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Getting regular exercise is one way to improve your heart health.
Heart disease is the number one cause of deaths in the United States. It doesn’t matter the race or sex, this When you hear the words “heart disease,” you probably think of heart attacks or strokes. However, high blood pressure, angina (chest pain), poor circulation, and abnormal heartbeats are heart disease as well.
We have known that heart disease is linked to high total blood cholesterol levels. But only recently have we learned that lowering those levels also lowers that risk.
Everyone has blood cholesterol in their bloodstream. It only becomes a problem when your levels get too high. When your cholesterol levels get elevated, it is more likely to collect on the walls of your arteries and other blood vessels, gradually causing the artery walls to become narrow and block the flow of oxygen rich blood. This is called atherosclerosis.
Knowing your blood cholesterol level may help you lower your risk for heart disease. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute sets the following total blood cholesterol risk level guidelines for adults age 20 or older: Desirable: Less than 200 milligrams per dL; Borderline High: 200-239 milligrams per dL; High: 240 or more milligrams per dL.
If you are among the 50 percent of Americans with high or borderline high total blood cholesterol levels, a few changes in your food choices and lifestyle may bring your total blood cholesterol levels down to an adequate range, and at the same time, your risk for heart disease.
Here are some suggestions to get you started:
• Eat a diet low in fat. Reduce your daily fat intake to no more than 30 percent of your total calories for a day. Don’t try to eliminate fat totally, just cut back. You need some fat to keep you healthy, and many foods with fat also contain other nutrients your body needs.
• Follow an eating pattern with less saturated fat. Reduce the saturated fatty acids in your diet to less than 10 percent of your total daily calories. Saturated fats boost blood cholesterol levels more than anything else you consume.
• Follow an eating plan that’s low in cholesterol. It’s not necessary to eliminate foods with cholesterol, but you do need to limit the amount you consume to 300 milligrams a day.
• Eat more fiber. Eating more fiber rich foods may help lower blood cholesterol levels. That’s because the soluble fiber may help take cholesterol away before it can be absorbed into the bloodstream.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables. Just remember to eat them with their skins on so that you get the fiber plus all the minerals and vitamins. Eating a low-fat diet is well accepted as a strategy to promote a healthy heart. Research is also showing a strong link to high intakes of antioxidant vitamins: beta carotene, and vitamins A and C.
• Increase your soy intake. Research shows that eating more soy protein and less animal protein can help lower high cholesterol. As little as 25 grams of soy protein a day may be enough to lower cholesterol levels. This can be accomplished by eating two to three servings of soy foods.
• Maintain or improve your weight. The more excess body fat you have, the greater risk you have for developing heart disease. Where your body stores that excess also makes a difference to your heart health. Those who carry the excess weight in the abdomen area have a higher cardiac risk than those with extra padding in the hips and thighs.
• If you have high blood pressure, get it under control. High blood pressure or hypertension is a key risk factor for heart attack and stroke.
• If you smoke, give up the habit. Smoking seems to raise blood pressure levels and heart rate. For those who stop smoking, the risk for heart disease goes down over the years, even for long-time smokers.
• Keep moving! Get the heart-healthy benefits of regular moderate exercise. Active living helps keep your blood cholesterol levels healthy, reduces blood pressure, helps you control body weight and stress as you burn energy.
It is important to remember that people vary in the way they respond to dietary changes. Your heart healthy diet should be individually designed to meet your needs and fit into your lifestyle, and should always be done upon the advice of a medical professional.
Roshunda Terry is the director of the Anson County Cooperative Extension.
