This World Heart Day, learn how to eat for your heart

World Heart Day is celebrated each year on September 29, raising awareness about heart disease and how to protect the heart. Why not acknowledge the occasion by taking a look at your eating habits?

The World Heart Federation, in partnership with the World Health Organization, established World Heart Day in 2000. Each year, the event focuses on some aspect of heart health and cardiovascular care, serving as a “global celebration of the heart.”

In the U.S., heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women. Most people have at least one risk factor for heart disease, also called cardiovascular disease (CVD). While the disease is common, it’s often preventable using healthy lifestyle habits.

If you’d like to take steps to protect your heart, start by taking a closer look at the foods you’re eating. Daily food choices can play a crucial role in heart health, and minor adjustments to your eating habits can provide major benefits.

Understanding your heart disease risk

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 47% of people in the U.S. have at least one of the three most significant risk factors for heart disease—high blood pressure, a high cholesterol level and smoking. Beyond the big three, other lifestyle-related factors can also increase your risk.

Sitting most of the day, being overweight or obese, and eating an unhealthy diet are all risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease, which can lead to heart attack and heart failure.

Even if you have these risk factors, heart disease doesn’t have to be in your future. By changing your habits, you can lower your risk and protect your cardiovascular health. It's never too late to start making healthier choices for your heart.

The components of a heart healthy diet

While many foods today are processed at least minimally, heavily processed foods often contain unhealthy additives, such as saturated fat, added sugar and excess sodium. Because of that, it’s best to limit how many processed foods you’re eating—and to choose whole foods and minimally processed foods whenever you can.

What else should a heart healthy eating plan include? These are the basics:

• Fruits and vegetables. At meals, fill at least half of your plate with these antioxidant-filled foods, including leafy greens and berries, which are particularly good for your heart. Choose fresh fruit and veggies when you can, but frozen and canned are just as healthy if you avoid those packaged with sauces and syrups.
• Healthy protein sources. You can get the protein you need to fuel your body by eating legumes, nuts, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, and lean meat such as chicken or turkey.
• Whole grains. When you can, choose products identified as containing whole grains; these foods should have “whole wheat” or another whole grain listed first on the ingredients.
• Healthy fats. What’s a healthy fat? When you’re looking at an ingredient list, avoid foods with saturated fat. Instead, eat a moderate amount of healthier unsaturated fats. Cook with olive oil and add olive, nuts, seeds and avocado to your meals.

Are you looking to give your diet an extra heart healthy boost? Eat at least two three-ounce servings of salmon, tuna or other fatty fish each week for the omega-3 fatty acids, which help protect your heart health. It should be pretty easy for our seafood-loving hearts to get enough of this nutrient!

Want to check up on your heart health? At West Jefferson Medical Center, we offer comprehensive services to care for your heart.