today’s TOPIC
Heart
your Heart this February BY » Peter Eisenhauer
F
ebruary is American Heart Month, and along with the hearts and flowers you might be sharing around Valentine’s Day, this is also a time to show love to that organ in your chest that powers your life. Self-care is the theme of many of this year’s advocacy efforts, and for good reason. Heart disease is a leading cause of death for women and men in the United States, and many Americans remain at risk of getting it, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). People with poor cardiovascular health are also at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Yet heart disease is largely preventable and focusing on improving your heart health has never been more important. “Studies show self-care routines, such as taking a daily walk and keeping 10 LimitlessMagOnline.com | February 2022
doctor’s appointments, help us keep our blood pressure in the healthy range and reduce our risk of heart disease and stroke,” said David Goff, M.D., NHLBI director of cardiovascular sciences. “Simple self-care, such as taking a moment to de-stress, giving yourself time to move more, preparing healthier meals, and not cheating on sleep can all benefit your heart. “ Dr. Steve Iuliano, cardiologist at Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute Lake Norman, puts diet and exercise at the top of the list of things people can do to improve their own heart health. The priority in diet is to move in the direction of a plant-based diet. “The main thing we promote is a plant-based diet and avoiding highly processed foods,” said Iuliano. “A good way to head in this direction is to adopt a mediterranean diet. that
will greatly reduce your risk of cardiac events.” There are a lot of resources available to support a mediterranean diet, which features lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and olive oil. The mediterranean diet was recently ranked #1 of 40 popular diets and eating plans reviewed by a panel of health experts for U.S. News & World Report. The ranking considered not just health benefits, but also how easy the plan is to adopt and continue. The DASH eating plan, specifically developed to lower high blood pressure, was ranked #2. You can find out more about DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) here: https://www.nhlbi. nih.gov/education/dash-eating-plan. Iuliano notes that based strictly on heart health benefits, a vegan diet might be ideal, but may represent too
