include: -

- Whole-wheat toast with peanut butter or almond butter - Fruit with a piece of string cheese - Raw vegetable sticks with hummus - A small handful of almonds or cashews - Yogurt with no sugar added - The Takeaway -
If you want to live a longer life (and enjoy your years more), start by taking a look at your diet. The food you eat on a daily basis has a big impact on your overall wellbeing, and making just a few simple changes can put you on the road to a healthier old age.

How to Get Your Kids Excited About Eating Healthy

2018-08-14T07:00:00Z

Wellness.com - How to Get Your Kids Excited About Eating Healthy by Tracy Dudley

One of the most prominent challenges parents face is getting their children to eat healthy foods. It’s crucial not to allow the bulk of your child’s diet to consist of fast food or convenience foods like chicken nuggets, mac, and cheese, or frozen meals. Developing healthy eating habits early in life helps children expand their tastes and can increase willingness to try new foods. Try these strategies to help get your kids excited about eating healthy and getting the nutrition their growing bodies need.

-Set an example -
Children - mimic what their parents do and eat. If you eat a lot of fast food or things from a can, your child will want to eat the same things. Ensure you’re meeting your nutrition needs with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. Instead of telling them that they need to eat their vegetables when they get older, show them by filling your plate with healthy options too. You’ll benefit from expanding your tastes and trying new foods along the way.

-Make shopping an adventure -
Instead of heading to the grocery store yourself, bring your children along to see the multitude of fruits and vegetables available. Shop for in-season produce instead of what you always buy. You'll get a better deal and vegetables and fruits last longer because they’re fresh and don't have to travel as far or over a longer period. Go a step further and venture to a local farmer’s market to encourage sustainability and supporting local growers. Take your time to show your children the options and help them to try at least one new thing every time you visit. It’s a unique experience because they can interact with the sellers and learn about how food makes it from the farmers to the table.

-Involve your children in cooking -
Sit down with your child and create a meal plan and shopping list. Give them options to select from and make unique meals that incorporate healthy options. Give them tasks such as getting the proper cooking utensils, mixing ingredients, or washing fruits and vegetables before you cut them. Children love to be involved and feel important because they’re contributing like a grown up. It also helps them learn basic cooking and food preparation skills that will stick with them for life.

-Get creative -
Think carefully about how you serve and present various foods. Plain vegetables might not appeal to your child, but cutting them into various shapes can increase their interest. Children are more willing to try new foods if they’re visually appealing. If you don’t have time to wash and prepare fresh foods, don’t be afraid to purchase canned or frozen varieties that are already cut for a quick option when you don’t have the time to prepare a meal from scratch.

-Start a garden -
Children gain new insight into food and - eat healthier when they have a hand in growing it. There’s something magical about putting a seed in the ground, watering and taking care of it, and then picking and eating the fresh veggies. Maintaining a garden also teaches your child responsibility since they need to water the plants, weed around them, and bring them in when it’s time to harvest. Canning also allows you to use vegetables in a wider variety of ways, such as tomatoes for pasta sauce or cucumbers to make pickles to expand on the endless possibilities and combinations available.

-Practice moderation -
-Forbidding certain foods isn’t an effective approach - to encouraging your child to eat healthy food regularly. A small amount of dessert, a few potato chips, or a piece of cake and serving of ice cream at a birthday party isn’t going to sabotage your efforts to instill good eating behaviors in your child. Allow these items on special occasions, but don’t tell your child that they can’t have something until they’re an adult. That increases the appeal of the forbidden items and can lead to gorging when they do get the opportunity to snack.

Getting your child to eat healthy food doesn’t have to be a constant battle that you endure night after night when mealtime rolls around. Implement these strategies to introduce your child to healthy eating habits early on that will stay with them throughout their adult life.

Eating for Longevity: Habits for a Long and Healthy Life

2018-08-09T07:00:00Z

Wellness.com - Eating for Longevity: Habits for a Long and Healthy Life by Tracy Dudley

