I'm back and ready to blog again with a vengeance! I said before that my next entry would be superfood salads, but given all the news and drama surrounding vegetables lately, I figured it would probably be sensible to move straight on to heart health. Yet again I repeat that I am no nutritionist, but I want to tackle health/nutrition issues in an easy, approachable way, and that allows me to learn lots along the way too. Here we go....
Why should I worry about my heart?
- In 2004, the World Health Organisation reported that coronary heart disease was the 2nd biggest global cause of death, accounting for 9.4% of fatalities. There is no doubt that since then this figure has risen.
- Heart disease is a combination of continued high blood pressure, 'furring up' of arteries and high cholesterol.
How do I develop heart disease?
- This is where nutrition plays a key role. Excessive consumption of refined sugars, 'bad' fats (saturated fats) and lack of exercise are known to be contributing factors. It is also said that a waist circumference of over 32 inches for women, and 37 inches for men can indicate an increased risk of developing heart disease.
Okay, so now I have the basic facts, how can I change/use my diet to improve my heart health?
- There are 4 main areas of your diet you can address to help:
1) Eat the right fats.
- Fats are important for the body, so it's not about a 'fat-free' diet, it's about a 'friendly fat diet'. The 'good' fats are unsaturated ones, for example fish, nuts, and olive oil.
- 'Bad' fats, as I mentioned before, are saturated, for example many baked goods, cakes, and processed food.
Eating fish at least twice a week, using olive oil in cooking and staying away from too many cakes will be good for your heart!
2) Fruit and vegetables
- It may be obvious, but a large consumption of fruit and veg is the best thing you can do for your ticker. With the vegetable situation as it is, I would advise buying only British produce, if at all possible - you'll be supporting our good old farmers by doing so!
- Tomatoes contain the nutrient lycopene, which is known to have cardio-protective properties - it's high in anti-oxidants, and also stimulates the breakdown of 'bad' cholesterol (more on that later....)
- Fruit and veg lower blood pressure, and chicory and asparagus especially help your heart, as their fibre has cholesterol-lowering properties.
3) Limit salt and caffeine intake
- Salt is your heart's biggest foe. It's a major contributor to high blood pressure, and just generally a bit of a baddie. The recommended daily intake is 6g, but read the packaging on foods as sometimes instead of writing the salt content, they'll put 'sodium' instead. Salt is sodium chloride, so in order to work out the salt content, multiply the sodium reading by 2.5. You'll be working out your brain whilst looking after your heart!
- Caffeine causes the body to produce adrenaline, which in turn increases blood pressure. The adrenaline then causes the body to carry more fats and sugar in the bloodstream for energy, but if you're not doing exercise whilst, or shortly after drinking coffee, then there is an increased risk the fats will stick to your arteries, which is bad news! Try to limit your intake to 1 or 2 cups a day - or, if you're feeling brave, go caffeine-free!
4) Good vs. Bad Cholesterol
- Okay, this is a teeny bit sciency and technical, but bear with me! The body needs cholesterol. We only get 20% of the amount we need from our diet, and the rest is made by our bodies for cell membranes, hormone production and to make bile which helps us to digest fats.
- 'Good' cholesterol is high-density lipoprotein, and it helps to counteract 'bad' cholesterol. Some good sources are onions, broccoli, and again, olive oil (and we wonder why the mediterranean diet is often hailed as one of the healthiest in the world!)
- 'Bad' cholesterol is low-density lipoprotein, and is found in cakes, biscuits (all the good things - life is unfair sometimes), full-fat dairy products, and fatty meats, so try to cut down on these foods.
So there is a very quick, and basic 101 of heart health. We all want to have long, full lives, so we need to take care of our hearts, and hopefully we these tips we can make our hearts that little bit healthier!
Nati xXx
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