Did you know cardiovascular disease, including stroke, is the number 1 killer in the United States according to the American Heart Association or AHA? CAD or coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in every developed country.  Every American, Asian, and European has a 50 percent chance that his quality of life will be damaged by arterial aging disease.

When the heart is healthy it pumps oxygenated blood to itself and the rest of the body, while bringing blood through organs to have toxins removed and back to the lungs for more oxygen. A heart weakened by disease, or one that is pumping inefficiently due to clogged arteries, can mean a diminished quality of life and the consequences can be as severe as sudden death.

American Heart Association dietitians recommend not eating more calories than you know you can burn every day. The Association also recommends increasing the amount of activity to match the number of calories you take in. The average person needs to burn between 3,500 and 6,500 calories a week or from 500 to 950 each day. Exercise doesn’t have to be difficult. Walking, swimming, and cycling are examples of exercise that fit the recommendations. The benefits of exercise also include helping to maintain a healthy weight. The extra weight carried by a person is another heart disease risk factor. A guideline that AHA recommends is keeping your waist size to 40 inches for men and 35 inches or less for women.    

Keeping tabs on blood pressure and cholesterol levels is also important. Both of these can be checked and if the levels are elevated, actions to take and steps to correct them can be guided by a physician.  

Genetics and diet contribute to cholesterol and HDL and LDL levels.  Lowering LDL, or the bad cholesterol, starts with restricting the saturated and trans fat eaten. The recommendations of the AHA are to consume no more than 10% of your calories from saturated fat and keep the trans fat as low as possible.  To increase the HDL or healthy cholesterol, begins with consuming healthy fats such as olive or canola oil, fish, nuts such as almonds or walnuts, and increasing physical activity. Label reading is very helpful when determining the types of fat and amounts in the item.   

Diet really does play a big role in improving heart health. A diet rich in monounsaturated fats like olive oil and fatty fish such as salmon and whitefish which contains omega-3 fatty acids which help provide energy and nutrients for a healthy heart.  Choose foods like vegetables, fruit, and whole-grain products, and low-fat dairy products more often. The AHA states these foods are high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber as well as lower in calories, therefore helping control weight and blood pressure. Whole grain products can help lower blood cholesterol and help you feel full which can also help with weight control therefore, limiting such “white foods” as white bread, refined sugar, and white pasta is beneficial.

Also among the AHA recommendations is choosing lean meats and poultry and limiting the intake of beverages and foods with added sugars.  Drain fat when cooking meats and choose low fat cooking methods such as baking, broiling, or grilling. Choosing and preparing foods with little or no sugar and minimizing intake of partially hydrogenated fat can also be beneficial.   Often it is possible to cut the oil or fat in half when preparing a recipe and not even being able to tell the difference in the taste. Finally, divide your plate in sections when eating and fill three-fourths of the plate with vegetables, fruits and grains. The other one –fourth should be low fat dairy and lean protein type foods such as meat or poultry.