Berries For Heart Health
Berries are a rich source of phytochemicals, including anthocyanins, polyphenols, and ellagic acid.
These phytochemicals protect cells from oxidative damage caused by free radicals, reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Which berries are in season?
Summer is the optimal season for berries. Berries in season during the summer include:
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Boysenberries
- Currants
- Elderberries
- Marionberries
- Mulberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Tayberries
Cranberry season is in the fall.
Blueberry
Fresh blueberries contain…
- Vitamin C
- Fiber
- Anthocyanins
- Resveratrol
- Alpha-tocopherol (a form of Vitamin E)
Delicious fresh and cooked into a compote or dessert.
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3 Awesome Ways To Keep Your Heart Healthy
Contributed by Ryan Peterson.
Heart health is one of those seemingly mythical areas of medicine for the layperson. We cannot see our heart in the same way we can see our skin, our limbs, and our waistlines, so we aren’t sure how best to improve our heart health. When we eat a more nutritious diet, we see our waistline shrink, and if we try out a new moisturizer, we can feel a new softness to our epidermis. With heart health, we may try different ways to lower our risk of cardiovascular problems, but we cannot see the impact. Regardless, you should still do everything in your power to keep your heart healthy.
Eat Well
Although it may seem obvious, the food we put into our bodies has a profound impact on our heart health. We need to eat a variety of antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables. As a rule of thumb, each color signifies a different antioxidant, so it pays to try and eat the rainbow every day. Nuts are the superfood of choice for the heart. Instead of reaching for a candy bar which is loaded with fat and refined sugars, the unsaturated fats in walnuts and almonds can help keep cholesterol low, decreasing chances of a heart attack.
Oily fish are exceptional sources of omega-3 fatty acids which can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.
If your cholesterol is high, you may be prescribed statins to help it reach a safer level. Taking statin medication does not mean you can eat whatever you want. You must still eat a nutritious and balanced diet. You may also opt to try and change the way you age with new natural supplements to help promote heart health.
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Statins for Cholesterol: Can You Eat Whatever You Want?
Statin drugs are commonly prescribed cholesterol medications and one of the pillars of preventing and treating heart disease. The other pillars, unfortunately, are too often overlooked. Diet modifications, increasing physical activity, stress management, and weight loss continue to be the base of the cardiovascular health pyramid however they are all too often cast aside in our “take a pill” society. The common misconception that a healthy lifestyle is not needed when taking statins is leading to less than optimal protection from heart attacks and strokes.
Statins to reduce risk
Health professionals prescribe statins when cholesterol levels are out of balance and/or a person is deemed to be at risk for a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke. Statins work by blocking the liver’s production of cholesterol, therefore, lowering LDL cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream. They also have the beneficial effect of raising HDL cholesterol. Some types of statin drugs will also reabsorb cholesterol that has built up in the arteries forming plaque or blockages.
Statins give a false sense of security
5 Bad Habits That Won’t Help Your Heart
Contributed by Ryan Peterson.
If you care at all about your health and your body, you’ll surely want to take good care of your heart. After all, it’s perhaps the most important organ in your body or one of them at least. And there are also many things that you can do that will impact on the overall health of your heart. This is certainly something you need to think about, so read on to find out about 5 of the bad habits that won’t do anything at all to help your heart.
1. A Salty Diet
Having too much salt in your diet will be really damaging in the long-term, and it’s something that you definitely need to try and avoid if you want to keep your heart healthy. Consuming too much salt is one of the major factors that can lead to high blood pressure, and this is a condition that can take its toll on your heart if it’s left untreated. You should start improving your life by consuming less salt.
2. A Sedentary Approach to Each Day
These days, many people do jobs that involve not much more than sitting in front of a computer. And then they get in the car, drive home and sit on the sofa until they feel like going to bed. The problem with this kind of lifestyle is that it’s incredibly sedentary. You should try to squeeze in at least a little exercise each day so that your lifestyle doesn’t become completely sedentary and lazy.
3. Taking Drugs
Exercising Safely In The Summer Heat
There are many reasons to exercise…
- Chronic disease prevention (i.e. heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, cancers, etc.)
- Manage weight
- Manage stress and mood
- Improve sleep quality
- Build muscle
- Boost immunity
- Improve brain function
- Strengthen bones
The list of benefits goes on.
Whether you are a regular exerciser or just getting started, you need to ensure you take steps to protect your heart when you exercise in the summer heat.
Drink plenty of fluids.
Drink water before, during, and after exercise to ensure you stay well-hydrated. Avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks.
If you dislike drinking plain water, add flavor by adding fruit slices to a pitcher of water and refrigerate for a couple hours. You can try water with berries, cucumber, melon, oranges, or mint.
Dress appropriately.
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Heart Healthy Tweaks To Your Life That You Should Make
This guest post is provided by Amanda Ohls.
Those who worry about heart health issues due to genetics or lifestyle can start helping themselves today. The best thing that anyone can do is to be proactive about the choices they are making with regards to their heart health. The truth is that a few tweaks over a long-term period can do wonders for those who think heart issues could become a problem for them. Nothing will change if you are not willing to change your habits and the changes are not always as revolutionary as one might think. The following are tweaks to your lifestyle you can make in order to put your heart in better health.
Cut Down On Your Alcohol Intake
Everyone has heard that one glass of red wine per night can help with blood pressure. This might be true but the same rings true for grape juice as the antioxidants are what can help with heart health. Those who drink too much put their entire body under stress as most people do not stay well-hydrated and the consuming alcohol and/or caffeine can further exacerbate the issue. Too much caffeine and alcohol can be deadly as the alcohol can wear off far before the caffeine leading to issues. Work to cut your alcohol intake in half as your first tweak to a healthy heart…and liver will be much better off.
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