Taking Care Of Heart And Brain

Everybody knows our heart is important.

We not talking about the romantic way, although we know how passion and love are so helpful in bad days. Sometimes they are the only reason to make us wake up in the morning.

Well, setting the romance beside, today we’ll talk about healthy hearts and brains.

What we need and how we take care them .

Tips to Take Care of Your Heart and Brain

Some people may be concerned about cardiovascular disease because of a family member’s health issues and/or you’ve recently learned that you have high cholesterol or high triglycerides or high blood sugar. Here are some ideas for protecting yourself from heart disease and stroke, and keeping your body strong and energized. Burning Questions!

Below are the questions that you should be asking in order to protect your body. It’s more than simply lowering your cholesterol. We now know that people can have cardiovascular disease (CVD) with “normal” cholesterol levels, whereas  others can have very high cholesterol levels yet never experience complications from CVD. The missing connection is inflammation. Cholesterol is important, but this post will target more than simply lowering cholesterol levels by guiding you toward an anti-inflammatory diet.

What lowers “bad” LDL-cholesterol?

• Soluble fiber-found in beans, lentils, sweet potatoes, berries, oatmeal and apples

• Plant stanols-found in beans, lentils, almonds, specially fortified foods, and supplements

• Healthy fats and oils-found in nuts, seeds, olive and canola oils, olives and avocados.

• Exercise

What increases “bad” LDL-cholesterol?

• Animal fats-(aka “saturated fats”) found in meat, poultry skin, cheese, butter, ice cream,

whole milk, and palm oil. These fats are solid at room temperature, like butter and cheese.

What makes LDL-cholesterol “stick” to blood vessel and artery walls and cause heart disease?

Inflammation-related damage to vessel walls. These foods and lifestyle factors increase inflammation in your body:

• Inflammatory foods-sugar, refined flour, animal fats, hydrogenated oils (trans fats and fried foods), and soy,

sunflower, corn and cottonseed oils 

• Stress

• Smoking

• Excessively drinking alcohol

What prevents LDL-cholesterol from “sticking” to blood vessels and arteries in your body?

• Anti-inflammatory foods-vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, spices, herbs, and oily fish

• Omega 3 fats-these are found in oily fish and flaxseeds. Ask your Nutrition Counselor if you need to supplement your diet with an omega-3 fatty acid supplements.

• Exercise

What protects your body from the damages of high cholesterol?

• Antioxidants-found in vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils and whole grains

• Anti-inflammatory foods-vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, spices, herbs, and oily fish

• Exercise

• Stress management

10 ways to take care of your heart health

1. Schedule a Yearly Checkup

Your heart is in your hands. Each year on your birthday, schedule a checkup to have your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels checked, and ask your doctor to help you reach or maintain a healthy weight. Be sure to follow your healthcare professional’s recomendations, including taking prescribed medications as directed.

 2. Get Physical

Step, march or jog in place for at least 15 minutes a day while watching your favorite TV shows. Increase your activity by five minutes each week until you’re getting a minimum of 30 minutes most days of the week.

If exercise and diet do not get you to your goal, ask your doctor about adding medication.

 3. Drink More Water

Take a water bottle with you wherever you go. It’ll keep you hydrated and the bottle’s weight will strengthen your arms.

 4. Eat Healthy

Keep packages of unhealthy food hidden. Put raw veggies and fruits in front in the refrigerator and healthy snacks in the front of the pantry, so that’s what you see first. If you grab healthy foods for a minimum of 21 times, healthy choices will become a habit.

5. Control Cholesterol

Eating foods high in saturated fat, trans fat or cholesterol can lead to high blood cholesterol. To help keep your cholesterol levels down, eat foods low in saturated fat and trans fat, such as lean chicken or turkey (roasted or baked, with skin removed), fruits and veggies, low-fat or fat-free dairy products and whole grains.

 6. Cut Down on Salt

To help lower high blood pressure, watch your salt intake. It may be disguised in food labels as sodium alginate, sodium sulfite, sodium caseinate, disodium phosphate, sodium benzoate, sodium hydroxide, monosodium glutamate (MSG), or sodium citrate.

 7. Quit Smoking

Try this four-step way to kick your habit:

On Day 1, cut the number of cigarettes you smoke by half

On Day 3, cut the number of cigarettes you smoke in half again

And on Day 5, cut your smoking in half again

On your Quit Day… quit!

 8. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Excess weight increases your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. To achieve steady, painless weight loss, take it easy. Each day, if you eat 200-300 calories less than you would normally consume, and exercise at least 30 minutes on most or all days of the week, you’ll get closer to your goal and be able to achieve weight loss that’s steady and painless.

 9. Stay Positive

If you get off your exercise schedule, have a cigarette, or eat a fattening meal, immediately get back on track toward re-establishing a healthy lifestyle.

 10. Give Yourself Credit

To maintain momentum with exercising, losing weight, or quitting smoking, keep track of your achievements and reward yourself by doing something you enjoy.

 We hope you liked our tips this week.

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See you soon and take care!