Taking Charge of Our Heart Health
In the 2010 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics update published by the American Heart Association, over 80 million adults have one or more types of cardiovascular disease. This equates to more than 1 in 3 Americans. Almost 2300 Americans die of heart disease every day. This is a staggering number. There are many risk factors that increase our chances of developing heart disease. Smoking and tobacco use are always at the top of the list. High levels of cholesterol in the blood, physical inactivity, and being overweight or obese are also major risk factors, most of which are controllable with making lifestyle changes. It is time to take charge of our heart health today.
Most of us are familiar with the recommendations for what to eat in terms of heart health. Recommendations like eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, at least 3 servings of whole grains daily, 28 grams of fiber daily, and decreasing our intake of saturated fat and trans fats. The average consumption of whole grains is lower than 1 serving/day, with only about 4% of adult Americans eating 3 or more servings daily. Our average vegetable consumption is 1.2 to 2.1 servings per day. Our average consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages ranged from 6 servings a week for Caucasian American women to 18 servings per week among Hispanic American men. Fewer than 20% of us consume less than the recommended amount of sodium of 2.4 grams daily. Fewer than 15% of us eat enough fiber.
Here are the dietary patterns we need to seek to improve in our daily lives:
Just Say Yes to:
Beans and Legumes: If you are looking for an easy way to increase your fiber quotient for the day, add at least one serving of beans or legumes to your diet everyday.
Nuts and Seeds: Nuts like pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds have been shown to help with lowering high blood pressure. They contain healthy fats and heart-healthy fiber. Seeds like flaxseed, hempseed, and sesame seeds provide a similar benefit.
Whole grains: Oats, brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, whole wheat…. Use these grains on a regular basis. Have a serving for breakfast, and use as a side dish for dinner. There are plenty of easy ways to get whole grains into your daily diet: whole grain pasta for salads or spaghetti dinners, brown rice served with stir fried vegetables, steel cut oats simmered overnight in a crock pot with fresh fruits and walnuts.
Dark Green Leafies: Kale, broccoli, chard, collard greens, spinach – these foods are loaded with fiber and antioxidants to keep us heart healthy and healthy. Be sure to include at least 2 to 3 servings of dark green leafy vegetables every day.
Fresh fruit: Enjoy seasonal fruit as it is loaded with vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants that support our overall well-being.
Water: Drink at least 8 glasses of pure water everyday. Be wary of overusing plastic bottles and instead carry your own BPA-free water bottle or mug around so that you can refill your water whenever fresh water is available.
The Do Not Eat List:
Cookies and Doughnuts: Many are made with hydrogenated oils, trans fats that can increase your less desirable LDL cholesterol and decrease the good HDL cholesterol. We should mention that most are also loaded with excess calories and sugar.
Ice cream: Gourmet ice cream can pack about 300 calories and 20 grams of saturated fat per half cup. Now let’s be honest, who eats just half a cup?!
French fries: A traditional serving can net you over 500 calories, 25 grams of saturated fat and nearly 900 milligrams of sodium-ouch! A baked potato is a better bet topped with yogurt or salsa. A close relative – the potato chip (number 4) is not any better –they tend to be loaded with excess salt which can be a driving force behind high blood pressure!
White bread: A truly “empty” food with little heart healthy fiber or anything else of benefit. It’s easy to replace white bread with a whole grain bread to bump up the nutritional value and the heart health! Read your labels and make sure that your bread does not contain partially hydrogenated fats or oils (or high fructose corn syrup) and does contain at least 3 grams of fiber per slice.
Trans Fats or Partially Hydrogenated Oils: We need to get better about reading labels. If it reads partially hydrogenated oil of any kind, do not buy it, period.
Soda or Sweetened Beverages: Just say no to those addicting carbonated “energy” beverages and soda pop. They increase our risk for metabolic syndrome, obesity, and the caffeine can overstimulate our nervous systems and eventually lead to burn out.
February 8, 2011
by Optimum WellnessComments
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