Every year more than 600,000 Americans are lost through heart disease. No one, it seems, is immune as it is the #1 cause of deaths .... 1 out of every 4 .... for most groups including age, gender and ethnicity.
Heart disease is not a new phenomenon by any means. In fact, signs of cardiovascular disease has been found in Egyptian mummies as far back as 1200 BCE. With all of the modern technology, why does cardiovascular disease continue to be a #1 killer?
Siimply put, the American modern lifestyle has the largest influence on how great your risk factors will be.
5 Main Risk Factors
These factors can contribute to other contributing factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes.
- Diet
- Physical Activity
- Alcohol Use
- Tobacco Use
- Stress
- Autoimmune Disorders
Genetics can also be a contributing factor. However, even genetic risks can be lowered when healthy lifestyle changes are incorporated into daily lives.
How To Improve Heart Health Through Diet
Diet plays a huge factor in any healthy lifestyle. As they say: "You are what you eat". Or, more accurately: "You are what you absorb". Anyone with gut issues understands how important this is.
- Foods to Avoid
- Saturated fats: butter, processed meats, fatty red meat, poultry with skin.
- Sugars: sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas, coffee with syrup or sugar, and energy drinks, desserts, candy, jam and jelly.
- Refined starches: white bread, pasta, and rice, refined breakfast cereals.
- Trans fats: processed snack foods, fried foods.
- Salt
Benefits of a Heart Healthy Diet
- Weight Loss > weight gain increases cholesterol
- Lowers Blood Pressure > lower intake of salt may reduce fluid retention, which may contribute to weight loss, which may help reduce blood pressure
- Lowers Cholesterol > weight gain increases cholesterol. By lowering your intake of cholesterol-rich foods, this may contribute to weight loss which may reduce your cholesterol.
Your heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout your body bringing rich supplies of oxygen and nutrients to the cells and removing toxins and waste. High cholesterol and high blood pressure cause the heart to work harder to get these tasks completed. By incorporating these healthy diet changes you will be "working smarter" so your heart doesn't have to "work harder".
Do you have a protocol for managing your health journey?
Start with my free guide and figure out what may be "triggering" your symptoms.
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