Heart disease can be preventable, so it is important to know what you should do to improve your heart health, as well as what you shouldn’t do. Although there are some things you can’t control, such as getting older or having a parent with heart disease, there are many more things you CAN do to lower your risk of heart disease. Poor food choices and living a sedentary lifestyle can have a negative effect on your heart, weight, and overall health. A healthy diet may reduce your risk of heart disease or stroke by as much as 80%! Take care of your ticker with these 5 do’s and don’ts to prevent heart disease and take greater control over the quality and length of your life:

Image: Transforming Health

1. DO focus on fruits and vegetables. The recommended amount is a minimum of five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Aim for all kinds and colors of fruits and vegetables that are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that promote a healthy heart and body. Filling fiber and low calories in fruits and vegetables help in promoting weight management as well. Switch it up with fresh, frozen, dried, canned (without sugar/syrups or added salt), raw, and cooked fruits and vegetables to keep it exciting.

DON’T overdo it on juice and processed fruit snacks. Avoid pastries or snacks with fruit filling since it is mostly sugar, not a real serving of fruit. Small amounts of 100% fruit juice (no added sugar) can fit into a healthy diet, as long as most servings come from whole fruit that also offer heart-healthy fiber while juice does not.

2. DO focus on wholesome, nutrient-dense foods. Choose unprocessed foods rich in unsaturated fats, fiber, and lean protein. These include fruits, vegetables, fish, beans, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.

DON’T overlook sodium. Processed foods, frozen entrees, canned vegetables (with added salt), common condiments (like ketchup), deli meats, and some cheeses can be high in sodium as can many restaurant dishes. Try to monitor sodium intake and strive for no more than 1,500 milligrams a day to help prevent high blood pressure and heart disease. Eating fresh foods, looking for unsalted meats, making your own soups or food at home, and using salt substitutes while cooking can dramatically decrease your sodium intake.

3. DO limit unhealthy fats. Saturated fat is found in butter, lard, cream, and meats. Reduce the amount of solid fats in your diet by finding lower-fat substitutes. Try topping your baked potato with salsa or low-fat yogurt instead of butter. Instead of spreading margarine on your toast, try using a low-sugar fruit spread. Cook with liquid oils like canola, olive, safflower, or sunflower or substitute two egg whites for one whole egg in a recipe. Flavor your dishes with herbs or lemon juice. Trim fat off your meat or choose leaner proteins such as fish and poultry instead of red meat, bacon, sausage, or fried chicken. Limiting saturated fats and cutting out Trans fats entirely can help lower your risk for heart attack and stroke.

DON’T eat out often, especially fast food places. Not only do they offer foods that are high in the unhealthy fats discussed above, they tend to offer huge portions that are often more than we need. This is a recipe for disaster when it comes to heart health. Try to cook meals at home using fresh produce and lean protein choices. For those with busy schedules, cook just a couple days out of the week and make extra helpings of your healthful meals. Store the leftovers in single-portion, reusable containers that are ready to grab and eat for the rest of the week. If you do decide to eat out at a restaurant, try to split an entrée with a friend or take half your meal home for tomorrow’s lunch. (Read this skinny gene article for portion control tips: http://skinnygeneproject.dreamhosters.com/portion-control-tips/)

4. DO increase physical activity. Not only does exercise have physical benefits such as healthy weight maintenance and positive health outcomes, it also reduces stress hormones that cause negative heart health risks. Exercise may improve heart health by regulating the body’s cholesterol and blood pressure. Evidence also shows that regular physical activity improves brain health, bone health, mood, and the ability to fight colds, as well as decreasing risk of cancer and diabetes. Even a modest amount of exercise helps and it’s never too late to get started! Aim for at least 30-60 minutes of physical activity daily.

DON’T smoke. Studies have linked cigarette smoking to coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attacks. A smoker’s risk of dying from this disease is two to three times greater than a nonsmoker’s.

5. DO manage stress. Chronic stress may increase your risk to have heart disease, high blood pressure, chest pain, or irregular heartbeats. The stress itself can be a problem, but the way you handle stress also matters. Responding to stress in unhealthy ways (such as smoking, overeating, or being physically inactive) can make matters worse. Finding healthy ways to deal with stress such as exercising, maintaining a positive attitude, not smoking or drinking too much alcohol, getting plenty of sleep, enjoying a healthy diet, and maintaining a healthy weight can help keep you in good heart health as well as improve your overall quality of life. If you’re finding it hard to deal with stress, seek help from a doctor or counselor.

DON’T skip your checkups. There are silent heart risk factors that are harder to detect on your own so it is important to regularly get checked out by a doctor. Some of the most common, symptom-free heart issues are easily treated, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. It is better to get the milder problems and heart risk factors in line before it becomes a major issue.

BERRIES 

Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries-whatever berry you like best-are full of anti-inflammatory agents, which reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer. Berries may also help to prevent diabetes and age-related cognitive decline. Their low fat and high dietary fiber content makes them ideal for weight loss they are satisfying without adding on the pounds.

Love berries? Try this recipe!

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/strawberry_melon_avocado_salad.html

LEGUMES 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/NU00577

SPINACH

Spinach can help keep your ticker in top shape thanks to its stores of lutein, folate, potassium, and fiber. Upping your servings of any veggies is sure to give your heart a boost.

The Physicians’ Health Study examined more than 15,000 men without heart disease for a period of 12 years. Those who ate at least two-and-a-half servings of vegetables each day cut their risk of heart disease by about 25%, compared with those who didn’t eat the veggies. Each additional serving reduced risk by another 17%.

