February is National Heart Health month, so why not celebrate talking about foods your heart will love. Heart disease is one of America’s leading causes of death and is often the result of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, poor diet, stress, physical inactivity, and overweight and obesity(1). The foods we choose to eat can have a significant impact on our heart health. So love your heart and try to choose foods that will keep it healthy.
Fruits and vegetables offer lots of nutrients that help fight against heart disease (1). The American Heart Association recommends making half of your plate fruits and vegetables (1). Try eating a variety of fruits and vegetables of different colors to make sure you are getting all the necessary nutrients.
Beans and Legumes are a great source of protein without the saturated fat. They contain fiber and many vitamins and minerals that help with lowering blood cholesterol levels (1). Substituting plant protein with animal protein can help reduce your overall fat and cholesterol intake. Try adding beans to soups, salads, and pasta dishes or make a dip and spread it on sandwiches!
Healthy Fats: It is best to replace bad fats (saturated and trans fats) with healthier (mono and polyunsaturated fats) for optimal heart health. Olive, peanut, safflower, soybean, and avocado oil are great alternatives for cooking instead of butter. Do not forget about the essential omega 3-fatty acids, which have shown to lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and total cholesterol levels (1). Try consuming fish two times a week or add flaxseeds to your smoothies!
Whole grains such as whole wheat, oatmeal, brown rice, popcorn, and barley are great because they contain so many nutrients such as the B vitamins, iron, magnesium, selenium, and FIBER (1). Fiber helps improve blood cholesterol levels and lowers risk for stroke and obesity (1).
Don’t forget about exercise! Staying active is one of the most important things to do to prevent heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week (2). An activity can be in the form of walking, running, cycling, swimming, or even shoveling snow. It is also recommended that adults do muscle strength training about two times a week (2). Physical activity has been shown to decrease the incidence of heart disease and mortality, reduce blood pressure and prevalence of hypertension, weight loss, reduced rate of type 2 diabetes, and decrease in blood lipid levels (3).
1. Heart Check Foods. American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/heart-check-foods. Accessed February 17, 2020 2.
2. Fitness Basics. American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics. Accessed Febrary 17, 2020
3. Piercy KL., Troiano RP, Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans from the US Department of Health and Human Services. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. 2018;11:3005263.
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Post written by Hanna Stringer, a graduate student of Christine Clark in the MS in Applied Nutrition program through the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University.
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