Young or old one question you should be asking your doctor is can heart disease be prevented.
There is much disagreement amongst medical professionals as can heart disease be prevented but one thing that is not in disagreement is that certain lifestyle choices can greatly improve your chances of heart disease.
In this article I will be passing on some lifestyle changes my wife and I use regularly which have been effective at lowering our blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.
Keep in mind that you should talk with your doctor before following our lead, since everyone's circumstances are slightly different.
At the center of our approach to heart health is diet.
We both have grown up on a steady diet of high saturated fat foods such as ice cream, ground beef, marbled meats, cheese, butter, fried foods, and vegetables cooked in bacon fat or grease.
At some point we simply looked at one another and said this is silly for us to be eating like this, after all we know that a high saturated fat diet can lead to atherosclerosis, one of the leading causes of heart disease.
So for the last 5 years it has been less pizza, fatty meats, hamburgers, hot dogs, butter, and more fruits, vegetables, and fish.
Fruits and vegetables contain virtually no saturated fat and many of them are actually high in a heart healthy substance called soluble fiber.
Soluble fiber binds with cholesterol in the intestines and transports it out of the body rather than it to finding its way back into the blood stream.
Good examples of fruits and vegetables that are high in soluble fiber are kale, legumes, apples, orange pulp, and pears.
Our diet also consists of cooking with olive oil when given the chance, very little salt, and keeping sugar to a minimum most of the time.
Fish has been a staple on our diet for the last couple of years, after reading a research study claiming that eating fish high in omega 3 fatty acids twice a week could dramatically reduce ones chances of heart disease or stroke.
The theory goes that omega three fatty acids decrease arterial inflammation and smooth out the interior lining of the arteries making it harder for arterial plaque to form.
Fish that have the highest concentration of omega 3 fatty acids are salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, herring, and sardines.
Some affordable, some not so affordable, but all readily available at your local supermarket.
The second half of our two step approach is exercise three times a week.
Now this is below the daily 30 minute daily workout suggested by the American Heart Association.
This formula has worked well for us, at least so far.
Our routine consists of walking 45 minutes, three times a week, in a scenic park within a 15 minute drive of our home.
We have found that walking in the early afternoon works the best for us but some of our heart healthy friends prefer the mornings due to cooler temperatures.
In summary, can heart disease be prevented is anyone's best guess, but by eating a heart healthy diet and staying active you will have eliminated two of the most common risk factors.
A couple of others are smoking and obesity, and if either apply to you talking to your doctor about them would be a heart healthy idea.
There is much disagreement amongst medical professionals as can heart disease be prevented but one thing that is not in disagreement is that certain lifestyle choices can greatly improve your chances of heart disease.
In this article I will be passing on some lifestyle changes my wife and I use regularly which have been effective at lowering our blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.
Keep in mind that you should talk with your doctor before following our lead, since everyone's circumstances are slightly different.
At the center of our approach to heart health is diet.
We both have grown up on a steady diet of high saturated fat foods such as ice cream, ground beef, marbled meats, cheese, butter, fried foods, and vegetables cooked in bacon fat or grease.
At some point we simply looked at one another and said this is silly for us to be eating like this, after all we know that a high saturated fat diet can lead to atherosclerosis, one of the leading causes of heart disease.
So for the last 5 years it has been less pizza, fatty meats, hamburgers, hot dogs, butter, and more fruits, vegetables, and fish.
Fruits and vegetables contain virtually no saturated fat and many of them are actually high in a heart healthy substance called soluble fiber.
Soluble fiber binds with cholesterol in the intestines and transports it out of the body rather than it to finding its way back into the blood stream.
Good examples of fruits and vegetables that are high in soluble fiber are kale, legumes, apples, orange pulp, and pears.
Our diet also consists of cooking with olive oil when given the chance, very little salt, and keeping sugar to a minimum most of the time.
Fish has been a staple on our diet for the last couple of years, after reading a research study claiming that eating fish high in omega 3 fatty acids twice a week could dramatically reduce ones chances of heart disease or stroke.
The theory goes that omega three fatty acids decrease arterial inflammation and smooth out the interior lining of the arteries making it harder for arterial plaque to form.
Fish that have the highest concentration of omega 3 fatty acids are salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, herring, and sardines.
Some affordable, some not so affordable, but all readily available at your local supermarket.
The second half of our two step approach is exercise three times a week.
Now this is below the daily 30 minute daily workout suggested by the American Heart Association.
This formula has worked well for us, at least so far.
Our routine consists of walking 45 minutes, three times a week, in a scenic park within a 15 minute drive of our home.
We have found that walking in the early afternoon works the best for us but some of our heart healthy friends prefer the mornings due to cooler temperatures.
In summary, can heart disease be prevented is anyone's best guess, but by eating a heart healthy diet and staying active you will have eliminated two of the most common risk factors.
A couple of others are smoking and obesity, and if either apply to you talking to your doctor about them would be a heart healthy idea.
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