Follow Your Heart: 5 Lifestyle Habits to Prevent Heart Disease
- Wellness Workdays
- Aug 22
- 5 min read
Can you think of someone you know personally or know of who has suffered from a heart attack? The answer is likely yes, as over 800,000 people in America have a heart attack every year. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America as it accounts for 1 in 5 deaths. The good news is, endless evidence has shown that heart disease is very preventable– it is measured that a whopping 80% of all heart attacks and strokes could have been prevented. This means that every individual has the opportunity to take action for their future selves through diet and lifestyle habits.
The most common type of heart disease, and the one we will be focusing on, is coronary heart disease (CHD). This kind refers to fatty substances that build up into plaques in the arteries, a condition known as atherosclerosis. This is what doctors refer to when they tell you to keep your arteries clean. CHD is dangerous because these plaques hinder proper blood flow, increase blood pressure, and can cause blood clots.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that heart disease is a problem for just the elderly. While it does take time for plaques to form, one review from the Korean Circulation Journal states that atherosclerosis often begins in as early as childhood. Therefore, prevention is relevant not just for older adults, but for everyone. Fortunately, diet and lifestyle changes can effectively prevent heart disease in many cases. Here are the 5 most potent and important behaviors to consider implementing:
#1 Know Your Fats
Plaques form from a substance called cholesterol, specifically LDL, or the “bad” cholesterol. This bad cholesterol in your blood is raised by a type of fat called saturated fat. Not only this, but saturated fat also decreases HDL, or the “good” cholesterol whose role is to help remove the bad cholesterol from your blood. This fat is found widely in the standard American diet, particularly in animal based foods: Red meat, high fat dairy– like whole milk and butter– desserts like cakes and cookies, and tropical oils like palm or coconut. Luckily, there is a good kind of fat we can opt for called unsaturated fat that does the exact opposite: it increases good cholesterol and decreases bad cholesterol. Unsaturated fat is found primarily in nuts, seeds, fatty fish, avocado, and vegetable oils. One systematic review from the Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases Journal found that replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat reduces coronary heart disease events. Here are some simple and easy swaps to consider:
Butter to olive oil
Whole milk to low fat milk or a plant based alternative
Coconut oil to avocado oil
Red meat to fatty fish or lean white meats
#2 Your Mom Was Right– Increase Fruits and Vegetables
When you were a child, did your mom ever tell you to eat your fruits and veggies? Or maybe you’ve heard the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”? Well these are, in fact, both right! Fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals that help your heart and arteries function. They can also act as antioxidants which fight off bad guys called free radicals that damage cells. Maintaining a healthy body weight is another way we can reduce our risk of heart disease. Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber which helps decrease cholesterol, maintain a healthy weight, and keep you full for longer. The fuller you are, the less likely you are to overconsume calories and eat other junk food. They themselves are also inherently low in calories so you can eat them in a relatively high volume, as the World Heart Federation recommends at least 5 servings per day.
#3 Low Sodium, Lower Blood Pressure
When you go to the doctor and take your blood pressure, they are looking to see how well your blood is flowing through your vessels to and from your heart. Therefore, if you have high blood pressure, meaning your heart is being strained because it has to pump harder, you have a higher risk of developing heart disease. Sodium is a crucial dietary component that affects blood pressure. While it is commonly known to be found in table salt, it is sneakily found in many packaged foods that may not even taste salty at all: Breads, soups, frozen meals, desserts, beans, chips, etc! Aim for less than 2,300mg of sodium per day, which is equivalent to one teaspoon of salt. The nutrition facts label is a great tool to use to see whether something is high in sodium. Look for foods that have a daily value of less than 20%, or labels that say “low sodium” or “no sodium”. Use herbs and spices instead of salt to season meals and find reduced sodium versions of your favorite condiments.
#4 Avoid Alcohol and Smoking
While you probably already know this, there are endless health benefits to cutting out smoking and alcohol. The chemicals in cigarettes damage your blood vessels which increases the likelihood of developing plaques in them. Even second hand smoke can cause the same kind of damage. Not smoking is such a potent preventative measure, that those who stop smoking will decrease their risk of heart disease by 50% in just one year. To be clear, no amount of alcohol or tobacco is considered to be safe. Excessive alcohol consumption is linked to high blood pressure, heart failure, obesity, and stroke. If you choose to drink moderately, aim for no more than 1 glass per day. However, less is always more in this case.
#5 Exercise Your Heart Out
The benefits of exercise truly might seem limitless at times, especially when thinking about heart disease. Its main role is the effect it has on improving the major risk factors for CHD. For example, it lowers cholesterol, improves the circulatory system, helps maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure, reduces stress, and reduces the risk of having a heart attack. As opposed to alcohol and smoking, any exercise is better than none. The World Heart Federation recommends getting 150 minutes of moderately intense physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week. While at a glance this may seem difficult to get in around your busy workday, it is a lot more digestible when you break it down:
30 minutes of walking five times a week, or
50 minutes three times a week, or
Two 15 minute walks a day five times a week
The even better news is that exercise does not have to come in the form of exhausting yourself at the gym or having to be a marathon runner. There are easy and simple habits that you can do or probably already do in your daily life that exercise your heart:
Park in the furthest parking spot
Take a phone call or meeting on a walk
Walk to get food during your lunch break
Take the stairs when you can
Clean the house: vacuum, mop, tidying
Use a standing desk with a walk pad if you work from home
Walk the dog
Play with the kids outside
Take comfort in knowing that heart disease is not inevitable. There is incredibly strong evidence that points towards these five habits to lower your chances of being another statistic. Replace saturated fat with unsaturated fats, eat more fruits and vegetables, limit sodium, avoid alcohol and smoking, and exercise more. Just now knowing what these are and how to incorporate them into your lifestyle puts you one step ahead. And remember, little changes add up to big improvements.
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Written by: Tina Morcos, Wellness Workdays Dietetic Intern
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