Tips For Celebrating Heart Month In America

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

The month of February doesn't just mean flowers and chocolates for Valentine's Day. February is also America's Heart Month, the perfect time to learn how we can maintain the overall health of our hearts.

High obesity rates and inactive lifestyles among today's youth put them at risk for health problems at an early age. Half of all Americans have at least one of the top three risk factors for heart disease (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking).

Lorena Farias, a licensed dietitian, shares four tips that we must implement to improve the health of our hearts and avoid risks related to heart disease.

1. Incorporate healthier fats: there is a bad perception regarding fats. Not all fats are bad. Foods with healthy fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are important for the health of your heart. These healthier fats can be found in foods like olive oil, fish, avocados, and nuts, like pistachios. Wonderful Pistachios contains 13 grams of fat per serving and almost 90% is the unsaturated type, which is good for you.

Lorena Farías. Photo: Courtesy

2. Exercise: physical activity has numerous health benefits. The easiest way to start exercising is to just start walking! Walking is good for cardiovascular health. Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise five days a week. Making your body move is a known factor in maintaining the health of your heart.

3. Reduce sodium intake: Eating less sodium can impact your health in several ways: it reduces the risk of high blood pressure and it can also reduce the risk of a heart attack. Here are some ways you can reduce sodium intake:

- Instead of using salt when preparing food, use onions, garlic, herbs, spices, citrus juices, and vinegars to add flavor.

- Search for products with the American Heart Association heart seal to find foods that can be part of an overall pattern of healthy eating.

- Incorporate foods with potassium such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, vegetables, tomatoes, white beans, red beans, nonfat yogurt, oranges, bananas and melons.

4. Limit junk food: To reap the full benefits of a heart-healthy diet, it is important to limit your intake of junk food and poor in nutrients. Added sugars, saturated fats, and excess sodium can have a negative impact on heart health. Unlike French fries, pistachios offer a good source of protein and fiber, with three times as many pieces per serving. Pistachios give you about 49 nuts per serving; Compare that to just 15 fries per serving.