Many people ignore heart health until they have a problem. That's not a good idea, because:
1) Heart disease happens to many people. 2) The first sign of heart disease is often a traumatic event, such as a heart attack.
The smart move is to take measures to keep your heart healthy. And although those who suffer from cardiovascular disease might be told by their physicians that prescription drugs are a must, it doesn't mean that diet and lifestyle approaches should be ignored.
Drugs don't always work, and they have potential side effects. That's why you should do what you can to minimize the dose you need and maximize your chances of getting well. There are several ways you can keep your heart healthy without having to rely solely on the traditional pharmaceutical route.
Eating Right
A healthy diet can help you keep your weight down and keep your blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood glucose in the normal range.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting your consumption of foods that are high in saturated and trans fat (partially hydrogenated oils). Diets high in cholesterol and bad fats tend to raise low-density lipoprotein (LDL), commonly referred to as "bad" cholesterol, which collect in the walls of your arteries.
Choose: - Lean meat - Fruits - Vegetables - Low-fat dairy products - Whole grains
Avoid: - Fatty meat - Lard - Butter - Baked goods - Snack foods - Fast food
A high-fiber diet, in particular, helps improve blood cholesterol levels and lowers your risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, and even type 2 diabetes.
Salt, specifically the sodium in it, is another thing you should try to limit. Sea salt is no better than regular salt in this regard, but low sodium salts (blends with potassium chloride) are an option. In fact, you can significantly improve your diet by simply using herbs and spices instead of salt to add flavor to your food.
Unless you're doing a physical activity that involves a lot of sweating, your daily sodium intake should not exceed 2,300 mg/day, and if you are sodium sensitive, it may need to be lower. Read labels, because it's possible to get that much sodium from a single serving of some processed foods.
Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle
As mentioned in our previous article, a lot of the things we do on a daily basis can have a consequential effect on our heart. Smoking, for instance, can cause angina, heart attack, or stroke. The carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood, which means your heart has to pump harder to supply the body with the oxygen it needs.
Many experts believe that quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do for your heart health. In fact, the AHA lists smoking as the most important preventable cause of premature death in the U.S.
Getting enough exercise—specifically aerobic ones like brisk walking, running, swimming, and cycling—is likewise critical to your overall health. Exercising improves circulation, which results in lower blood pressure and heart rate, increases cardiac output (how well your heart pumps), and helps control your blood glucose levels.
At minimum, try to get 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity on most days. One simple way to determine what's moderate is, you should have enough breath to talk but not sing after.
Lack of sleep, meanwhile, has been linked to high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, so make sure to get at least seven hours per day.
Taking Supplements Dietary supplements are not magic potions that can instantly make your health problems go away. If you choose the correct ones to take, what they can do is provide you with the vitamins, minerals, or other active ingredients you need to keep your body healthy.
And if you're wondering whether you still need them even if you're already on a diet recommended by your health providers, the answer is yes in most cases.
The ingredients many of us use to prepare our food often go through a production process that reduces essential nutrients. Cooking can also contribute to this degradation. This makes it difficult for most to reach the recommended dietary allowance (RDA), which is considered necessary for the maintenance of good health. Taking supplements can help you achieve this.
Here are some of the Shaklee products we recommend for heart health:
1. Shaklee 180 Turnaround Kit Contains leucine, which is clinically proven to help people lose weight while preserving muscle mass. It's high in fiber, and soy protein is also good for the heart. Get This
2. OmegaGuard Provides a full spectrum of seven ultra-pure pharmaceutical-grade omega-3 fatty acids, including EPA and DHA, naturally found in small, cold-water fish. Omega 3 fatty acids help promote heart health. You never know how much you are getting from fish or what contaminants are in it; OmegaGuard removes the guesswork. Get this
3. Cholesterol Reduction Complex Contains 2,000 mg of plant sterols and stanols, which help block cholesterol absorption, decrease bad cholesterol, and reduce the risk of heart disease. Get this
4. Blood Pressure Addresses important mechanisms that are known to impact blood pressure, mainly by signaling your arteries to relax. Get this
5. CoQHeart Facilitates the production of energy in your cells, replenishes coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) levels in your blood, and protects arteries against the oxidation of LDL, which may help promote blood vessel function. Get this
Thanks for reading!
Renee VanHeel
Call or text: 858-472-7295
Book a 15-minute free consultation with me. Click here
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