The Top 10 Tips for Heart Health

1. Exercise daily. Aim for one hour of exercise per day. This should be a combination of cardiovascular and weight training.

2. Consume a low glycemic index diet. Foods that are lowest in glycemic index have a lower impact on your blood sugar, insulin levels and ultimately help with weight loss and reduction of coronary heart disease

3. Eliminate all trans fats from your diet. These fats are the most harmful for your heart.

4. Emphasize essential fatty acids in your program. Omega 3 fatty acids are critical for cardiovascular health. These is can include fish (choose fish that are wild and lowest in mercury) and fish oils with a high concentration of EPA and DHA.

5. Use olive oil in cooking and on your prepared foods. Olive oil has been a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet, which has been well researched as a heart-protective diet.

6. Minimize red meat and dairy products. These fats cause inflammation, a process that is involved with plaque in your coronary arteries and heart attacks.

7. Fruits and vegetables prevent heart disease – Each serving per day of fruit or vegetable reduces the risk of heart disease by 4%. For green leafy vegetables, or Vitamin C rich foods, the risk was reduced by 6%.

8. Practice stress reduction. The role of stress, or a Type A personality, has been well documented to have a significant negative impact on all parameters of cardiovascular health.

9. Include garlic in your diet daily. This can be in the form of raw garlic or supplements. Garlic is a power food for your heart.

10. Take your heart supplements! There are many supplements that are specific to your heart health. A few key supplements include: D-ribose, magnesium, COQ10, hawthorne berries, resveratrol, l-carnitine. Have a doctor choose the supplements that are specific for your health conditions.


Written for Salus Homecare by Dr. Julie Kahn ND Lac