Eat Your Heart Out
With February being Heart Awareness Month, we might consider if what we are eating is healing or harming our hearts; the organ which pumps life force throughout the body. Keeping our hearts healthy (or improving our heart health) should include a total lifestyle approach. What we eat matters, as does exercise, sleep, whether we smoke, and stress management.
Taking a deeper look at nutrition specifically, our heart health is impacted by what we eat and what we don’t eat, meaning we want to include more of the foods that heal, while avoiding foods or substances that increase risk for cardiac complications.
What to avoid:
· Trans fats: found in many processed foods
· Saturated fats: bacon, sausage, and other processed meats
· Sugar: found in sweets and baked goods, as well as condiments, granola bars, and cereal
· Alcohol
What to include:
· A wide variety of fruits and vegetables: try to consume whole foods over refined or processed ones. Fruits and vegetables have a wealth of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and other plant properties that are healing and protective. Dark leafy greens and berries are especially rich in antioxidants and other vital nutrients.
· Fiber: aim for 5-9 servings of vegetables and fruits per day, along with whole grains, nuts, seeds, and beans. Remember to gradually increase your daily fiber to avoid abdominal discomfort. Overall, aim for a total intake of 25-35g of fiber per day.
· Olive oil and fatty fish: aim for 2-3 servings of fish per week and utilize olive oil when making dressings or for other low/no-heat cooking
About Janna Neitzel,, MS, RD, CDN
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