Six Tips for Being Heart Healthy

There are a lot of myths about heart health. Heart attacks were considered to be a man’s concern, but after the age of 55, it is the #1 killer of women, so everyone needs to be caring for their heart. That includes families living heart healthy, for young children are showing signs of heart disease which is worrisome, as well as teens and collegiates having heart attacks. Our health status is the long term cumulation of choices, so it’s best to use every day a day for building health. Once we are in a health crisis, it can take time to regain our health, if we haven’t suffered permanent damage. There are the well-known recommendations such as don’t smoke, avoid eating pop, doughnuts, French fries, fake processed food (Cheetos and pop tarts comes to mind), meats with nitrates, and most recently avoid seed oils…but what are some important strategies for good health?

1. Eat more fruits and vegetables, with a target of 30 different kinds a week. Make them half your meals, be your snacks, fruit for treats. Recent research is finding we need 9-13 cups of all colors every day, 21 servings daily if one is an athlete. Why so many? We are exposed to many toxins and stresses which cause free radicals in the body which damage cells. Antioxidants that neutralize the free radicals comes from plants. It helps lower inflammation which is a silent killer. Also, our soil is depleted, so we need to eat more to get the same level of nutrients our grandparents enjoyed. There are third party certified supplements that are enzyme live dehydrated plant powders* that help reach the daily requirements with PubMed Score of over 145 so you know they are bioavailable and building health.
2. Eat more fiber. It helps with digestion and elimination. Animal protein sources do not have fiber, so learn to incorporate legumes, nuts and seeds in more of your meals for protein.  Eat a variety of vegetables. Choose whole grain breads, pastas, cereal. Add a plant-based protein shake mix* that is high fiber with lots of fruits and vegetables in the formula for an easy alternative. Make sure it is third party certified, for many protein shakes have been found to be contaminated with toxic heavy metals.
3. Our body needs good fats, and good fats do not contribute to heart disease like once was reported. Avocado, olives, nuts (esp. walnuts), seeds (flax, chia, pumpkin, sunflower) are good sources. Eggs used to have a bad rap, but now are found improve good cholesterol levels, so they can be good in moderation. An occasional serving of fatty fish such as wild caught salmon, or trout can be a source of omega 3 fats. Avoid saturated fats which are found in butter (use Ghee), cheese, meat, poultry skin. Especially avoid partially hydrogenated oils (often used for frying foods, baked goods, packaged snacks and desserts, microwave popcorn). Since we have a daily need for omegas, you may want to supplement with a plant-based multi-omega* that oils are laser sealed in capsules. Fish oil supplements are heat sealed which damages the oil, they are unable to filter out the plastic contaminants, and the overfishing (millions of metric tons each year are harvested) is causing the die off of other fish because we are harvesting their food supply. Fish get their omegas from plants, so skip the middle fish and get it from plants too!
4. Read labels. Avoid chemicals that are added to preserve or flavor, dyes, fractionated oils. Buy organic to avoid toxic chemicals sprayed on food. Look at the sugar level (keep it under 15 grams per serving) and fiber (little fiber means your body will take a harmful sugar hit). For example, fruit juices, white bread (including most pizza crusts) have had their fiber removed, so it feeds the bad bacteria. All of this is a cause of inflammation. Bacteria, viruses, cancer etc. feed on sugar. It causes the immune system to go to battle, it can damage and make us insulin resistant (diabetic).. When people were claiming fat was bad, it was really sugar.  Watch for sodium levels in processed food too.
5. Practice good oral health. Our mouth is a breeding ground for bacteria that can enter in the bloodstream when gums are compromised. Get your teeth professionally cleaned on a regular schedule, at least twice a year.
6. Know that long term stress, anger outbursts, or even a “broken heart” can be damaging to our blood vessels. Make changes to minimize stress, discharge frustration, forgive, gather emotional support, and utilize resources to cope with stress and grieve. Practice good self-care with factors you can control, good nutrition, drinking lots of water, exercise, sleep. It can be tempting to seek comfort with unhealthy food or alcohol which adds to stress. Choose instead to get out and enjoy nature, get a massage, visit a good friend, take a restful vacation, go on a retreat or listen to an inspiring speaker. Studies show laughter is helpful too.

Here’s a bonus. Limit eating out for special occasions, since it is hard to eat healthy at restaurants who liberally use butter, salt and sugar to make food taste good. If you struggle with home cooked meals, consider a meal service that does a lot of the prep work and provides easy step by step directions. And the good news is, dark chocolate that is at least 70% cocoa is heart healthy, just limit the treat to one or 2 squares.

*For more information on plant powders and plant Omega oils in capsules and shake mix to easily boost your variety to 50 a day! It is amazing how great one can feel and look by getting daily nutritional needs met!

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. — John 14: 27  

Disclosure: This contains an affiliate link. If you purchase through my link, I receive a small commission, but it will not affect your purchase price. I only recommend what I have researched, love and what I use and recommend to all my friends.

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