19 Feb Heart Health Awareness Month – Preventing Heart Disease
It is often suggested that the cause of many illnesses, such as heart diseases, can be prevented much easily rather than treated when the damage is already done. That’s why raising awareness for these preventable diseases is essential.
Several heart diseases could be decreased or even eliminated if only people adopted healthier habits.
This includes not smoking cigarettes, lowering cholesterol through proper nutrition, regular exercising. Moreover, other psychosocial factors, such as stress, or genetic predisposition, can also be a cause of some illnesses connected with the heart, but this can also be prevented by regular checkups, a healthy lifestyle, and having time to relax.
Heart Health Awareness Month
Each February is marked as a heart health awareness month by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). This is a month dedicated to raising awareness about heart health and advising Americans to decrease their risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease.
Heart disease is the primary cause of death and weakness in Western countries. For this reason, a sufficient understanding of prevention measures is necessary.
Prevention Through Nutrition
The current American lifestyle generates a considerable amount of concern amongst doctors. Almost seven out of every ten deaths are associated with chronic diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. All of which have an immediate nutritional connection.
Nutrition and diet play critical roles in preventing many types of heart diseases. Poor nutrition and diet can cause the same heart diseases that some food can prevent. For example, dietary agents such as fat and alcohol under certain circumstances increase cardiovascular disease risks. Moreover, water and certain liquids play essential roles in protecting the heart.
Heart failure is on the rise in people over age 65, but more recently, even younger people are affected. The pattern of heart disease death has changed in the last ten years, driven mainly by the obesity epidemics. Obesity needs to be treated or prevented with proper diet and exercise.
We all know the quote “You are what you eat,” and there’s significant truth in this saying.
Stop for a minute and think about the meaning of this quote. The food we eat is “fuel” for our bodies. We all remember to take care of our possessions, and you most certainly wouldn’t put the wrong oil into your car, so why do it to your body?
Remember to include organically grown food, freshly picked vegetables, and fruits that are seasonal so that you can offer your body the right nutrients and support.
Advice From a Cardiologist
Today we’ll share some advice from Dr. Luiza Petre, co-founder of Broth By Design, Board Certified Cardiologist and Nutrition Expert.
Dr. Luiza Petre is asking people across America to prioritize their hearts. As a Board Certified Cardiologist, she acknowledges the shocking reality that 80% of heart attacks are preventable.
“You have to recognize the symptoms; that’s key. They are classic with men; they get the chest’s tightness, but symptoms in women can be very different, dizziness, pain in the neck or shoulder, nausea, acid reflux, and profound sweating.” – Says Dr. Luiza Petre.
Moreover, she states that the reasons why women delay medical attention when they feel these things are:
- they don’t want to be seen as complainers;
- they blame it on the stressful everyday life;
- they tend to take care first of others instead of prioritizing themselves.
In addition to this, Dr. Luiza Petre shares here the top three reasons why you need to protect your heart:
1. Heart health starts with YOU.
2. Always remember that 80% of heart disease is influenced by lifestyle, and only 20% is genetic.
3. That’s why you need to be controlling life’s simple 7, which can decrease the risk of heart disease by 80%:
- Stop smoking;
- Eat better;
- Get active;
- Lose weight;
- Manage blood pressure;
- Control cholesterol;
- Reduce blood sugar.
“Besides recognizing the symptoms, even modest lifestyle modification can make a huge difference in lowering heart attack risk.” – Dr. Luiza Petre
Protect Your Immune System
A balanced immune response is a cornerstone of fighting cardiovascular diseases. Being in that sweet spot of just the right amount of immunity defence is determined by genetics, general health, and lifestyle.
Immunity slows down when there is a hostile background like inflammation. All those unhealthy habits – lack of exercise, bad diet, smoking, obesity trigger inflammation. It is fair to say people with heart disease had increased inflammation throughout life. There is also cause-effect in reverse; while inflammation lowers immunity, an imbalanced exemption can also trigger inflammation and heart disease.
In light of the heart awareness month, here are some cardiologist-approved things you can do to protect your immune system, and therefore your heart:
- Eat healthy foods. In other words, don’t forget to eat your fruits and veggies!
- Get enough sleep. The goal is to have at least 7-8 hours a night.
- Do your exercises and give your body the metabolism boost it deserves.
- Focus on decreasing stress through meditation. A healthy mind equals a healthy body.
- Protect your gut. Make sure to sip your daily dose of Bone Broth or Green Broth by Design.
- Do all “unhealthy” things in moderation. Limit your alcohol, cigarettes, fatty foods, and sugary beverages intake.
Prevention For Our Future
Let’s think about the future. If we have a strong belief in preserving a healthy terrain, it follows that we want to promote health in our children. It is crucial for optimal health and development to protect children from the earliest age through proper diet and lifestyle.
If we focus on including nutritious foods as part of a balanced diet and eliminating sugars and other immune-suppressive foods, children will be much healthier in the long run.
If we promote a healthy lifestyle from the start, many children will remain disease-free in their adulthood. That’s why we should lead by example and take care of our well-being first and foremost.
Wrapping Things Up
When the body’s immune system targets an organ, it discharges chemicals to enhance blood flow. As a consequence, inflammation occurs in the wrong organs, and a health problem arises. Inflammation in the heart results in heart disease.
Therefore, if we want to have a sound and healthy life, we must take precautions earlier in our lives. Just because the symptoms do not exist today, it doesn’t mean that they can’t appear tomorrow.
A simple change in your diet now can save you a lot of pain twenty years from now.
