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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9 Tips to Grill Healthy
Use these tips to grill healthy foods that are safe, nutritious, and flavorful all summer long.
1. Select the right protein.
Healthier protein choices include skinless poultry, fish, lean red meat, and lean pork.
All visible fat should be trimmed prior to grilling.
Select cuts of meat that are labeled loin, round, choice or select. You may also use leaner group chicken or turkey in place of traditional red meat burgers.
Avoid prime grade beef which has more marbling (i.e. fat).
Use a rack so fat drips away from food.
2. Make grilled fish a regular part of your summer.
Fish is rich in heart healthy omega-3’s.
Healthy types of fish include salmon, trout, and herring.
3. Use the right seasonings and sauces.
Marinate meats, poultry, and fish for amazing flavor, low salt flavor.
Use ~ 1/2 cup of marinade or a tablespoon of spice rub per pound of meat.
Use spices, such as chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, paprika, or rosemary. Avoid salty seasonings like teriyaki, barbecue, and soy sauce.
DO NOT REUSE MARINADE FROM RAW MEAT.
5 Ways You Could Prevent Heart Disease Using Medicare
This guest post is provided by Danielle Roberts. Danielle is a Medicare expert and co-founder at Boomer Benefits where she and her team help thousands of New to Medicare individuals each year.
Heart Disease is one of the leading causes of death for people over age 65 in America. Throughout your adult life, you have probably seen a number of information campaigns about preventing heart disease. Fortunately, once you enroll in Medicare, there are a number of preventive services that you can take advantage of that will help you stay healthy and avoid heart disease.
Cardiovascular Screening
Medicare Part B offers a number of annual preventive care benefits. This includes a cardiovascular screening. Your physician will check both your blood pressure and your cholesterol levels and inform you if you are at risk for a heart attack or stroke. He may encourage the use of aspirin or give you tips to introduce you to a healthy diet as well.
Your doctor may also conduct cardiac stress testing to look for changes in your heart around the time of exercise that point to blockages in your arteries. Medicare will cover the stress testing if you are exhibiting symptoms that are indicative of heart disease, such as shortness of breath or chest pain.
Vitamin D for Heart Health
Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Low vitamin D levels lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, intima-media thickness, and coronary calcification.
Cellular vitamin D receptors are found to affect inflammation, suggesting vitamin D may not only impact risk factors contributing to heart disease but may also directly impact on heart disease.
How much vitamin D do you need?
The Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) develops Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), which are broken down into Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), Adequate Intake (AI), and Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL).
We use these established DRIs to know how to of a nutrient to include in our diet daily for optimal health.
The FNB recommends 600 IU of vitamin D daily for men and women between the ages of 19-71 years-old.
What happens if you get too little vitamin D?
A study conducted at the University of Copenhagen reviewed data from studies with more than 10,000 participants comparing those with low vitamin D levels (less than 15 ng/mL) versus the highest levels (more than 50 ng/mL). Those with low levels were 64% more likely to have a heart attack, 40% more likely to develop ischemic heart disease, had a 57% increased risk of early death, and 81% more likely to die from heart disease.
What happens if you get too much vitamin D?
The UL for vitamin D is set at 4,000 IUs per day. Intakes above this level are connected to elevated serum levels that increase risk for adverse health effects. Long-term intakes above the UL increases risk for cardiovascular events, such as heart attack.
How to include vitamin D every day:
Obtaining needed nutrients in your diet is always preferable to supplements. However, vitamin-D rich foods are limited.
So, what can you do to ensure you receive 600 IU of vitamin D daily?
Foods rich in vitamin-D include:
Fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel are top sources of vitamin D.
Most milk in the United States (US) is fortified with vitamin D. Note: Cheese and ice cream are not fortified with vitamin D.
Cod liver oil contains 1300 IU’s of vitamin D. This is twice the RDA, but does not exceed the UL.
One of the best vitamin D sources is not found in the grocery store.
Sunlight.
Twenty to twenty-five minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen allows your body to produce vitamin D. However, where you live impacts whether or not sunlight is adequate.
If you live above the 40th degree latitude (i.e. North of Denver, CO) sunlight is not adequate during January and February. If you live above the 42nd degree latitude (i.e. North of Chicago, IL) sunlight is not adequate between November and February.
For more information on foods and diet to lower cholesterol and promote heart health, sign up for my free e-course How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps HERE.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Health Pro for HealthCentral
Is coffee safe to drink with high blood pressure?
According to the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Pennsylvania State University, most people over the age of 35 consume at least 200 mg of caffeine daily.
Caffeine is like any other drug and comes with side effects.
Potential side effects include:
- Migraine headaches
- Insomnia
- Nervousness
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Frequent urination or inability to control urination
- Stomach upset
- Fast heartbeat
- Muscle tremors
One 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains 91 mg of caffeine.
Unusual Health Kicks to Improve Your Heart Health
Post contributed by Paul Roberts.
Looking after yourself is very important. You need to come up with as many ways as you can to improve your body and stay at your peak physically. This means looking after your heart and ensuring it is strong and healthy every day. The trouble is, how do we know what we can do to improve heart health?
There are more obvious remedies but it can be difficult to stick with heart-healthy changes. That is why it’s also important to try out options that are more unique. If you can have a few unusual health hacks up your sleeve, you can help to boost your heart health as much as possible no matter where you are. Check out these health kicks you should be using in your daily life as soon as you can.
Adopt a Mediterranean Diet
There are many fad diets out there these days, and many have varying degrees of success with regard to boosting health. It’s important you select a heart-healthy diet that works. Studies have illustrated the benefits of a Mediterranean diet when trying to improve heart health. Take steps now to add this type of diet into your daily dietary routine now. Green vegetables, avocado, nuts, fruit, beans, and fish are all a big part of this diet and will help to make your heart happier and healthier.
