Give your heart a Valentine and clean up your diet and lifestyle
- Feb 14, 2017
- 2 min read
February is American Heart Month. February 14th is a Valentine day. Thanks to Carrie Dennett, the author of "Give your heart a Valentine and clean up your diet and lifestyle", her article seems like a perfect first article to start my blog. Here to the first and many more to come.
Heart disease is multifaceted, and many behaviors and health conditions can contribute to it. While genetics plays a role, in most cases lifestyle plays a bigger role. The day-to-day choices you make about what to eat, how much to move, whether to smoke, how much alcohol to drink, when to go to bed and how to handle stress all add up, for better or for worse.
A heart-healthy, anti-inflammatory, microbiome-friendly diet includes an abundance of fiber-rich, nutrient-rich, phytochemical-rich plants, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes (beans and lentils), nuts and seeds.
I challenge you to pick at least one of these suggestions and start integrating it into your life — today.
• Eat more vegetables. Aim for 4 cups per day, paying special attention to deeply colored vegetables, as they tend to be richer in nutrients and phytochemicals.
• Eat fish at least twice a week (about 8 ounces total), giving preference to oily fish like salmon and sardines, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
• Cut back significantly on foods and beverages that contain added sugars. “Sugar” includes corn syrup, concentrated fruit juice, honey and anything ending with an -ose (sucrose, dextrose, fructose, maltose). Note: This does not include fructose found in whole fruit and lactose found in milk and dairy products.
• Swap refined grains for whole grains. For example, brown rice instead of white rice, whole-wheat flour instead of white flour, regular or thick-cut oats instead of instant oats.
• Cook at home, from scratch, more often. This is the best way to cut back on sodium, added sugars and low-quality fats, all of which don’t do your heart — or the rest of your health — any favors.
To read Carrie's article in its entirety, please click on the link below:
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