6 Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy

You will probably see a lot of hearts and the color red this month and it’s not because of Valentine’s Day. February is American Heart Month. This year marks the 50^th anniversary of American Heart Month. If you haven’t already seen the campaigns, you will not be able to get through February without hearing about wearing red in conjunction with heart health promotion.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. Therefore, American Heart Month fosters awareness of heart disease, its risks, and diet and lifestyle changes that can be incorporated in order to avoid it. It is important that you first know the risks. Risk factors for heart disease include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and second hand smoke.

Here are 6 ways to change your lifestyle to decrease your risk of heart disease:

1. Include Whole Grains, Fruits & Vegetables: Vegetables and fruits provide vitamins, minerals and fiber. Consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables will help control weight and blood pressure. Whole-grain products typically contain healthy amounts of fiber, which can help control cholesterol. Fiber also keeps you feeling fuller longer, thereby aiding in weight management.

2. Lower Your Intake of Saturated Fat & Cholesterol: Low-fat and fat-free dairy products conform to the American Heart Association’s general low-fat, low cholesterol diet recommendation. Limiting saturated fat and trans fat intake will help reduce cholesterol, which is why you should always choose lean meat and poultry. Saturated fat should be less than 7% of your total daily calories, trans fat should be less than 1% of your total daily calories and cholesterol should not exceed 300 mg per day.

3. Include Healthy Fats: Healthy fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as olive oil, canola oil, and avocado along with fatty fish that contain omega-3 fatty acids. Eat fatty fish at least two times per week to lower blood triglycerides. These types of fish include salmon, mackerel and herring.

4. Reduce Sodium, Added Sugar & Alcohol: Eating foods high in sodium is linked to high blood pressure and hypertension. Other dietary recommendations include cutting back on foods and beverages with added sugar and limiting your alcohol intake.

5. Exercise: Physical activity is another important factor in preventing heart disease. It is recommended to exercise 30 minutes per day most days of the week, or every day at best.

6. Don’t smoke! If you do smoke, then you should seriously consider quitting.

Proper nutrition and exercise is the basis for preventing heart disease and by making these lifestyle changes you will be on your way to having a healthier heart!

Your turn to take action: What lifestyles changes/improvements will you make this week to prevent heart disease?