Health and Lifestyle
FAMILY WELLNESS
Be Kind to Yourself With Primary Cardiovascular Prevention by DR TAINA TURCASSO, ND RM Kindness is an incredibly important part of the human experience. Kindness towards others, of course, but also kindness towards ourselves. We are entering into the part of the year when we are often more inclined to be selfless and give, give, give, without turning the tables and directing that same care inwards. I’ve shifted the definition of self-care in my mind and now consider it to be less self-indulgent and more health-focused. How can you better care for yourself than by promoting improved mental and physical health? Cardiovascular health is an important consideration for all of us, but I might argue that it is more important for women because it is not what one typically thinks of when they think about women’s health. As a result, women’s cardiovascular screening, treatment and presentation of cardiovascular events (such as MI’s) are not at the forefront of any prevention campaign. Heart disease is not a single condition, but a group of conditions affecting the structure and function of the heart with a variety of root causes. These conditions include coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, angina, and myocardial infarction (heart attack). There is even a heart condition that is called “Broken Heart Syndrome” (or stress cardiomyopathy) because it can occur in people after the death of a loved one, or after a particularly stressful life event. There are a lot of different risk factors for developing heart disease, and many of them are within your control. In fact, even if you have a known family history of cardiovascular disease, you can still
be active for at least 60 minutes daily. It is interesting to think about the difference between activity levels in youth now compared with 20 years ago because we didn’t even need to think about fitting in activity; our lives were active. Things have changed so much that many kids don’t grow up naturally incorporating movement into their lives, and it has had a definite impact (along with diet) on the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in that population.
V. Croome Photo
“Be kind to your heart and start thinking about preventing cardiovascular disease now and not in 10 years.” mitigate that risk, or even reduce the risk of potentially compounding co-existing conditions, such as diabetes. Two of the most important things you can do to decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease are to have an active lifestyle and maintain a healthy weight. It is important for adults to incorporate at least 30-40 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, at least 4x/week (150 minutes/week). The recommendation for those under 18 is to
Maintaining a healthy weight is more challenging than just including a specific amount of exercise because determining what a healthy weight is for an individual is more subjective. We talk about BMI (body mass index) and waist circumference as guidelines for being at a “healthy weight” but they are so limited in terms of accounting for the vast differences that occur in body type and should be used as just that; guidelines. Eating a healthy diet is also key in reducing risk and is connected to maintaining a healthy weight, as well as in preventing diabetes, which is another risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is important to eat a diet that is high in fiber (ideally food based fiber, rather than fiber supplements), low in sugar and refined, simple carbohydrates, and high in whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins. Replace table salt with unrefined sea salt and use sparingly, and avoid all processed forms of sodium, including monosodium glutamate (MSG). Most of these recommendations come more naturally when you move towards a whole foods diet, free of any processed foods.
