Heart Healthy Quick Tips
Your lifestyle and food choice are the number way to make an impact on your heart health. It’s not as hard as you may think! Remember, it’s the overall pattern of your choices that counts. Make these simple changes a part of your life for long-term benefits to your health and your heart.
Tip:1 – Eat Variety
- a variety of fruits and vegetables,
- low-fat dairy products,
- skinless poultry and fish
- nuts and legumes
- non-tropical vegetable oils- olive, sunflower, peanut or safflower oil
Tip 2 – FIBER
- Adding in fiber rich foods daily helps your cardiovascular system and heart health.
- Try adding in 1 of the following daily
- Fresh fruit with the skin
- Beans like back, pinto or garbanzo
- Whole grains – when looking at the nutrition facts we want something with 3 or more grams of fiber per serving and we need to see the words whole wheat in the ingredients.
Tip 3 – Fish
- Eat a variety of fish at least twice a week, especially fish containing omega-3 fatty acids (for example, salmon, trout and herring).
Tip 4 – Hide the Salt
- Choose foods with less sodium
- Such as cutting back on prepared foods and salty snacks
- When trying to lower blood pressure, aim to eat no more than 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day.
- Easiest way to cut the salt is to take the shaker off the table
Tip 5 – Move Daily
- Movement helps you ton to feel so stressed on
- Next time you feel overwhelmed, exasperated, or angry, take a stroll. Even a five-minute walk can help clear your head and lower your stress levels, which is good for your health. Taking a half-hour walk every day is even better for your physical and mental health.
Tip 6- Know your numbers
- Knowledge is power defiantly when it comes to your health
- Keeping your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides in check is important for good heart health.
- Learn the optimal levels for your sex and age group. Take steps to reach and maintain those levels.
- And remember to schedule regular check-ups with your doctor.
- If you want to make your doctor happy, keep good records of your vitals or lab numbers, and bring them to your appointments
For more information or wanting detailed guidance tailored to you please call and schedule your nutrition assessment today.
Adrien Paczosa is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian practicing in Austin, Texas and the surrounding counties.
She is the owner and founder of I Live Well Nutrition her Dietitian practice which started in 2007 and serves clients in the Austin, Texas area in two locations. Fearless Practitioners, the division of her business that offers training to dietitians and wellness professionals.