Eating for heart health is important for everyone. But this blog post is specifically for the ladies! Cardiovascular disease is a serious health problem in our country. But often, men get more attention from their doctors regarding heart health than women do. We want women to get the message that they need to make their heart health a priority. This includes eating for heart health and other lifestyle choices.
Some alarming facts about women and heart disease:
- One woman dies from heart disease every minute in the U.S.
- Heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined.
- Since 1984, more women in the US than men have died from heart disease.
- 42% of women die within one year of having a heart attack compared to 24% of men.
- Signs and symptoms of a heart attack are different in men and women. Know the differences.
Common Types of Heart Disease in Women
Coronary artery disease: The most common heart disease—and the leading cause of death for women1—is caused by plaque in the walls of the arteries that supply blood to your heart and other parts of your body. After menopause, women are at a higher risk of coronary artery disease because of hormonal changes.
Arrhythmia: This condition is when your heart beats too slowly, too fast, or in an irregular way. A common example is atrial fibrillation.
Heart failure: Heart failure is when your heart is too weak to pump enough blood to support other organs in your body. This condition is serious, but it doesn’t mean your heart has stopped beating.
Lifestyle Factors You Can Control
We must keep an eye on our heart health, ladies, especially those of you with a strong family history. Even if you exercise, eat right, and think you are in great shape, getting an assessment of your heart health is crucial and potentially life saving.
Eating for Heart Health
Of course, there are some risk factors we cannot control. However, making sure that we eat for heart health is something that we CAN control! For example, foods high in fiber can help decrease cholesterol. And getting plenty of antioxidants helps limit inflammation in the arteries, decreasing the likelihood of plaque buildup.
5 things to focus on when eating for heart health:
- Choose the right type and amount of fat
- Limit your salt intake
- Increase dietary fiber
- Limit added sugar
- Choose lean cuts of meat
Foods to include in a heart healthy diet:
- Beans – an excellent protein source with tons of fiber
- Fruits & Vegetables – loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber
- Fish – High in omega-3’s (protective against heart disease), possibly helps reduce blood clotting, decrease inflammation, lower triglycerides
- Whole Grains – high fiber and lots of vitamins/minerals, low glycemic index
- Healthy fats (olive oil, avocados, nuts) – can improve cholesterol levels
We have an entire blog post dedicated to eating for heart health. Click here to check it out!
Exercise and Heart Health
Here are three types of exercise and their role in heart health:
Aerobic Exercise
Elevating your heart rate with aerobic activity is an important component of a heart-healthy exercise routine, ladies! Walking, running, biking, swimming, and other aerobic activities get your blood pumping and strengthen your heart. Meanwhile,150 minutes/week of moderate aerobic exercise can help lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and lower triglycerides. It can also help lower blood sugar!
Strength Training
Strength training helps build lean muscle mass and decreases body fat, which in turn can lower your cholesterol and blood pressure. It also helps you maintain a healthy body weight. Women sometimes get scared that they will “bulk up,” but that is not the case! So do strength training exercises at least two times per week to improve your heart health. For example, lift weights, practice yoga, or engage in outdoor activities like gardening.
Flexibility and Balance
Maintaining flexibility and balance has a more indirect impact on your heart. Flexibility allows you to engage in aerobic and strengthening activities more easily, and lessens joint and muscle pain. Maintaining balance also prevents falls and injuries, which can keep you going strong with your exercise routine.
So while exercises like tai chi, pilates and stretching might not directly affect your heart health, they keep you in shape to do the heart-healthy activities you love.
Check out our other blog post with everything you need to know when it comes to exercising for heart health!
Eat for Heart Health with our Meal Planning Program
To make food prep and planning hassle-free, we have an amazing meal planning app that provides recipes, grocery lists, and nutrition facts that make eating healthy a lot easier.
How You Can Receive Individualized Support for Your Heart Health
There is so much to learn and so many ways we can improve cardiovascular health that it’s impossible to squeeze it into one blog! At Anderson’s Nutrition, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) can give you the education, support, and guidance you need to keep your heart in shape. We provide individualized health coaching and nutrition education that guides you in the creation of your own goals, leading to improved health outcomes.
Ladies, if you are over 40 years old and have a family history of heart disease, make an appointment with a cardiologist today and learn as much as you can about YOUR cardiovascular health. Secondly, don’t go it alone! Get compassionate, individualized health coaching and nutrition education from an expert. Click here to schedule an appointment.
We now offer packages that include both nutrition counseling and fitness! Click the icons to learn more.