To properly function, the human body needs to make energy. The energy the body makes can come from many sources, but, for humans, the number one source of energy is food. Food does more than provide energy though. Food also gives humans proteins, vitamins, and minerals that the body uses to synthesize other materials the body needs to work. Without eating, humans would not be able to survive, so it is extremely important that each individual forms healthy eating habits to ensure life is as long as possible. A Vegetarian Diet - For a long time, people have known that vegetarian diets tend to be healthier than meat-based diets. A proper vegetarian diet can ensure that a person gets all necessary nutrients without the additional toxins that often come with meats. Plants tend to come with fewer toxins as they don't receive as much from the environment as animals do, so plants tend to be healthier to eat. Newer research is pointing out even more reasons to adopt a more - plant-based diet - , if not a completely vegetarian diet. The new research implies that, if everyone ate a plant-based diet, then early deaths would be reduced by one-third. One-third is a vast number, and it is not associated with stopping smoking or lack of exercise. The number is based solely on plant-based diets. To many experts in nutrition, this is not a surprising result. While a vegetarian diet may be beneficial, it is important that people are careful when converting to such a diet. A sudden and forced change may lead to health issues like eating disorders. An Organic Diet - An - organic food diet - occurs when a person consumes only organic foods, which are grown or raised with specific rules and regulations. Organic diets are still being studied for health and cost-effectiveness. Organic plants contain fewer pesticides than regular foods. Organic meats tend to have less antibiotic-resistant bacteria than regularly grown meats. There is a relatively small risk of cancer associated with pesticides, any cancer risk is scary. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are extremely dangerous to humans. Since organic foods do not have as much of these, they may be healthier for a person. While it may seem as if all is good, organic diets are not perfect. First, organic foods are very expensive. The high price may be enough to deter a person or family from taking advantage of an organic diet. Furthermore, organic foods do not contain more vitamins and minerals than regular foods. When looking at an organic diet from a solely nutritional perspective, no overall health boost can be found with this diet. An organic diet may be very beneficial to a person, especially if it is affordable. Before switching to any type of diet, it is recommended that a person study the diet and consult a dietician. Many diets are surrounded by a lot of incorrect information. How To Change Eating Habits - One of the hardest steps to forging a healthy diet is implementing the diet. Thinking about and realizing that you want to change is easy. Once you have changed, keeping up the habit is easy. It is important for people to - learn how - to change their eating habits. To start, create a diary of everything you eat and when you eat for around a week. Along with what and when, keep note of your emotions as you consumed the food. After you have a decent food diary, analyze the contents. The contents will allow you to determine where your current eating habits are lacking, whether you eat too much or eat too quickly. Having analyzed your food diary, you can now identify what causes you to eat the way you do. In making yourself aware, you can prevent yourself from making the same eating mistakes every day. You can also substitute the unhealthy habits for good ones. This process may take time, so don't get discouraged. Keep working hard and you will see results. Eating sets the course for human life. Unhealthy eating leads to an unhealthy life. People who have poor diets have bigger health problems, such as obesity and diabetes. The opposite is true for people who have healthy eating habits. These people have a lower incidence of diseases like heart disease and obesity. People with healthier diets live longer than their unhealthy counterparts. Good health is preserved through a good diet.

Why Your Diet May Be Hurting Your Heart

2018-08-09T07:00:00Z

Wellness.com - Why Your Diet May Be Hurting Your Heart by Tracy Dudley

Excellent heart health is a vital component to total body health. In fact, it is estimated that approximately one-third of adult deaths in the United States are directly related to coronary heart disease. The heart is responsible for distributing a healthy supply of oxygenated blood to all areas of the body, including to the brain. Your diet plays a direct role in heart health in numerous ways, including in relation to weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and more. When you learn more about the many ways your diet may be hurting your heart and placing you at a higher risk of experiencing serious or fatal heart problems, you can make educated decisions about how to improve your diet going forward. Caloric Intake and Weight - Being overweight or obese can dramatically increase your risk of stroke and heart attack. One of the reasons for this is because a healthy body weight enables your heart to more easily circulate oxygenated blood throughout the body as needed. Diet directly contributes to body weight. Each person needs to consume a different - number of calories - each day to sustain their current body weight. While 2,000 calories is the typical number that is used to describe healthy caloric intake, keep in mind that your current weight, body mass index, activity level and age can all play a role in the ideal caloric intake for you specifically. You can consult with a nutritionist or even use an online calculator to better estimate your ideal caloric intake for weight maintenance. If you are overweight, you can reduce your calorie intake slightly to reduce your weight. Remember that all calories are not the same, and you ideally should eat a healthy, balanced diet within the constraints of a reasonable and individualized caloric intake for optimal heart health. A Poor Balance of Polyunsaturated Fats - The two most common types of polyunsaturated fats that you may consume frequently are - omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These are called essential fatty acids because they are essential for your body’s health, but your body cannot produce them on its own. Your diet must include essential fatty acids for optimal healthy, but keep in mind that these two essential fatty acids are not the same. Omega-3 has anti-inflammatory effects, but omega-6 has pro-inflammatory effects. You may think that loading up on the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids is a smart idea, but this is not necessarily true. After all, some inflammation is healthy. The reality is that consuming too much of either of these essential fatty acids throws the balance off-kilter and cause serious issues. Today’s estimated balance between omega-6s to omega-3s is believed to be approximately 16:1. Some sources indicate that our ancestors had a balance closer to four-to-one, but there is variation based on the location and time period. Rather than increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids to create more balance, it may be wiser to keep both of these levels at a low, balanced level. An Excessive Amount of Processed Versus Natural Foods - One of the reasons why many people struggle with weight and eventually develop heart issues is because of the health content of their food. The preparation of food is also an important factor to look at. For optimal heart health, your diet should consist of many fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, healthy oils, whole grain wheat, low-fat meat products and organic dairy foods. Unfortunately, many diets consist of a large amount of processed or pre-packaged foods as well as restaurant foods. These foods often are high in trans fat and saturated fat. They also may be high in sugar and salt. When you consume too much processed or restaurant food rather than natural foods, you are choosing flavor and convenience over giving your body the nutrients that it needs from food. High Sodium Intake - You may have heard that some sodium or salt is essential for health. The heart’s function is based in part on the sodium content in your body, but the actual amount that most people need for optimal health is between 1,500 and 2,300 milligrams. This equates to approximately one-quarter to one teaspoon of salt each day. Many Americans consume more than 3,400 milligrams of salt daily. Keep in mind that many foods naturally contain sodium, and many processed or restaurant foods contain an excessive amount for flavor. Many people are in the habit of adding extra salt to their foods for flavor, but this is often not necessary or healthy to do. Monitoring and - adjusting sodium intake - is an excellent idea. You can see that your diet affects your overall heart health in numerous ways. There are several easy-to-use apps that can help you to monitor your nutrient and calorie intake. You can simply scan barcodes with some of these apps, and they will track your intake of different types of fats, sodium calories and more. By using one of these apps for a few days, you may spot a trend in your diet. This information can help you to determine which areas you specifically need to adjust to improve your heart health going forward.