How To Eat For Heart Health

Did you know that 80% of chronic disease is preventable? Diet is one of the biggest factors contributing to the development of these chronic diseases, especially heart disease. With half of all Americans suffering from some form of heart disease, we must start doing something to reverse the trend. Not sure how to eat for heart health? There is so much information out there to sort through and understand. In my tips today, we will break it down together … what we know from recent research, and what we should do in our everyday lives.

Tara’s Tuesday Tips:

How To Eat For Heart Health

There are a few simple things you can start doing right away to reduce your chance of developing heart disease. Changing the foods we nourish our bodies with is one of the most effective ways to protect ourselves from high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, and even high cholesterol. There is an abundance of evidence demonstrating that the foods we choose (or don’t choose) can impact blood pressure, inflammation, cholesterol, obesity, and our risk of heart disease. Let’s figure this out!

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

A 2020 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology ) confirms what has been buzzing all over the internet in recent years. A diet high in foods that cause inflammation increase our risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

What are inflammatory foods? Heavily processed foods including refined sugars and grains, sweetened drinks, and processed meats. The sustained levels of inflammation in our bodies caused by these foods leads to a buildup of plaques in our blood vessels.

What are anti-inflammatory foods? Whole, real, unrefined, plant-based foods. AKA foods coming from as close to the earth as possible. These include colorful fruits, vegetables, seeds, unrefined grains, legumes, and beans. These foods do not cause an inflammatory response in our bodies as our bodies do not consider them foreign chemicals or substances.

Intermittent Fasting

Also referred to as Time Restricted Eating, is not a new concept here on MyVegetarianFamily.com as I have authored articles on this topic here and here. Super helpful articles to get you started and see if this eating style is for you. If you are eating for heart health, IF is definitely something to consider. New studies are popping up regularly about IF. This article published in the American Journal of Medicine in August of 2020 supports the notion that intermittent fasting does indeed improve cardiovascular health by reducing obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and systemic inflammation. IF is not the same as calorie restriction! It is all about timing your meals to allow your body to repair itself! Be careful with this style of eating if you are an athlete!

Oils

A diet high in saturated fat can lead to heart disease. No surprise there. We have heard for many years about animal fats having negative effects on LDL cholesterol, clogging our arteries, and contributing to a whole host of negative health conditions. But what about oil? Yes, the oils in avocados and olives and even coconuts are good for us, and in their whole, pure forms can be cardio-protective. But when they are refined, they are stripped of fiber and nutrients. They start out nutritious but after being pressed into oil they consist of 100% fat.

Bottom line is that the absolute best way to eat for heart health is to limit oils in addition to animal fats. Initially, I was confused by this, and you might be too. My Guide To Oil-Free Cooking is a big help, check it out!

Ditch The Diet Soda

Looks like the sugary drinks are not the only drinks that contribute to heart disease. A 2019 study published in the American Heart Association journal, “Stroke”, titled “Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Stroke, Coronary Heart Disease, and All-Cause Mortality in the Women’s Health Initiative” shows us that women who drink two or more artificially sweetened drinks per day double their stroke risk. Obesity and race coupled with artificial sweetener intake increase the risk even higher. Ditch the ‘diet’ drinks and just drink more water!

Don’t Go Keto

Animal fat should not be a staple in your diet. Studies have concluded that a low-carb diet increases the risk of mortality in people with or without known heart disease.

Fiber

So …. I talk a lot about fiber on this blog. For VERY good reason! Plant-based foods have lots and lots of fiber. Animal-based food products do not. A high fiber diet lowers your risk of heart disease, stroke, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, belly fat, triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. ALL of these conditions increase your risk of a cardiovascular event. No dancing around it. It is that simple. Eat more fiber, have less heart disease. It’s not hard! Eat a bowl of oatmeal!

Berries

Antioxidants + fiber make berries your ultimate weapon against heart disease. They are also top of the list of anti-inflammatory foods. Above all, berries are amazingly delicious and are super easy to incorporate into any meal of the day!

Nuts

Just one ounce of nuts five times per week lowers your risk of heart disease by 20%! Bring on the nuts! Nuts have been found to lower LDL (commonly called “bad” cholesterol) and triglyceride levels, lower inflammation, and reduce the risk of blood clots.

Walnuts are a great choice when eating for heart health! They are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (the plant-based omega-3 fatty acid) and super high in antioxidants!

Stop Eating Well-Done Meat!

If you still eat meat, don’t overcook it! Well-done meat of any kind (red, white, or fish) adds carcinogens to the meat and increases your risk of hypertension with the open flame or high temperature cooking methods used to achieve the overcooked taste.

Eat More Plants

I saved the best for last. Fiber, antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals. Guess where you find these things? I will give you a hint … it isn’t in the pharmacy. Plants. The good-for-your-heart foods are the foods you find closest to nature, the ultimate food for preventing heart disease. Food is medicine. Especially when it comes to heart disease. You don’t need to jump all in. Maybe start with meatless Mondays, or swap tofu or tempeh in on your favorite chicken dish. Curious about how to incorporate more plants in your diet? Easy Ways To Eat More Plants is a great place to start, Why You Should Be Eating Green, and How to Lower Your Cholesterol are some of my other Tuesday Tips giving you ideas on how to eat for heart health including easy tools to get you started!