Be Heart Healthy and Take Charge of your Body
The Centers for Disease Control report that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. While a variety of factors such as age, sex, race, and genetic predisposition (family history of heart disease) do play a role, people of all ages and backgrounds can suffer from the condition. The good news is that many heart disease risk factors can be controlled. Americans can take charge of their heart health by eating a heart healthy diet.
According to the American Heart Association, good nutrition, weight management, adequate physical exercise, stress management and eliminating high-risk behaviors, (such as smoking) are all key factors to promoting heart health.
The importance of nutrition in a heart healthy diet
Understanding the primary role of nutrition in maintaining good heart health is important. Healthy food provides the proper balance of key nutrients that support heart health, while poor nutrition and a lack of adequate physical activity contribute to a variety of health problems, including obesity. Obesity also triggers the onset of many preventable conditions, including high blood pressure and diabetes.
Avoiding high blood pressure, diabetes and being heart healthy
Since diabetes is the result of the body either not producing enough insulin or not using insulin sufficiently, glucose (sugars) begins to build up in the bloodstream. Diabetes causes cardiovascular diseases including coronary artery disease with angina (chest pain), heart attack, atherosclerosis, and stroke.
High cholesterol foods can also increase your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. Cholesterol is naturally produced by the liver and can also be consumed in certain types of food. The liver actually produces all of the cholesterol the body needs to function, but when excess cholesterol builds up in the body, it collects in the arteries, which leads to plaque buildup and will ultimately narrow the arteries.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, can lead to heart attack or stroke if left untreated.
Did you know?
A diet high in sodium raises the blood pressure significantly.
A diet high in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol promotes the onset of atherosclerosis; while other fats, like the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in nuts, seeds, fish and vegetable oils, are actually good for you, making your body heart healthy. Good fats can help lower your cholesterol and provide the essential fatty acids your body needs.
By making changes in your lifestyle, you can actually reduce your risk for heart disease.
The American Heart Association provides a guide to heart healthy practices, including good nutrition, physical activity, weight and stress management, and smoking cessation.
Get heart healthy with bistroMD
While everyone can benefit from eating a heart healthy diet, many find that label reading, calorie-counting and even meal preparation can be challenging. But at bistroMD, we make all of that seem like a breeze.
We cook with the freshest ingredients and have over 200 recipes and a customizable menu so you should have no problem finding something to satisfy your taste buds.
Every bite you take follows this proven approach for healthy weight loss. Our program provides 1,100-1,400 calories daily with 40-50% total caloric intake from lean, adequate protein, 20-25% of calories from healthy fats, and 30-35% from complex carbohydrates.
It only takes a few weeks to start seeing results. You don’t have anything to lose, but the fat!
We have a men's and a women’s program with the option to receive five-or-seven-days’ worth of healthy meals delivered to your door.
The two programs range from $130-$160 and EATS, our essential and tasty snacks are just $1.50 per snack. Women receive two snacks per day and men receive three snacks per day.