Looking for ways to eat more spinach? Try this recipe!

http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/spinach-artichoke-dip

Start your day with a steaming bowl of oats, which are full of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. This fiber-rich superfood can lower levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear. Opt for coarse or steel-cut oats over instant varieties-which contain more fiber-and top your bowl off with a banana for another 4 grams of fiber.

Add a little color to your oatmeal with this recipe.

http://www.eatrightamerica.com/Recipes/Breakfast/Blueberry-Nut-Oatmeal

SALMON  

Super-rich in omega-3 fatty acids, salmon has been found to keep blood flowing through the body and reduce the risk of heart attack. These essential fats, meaning you need to eat them because your body cannot make them itself, not only prevent cholesterol from becoming embedded in artery walls, but reduce blood clots from forming, a major cause of heart attack. Aim for two servings per week, which may reduce your risk of dying of a heart attack by up to one-third.

Here’s a great salmon recipe to try

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/black_bean_salmon_tostadas.html

AVOCADO 

Add a bit of avocado to a sandwich or spinach salad to up the amount of heart-healthy fats in your diet. Packed with monounsaturated fat, avocados can help lower LDL levels while raising the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body.

The fat in avocado is mostly the good fats -essential, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated.  These good fats have been found to lower the bad cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol, which is important for everyone, especially those with diabetes or are overweight and at risk for heart disease

One avocado should be divided into 5 – 1 oz servings- providing 50 calories, 3.5 grams unsaturated fat, total fat of 4.5 grams.  With one avocado totaling 250 calories, you can see a bowl of guacamole (and the fried chips) can provide 500-1000 calories and 50-75 grams of fat pretty quickly.

There are lots of ways to add avocado into your diet. Here’s one suggestion. http://www.avocado.org/recipes/view/16772/avocado-cilantro-bagel-spread

COCOA 

Dark chocolate and cocoa are super foods that contain a very high amount of antioxidants and flavanols – meaning they have been proven to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol , therefore lowering your risk of heart disease! The darker the chocolate the more super the food! Try dark chocolate with the highest percent of cocoa, preferably 60-70% cocoa solids (it’s written on the package). It is the “perfect combination between health and taste.”

If you love cocoa, you’re sure to love this recipe .

http://skinnygeneproject.dreamhosters.com/i-heart-chocolate/

NUTS 

Walnuts are full of omega-3 fatty acids and, along with almonds and macadamia nuts, are loaded with mono- and polyunsaturated fat. Plus, nuts increase fiber in the diet, and they are a great source of healthy fat.

Try new ways to incorporate nuts into your recipes. Here’s an example.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/health-nut-blueberry-muffins

If you have additional questions about how you can prevent diabetes or would like some help making positive lifestyle changes in your life, we would like the opportunity to speak with you! To contact us, please CLICK HERE!

Diabetes prevention: 5 tips for taking control

Tweaking your lifestyle could be a big step toward diabetes prevention — and it’s never too late to start. Consider these tips.

By Mayo Clinic staff

When it comes to type 2 diabetes — the most common type of diabetes — prevention is a big deal. It’s especially important to make diabetes prevention a priority if you’re at increased risk of diabetes, for example, if you’re overweight or have a family history of the disease. In the United States alone, experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expect diabetes to affect more than 48 million people by 2050.

Tweaking your lifestyle could be a big step toward diabetes prevention — and it’s never too late to start. Diabetes prevention is as basic as losing extra weight and eating more healthfully. Consider the latest diabetes prevention tips from the American Diabetes Association.

Tip 1: Get more physical activity

There are many benefits to regular physical activity. It can help you lose weight but even if it doesn’t, it’s still important to get off the couch. Whether you lose weight or not, physical activity lowers blood sugar and boosts your sensitivity to insulin — which helps keep your blood sugar within a normal range.

Research shows that both aerobic exercise and resistance training can help control diabetes, but the greatest benefits come from a fitness program that includes both.

Tip 2: Get plenty of fiber

It’s rough, it’s tough — and it may reduce the risk of diabetes by improving your blood sugar control. Fiber intake is also associated with a lower risk of heart disease. It may even promote weight loss by helping you feel full. Foods high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

Tip 3: Go for whole grains

Although it’s not clear why, whole grains may reduce your risk of diabetes and help maintain blood sugar levels. Try to make at least half your grains whole grains. Many foods made from whole grains come ready to eat, including various breads, pasta products and ready-to-eat cereals. Look for the word “whole” on the package and among the first few items in the ingredient list.

Tip 4: Lose extra weight

If you’re overweight, diabetes prevention may hinge on weight loss. Every pound you lose can improve your health. And you may be surprised by how much. In one study, overweight adults who lost a modest amount of weight — 5 percent to 10 percent of initial body weight — and exercised regularly reduced the risk of developing diabetes by 58 percent over three years.

Tip 5: Skip fad diets and make healthier choices

Low-carb, low-glycemic load or other fad diets may help you lose weight at first, but their effectiveness at preventing diabetes isn’t known; nor are their long-term effects. And by excluding or strictly limiting a particular food group, you may be giving up essential nutrients. Instead, think variety and portion control as part of an overall healthy-eating plan.

Make it a team effort

The American Diabetes Association recommends blood glucose screening for everyone age 45 and older who’s overweight. If you’re older than age 45 and at a normal weight, ask your doctor about earlier testing. Also ask your doctor about testing if you’re younger than age 45 and overweight with one or more additional risk factors for type 2 diabetes — such as a sedentary lifestyle or a family history of diabetes.

Also share your concerns about diabetes prevention. Your doctor will applaud your efforts to keep diabetes at bay, and perhaps offer additional suggestions based on your medical history or other factors.