The American Heart Association says that heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the US. Also, about 6.5 million people currently have heart failure.
This is a scary thought, but there is no need to panic. It is true that genetics do make a difference in some ways when it comes to your risks of heart disease, but there are other factors at play, and if you can make some healthy choices, you can limit your risk massively. Read on to find out more about keeping your heart healthy.
Eat Less Salt
People who consume too much salt typically have increased blood pressure, which increases their risk of heart disease and stroke. Adults are advised to consume no more than six grams of salt each day, and unless you really look at what you’re eating, it’s likely that you consume more than this on a regular basis.
To cut down on salt, make sure you read the labels of the food you’re buying. Also, try to cook your own food from scratch as much as possible, as you can control the amount of salt that goes into it – this slow cooker turkey chili recipe with quinoa and sweet potatoes is a great example of something you could make yourself.
Reduce Stress
Your heart stays healthy when you keep stress under control. Cortisol goes up when you’re stressed, which can make you gain weight and change your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Also, a lot of stress can make people do things that are bad for them, like smoking or eating too much. So use breathing exercises, meditation, or even aromatherapy to keep your stress in check, and your heart will stay healthier.
Quit Smoking
Smoking is also a very big risk factor for heart disease. If you smoke, quitting is one of the greatest things you can do for your heart health. Not only does smoking damage your lungs, but it also harms the blood vessels near your heart. This means the heart has to work harder, which can cause it to become diseased.
Quitting smoking can be hard, but there are a lot of tools and products that can help, and it can improve your quality of life in many ways. It’s definitely worth trying to do if you are currently a smoker.
Reduce Your Sugar Intake
Sugar is something we really need to pay attention to and reduce our intake of it whenever possible. The problem with sugar is that it is full of empty calories, and that leads to obesity because it’s energy that can’t be used anywhere in the body – it gets stored as fat instead.
The biggest issue is that sugar is everywhere, and most foods have it in some capacity. Diabetes, blood vessel disease, and heart disease can all be caused by eating too much sugar, and of course, tooth decay is an issue too. Therefore, for many reasons, including heart health, we need to cut back on how much sugar we eat. This can be done by drinking less soda and eating fewer sweet foods. To keep your heart healthy, you should also read food labels, as we mentioned above.
