Walking in Beauty
Heart Healthy You
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By Katie Sharpton
ebruary is the time of year when most people are ready for warm, sunny days, but it is also the month to be mindful of your heart health. February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death among men and women. Everyone in our community can work together to create opportunities to make healthier choices. What fun it is to get a group together to attend cooking classes or go on neighborhood walks! We can use this month to raise awareness about heart disease and start prevention at home and in our community. When thinking about prevention, diet and exercise comes to mind. Diet does
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not necessarily mean to cut out certain foods completely. Try taking a non-diet approach. This is when you trust your body. It means caring about your health and being physically active because it makes you feel good. It is realizing that happiness involves a healthy lifestyle, rather than a certain weight. The key to staying at a healthy weight is to only eat and drink as many calories as you need for fuel each day, so your body does not store any extra. Mindfulness refers to being aware and thoughtful of what you are doing, what you are saying or thinking, and of your surroundings and environment. Eating a diet high in saturated fat, having high blood glucose, and high blood pressure may contribute to heart disease.
Incorporating heart healthy foods into your diet will help in controlling blood glucose and blood pressure. Heart healthy foods are high in fiber and low in saturated and trans fat, cholesterol and sodium. According to the 20152020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, less than 2,300 mg of sodium is the recommendation for the public. The Nutrition Facts Label is an excellent tool to determine how much sodium is in a product. Look at the % Daily Value, usually located on the right side of the label, to determine if a food is high or low in sodium (or any nutrient). If the product has a % Daily Value of 5% or lower, it is considered low; and if it is 20% or higher, it is considered high. Exercising the tips for mindfulness and healthier choices will lead you on a path towards a heart healthy you. February 2020
