Blog Post #18: American Heart Month
A new month, a new topic! February highlights heart health, so in this post, we will talk about heart healthy habits. Heart disease is the leading cause of death around the world. Heart disease can result from poor lifestyle habits and/or genetics. Aside from genetics, lifestyle habits can be changed for the better, making a huge impact on your health and overall life. Now I am no doctor, but I would recommend to get regular medical check ups if you have a strong family history of heart disease.
Some lifestyle causes of heart disease can include smoking, obesity, no physical activity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and/or diabetes. Let’s talk about how to make small changes in your life for big impact on your heart:
Stop smoking and drinking heavily. Everyone knows that smoking is a nasty habit, and it can cause irreversible damage to your heart and lungs. Alcohol can also damage your organs, therefore damaging your body over time. The old phrase “you are what you eat” can also apply to other things you put inside your body!
Start moving your body and get to a healthy weight. Incorporate exercise into your daily life and get to a healthy weight for your body. You can find free workouts on YouTube or Pinterest if you are not ready to go to the gym, or if finances are tight.
Use little/no salt when cooking. Salt is the main food/ingredient that, if not controlled, can cause cardiac issues. Try to season your foods with herbs and spices instead of salt to reduce intake. Try to not put the salt shaker on the table to reduce your salt intake as well. When cooking, follow the recipe and do not add too much salt if the recipe does not call for it.
Eat grilled, baked, steamed foods. Reduce your intake of fried or fatty foods. Fried foods have a lot of fat and calories. So swap your fried chicken for grilled chicken, bake your fish instead of frying, and steam your vegetables to get a more nutritious meal. Use olive oil or margarine, instead of butter or coconut oil to reduce fat. Air frying is a great way to get the same great taste and texture of fried foods, without all of the oil and grease.
Reduce your meals through a drive-thru or from a restaurant. This one is huge. Eating out can be harmful to your health, as well as your wallet. Fast food chains use a ton of salt in their foods, and may not offer nutritious food options. Restaurants also can use a lot of salt, however their portion sizes can be enough to feed three people! You may not realize it, but depending on the meal you choose, you may be eating enough salt and/or fat for three people! My tip is to put half of your restaurant meal in a to-go box, so you can eat the rest of the meal the next day. Generally, it is best to cook your meals at home, for you control the recipe, therefore you control how much salt and fat goes into the dish. Cooking at home also saves you money in the long run.
Talk to your doctor about medications to help with treatment. Schedule an appointment with your medical provider and talk with them about any medication questions you have.
If you have diabetes, then monitor your carbohydrate intake. We talked about diabetes and carbohydrates earlier on this blog. Read Blog Post #8a for Diabetes and Carbohydrates specifically. Clink here for Carbohydrates, and here for Diabetes.
Practical Ways Towards “Peachy” Living
1) Reduce your salt and fat intake to reduce your risk of heart disease
2) Incorporate physical activity into your daily life
3) Stop smoking and drinking heavily
4) Try to limit your fast food consumption to once every other week (or twice per month)
