As the Nordonia Hills.News continues its weekly informative series for February’s Heart Health Month, shedding light on diet and exercise as a way of life and how it impacts good health.
Everyone knows a diet rich in fruits and vegetables are good for the body. How exactly are fruits and vegetables good for the body? How does exercise help keep the heart healthy? We will take an inside look and explain in understandable ways.
Specifically, the more colorful the vegetables, the more fibrous and vitamin-rich they are. Foods with soluble fiber intake including beans, lentils, peas, barley, oats, and oat bran help keep you filled up longer because it takes longer to digest and eliminate from the body. A diet high in fiber, and low in both trans and saturated fats is recommended, as it helps reduce bad cholesterol or LDL (low density lipoproteins). Trans and saturated fats are found in deep fried foods and hydrogenated oils and should be avoided.
To exemplify just how important diet is I would like to share a story:
I had a friend in their late 20s, who was not overweight, and did not have any other health issues reach out to me after learning his cholesterol was 210 and not understanding what that exactly meant (under 200 is the goal for healthy adults). I recall him stating that he did not eat many eggs and did not know how this happened. We took a look at what he was eating and discussed it. His diet consisted of vegetables and fruits, but also a fair amount of saturated fats from fried foods, and store-bought cakes and cookies. We made a plan together to eliminate the fried foods and store-bought goodies, and he thereby increased his soluble fiber intake every day by eating oatmeal for breakfast, selected brown rice (more fiber-rich, as white rice has none) as a substitute, and continued with the normal intake of vegetables and fruits he always had daily. At the end of 2-3 months his cholesterol dropped to a more acceptable range of 170 and stayed that way for years to come.
*Disclaimer: always consult with a healthcare professional before adopting any new diet/exercise plans due to individual varying needs.
Healthy fats vs. Unhealthy fats
Not all oils are created equally. Some are healthier than others. Healthier oils are typically liquid at room temperature such as olive, sunflower, soy, and peanut oils, and contain more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. (check Nutrition labels on containers)
Fatty fishes like salmon and trout are great sources of healthy fats. Fish oil supplements can be taken for non-fish eaters, to help increase omega-3 fatty acids linked to lowering blood pressure and triglycerides. Alternatively, excessive alcohol use can raise triglycerides and blood pressure.
More and more diet plans are relabeling themselves as a “way of life”, in hopes it will help shape individualistic behaviors and attitudes towards healthier eating for life. There are “way of life” eating plans consisting of a Keto-friendly (lower carbs and higher fats consumption to help train the body to burn fat for energy instead of carbohydrates), Mediterranean (eliminating processed meats, refined grains, alcohol, etc.), intermittent fasting related to different periods of eating versus non-eating times. Regardless of which “way of life” you choose, remembering the basics of nutritional needs, good vs. bad fats, and consulting healthcare professionals are great starts to any new “way of life”.
Exercise-it does the body good! If you recall, in week 2 of this informative Heart Month series, we discussed plumbing and cholesterol. Exercise helps move cholesterol about the body through all of its plumbing (arteries and such) so that it does not clog up the pipes!
Did you know that 3500 calories= one pound of weight on the human body? How many hours of exercise does it take to burn off those calories? A lot longer than it took to consume them, that’s for sure! With every 30-60 minutes of cardio activity, at a moderate rate, a person burns 200-600 calories depending on the extent of the workout, workout done, and the target heart rate zone (heart rate beats per minute as it is increased during a workout).
The CDC and Surgeon General “recommends 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity, such as brisk walking, running, or bicycling each week. For children and adolescents, an hour every day is recommended.” According to The American Heart Association, “individuals should aim for five hours of exercise a week, starting out slow, and smaller amounts of exercise, and always consult a health practitioner first.”
According to Hopkins Medicine, “resistance training helps lower LDL (bad) and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels.”
Aerobic exercises improve circulation throughout the body, assisting in lowering blood pressure and heart rate and thereby reducing the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. Stretching and yoga also keeps the joints and muscles from stiffening, reducing arthritis pain, and allowing movement to happen more freely. Yoga specifically helps create calm, lowering blood pressure, and making blood vessels more elastic to promote heart health.
According to American Heart Association Journals, “as many as 250,000 deaths per year in the United States come from a lack of physical activity. Even midlife increases in physical activity, through a change in occupation or recreational activities, are associated with decreases in mortality.”
Overall, adopting a healthier lifestyle with a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and healthy grains, and reducing unhealthy fats, are imperative to body and heart health. Adjusting daily caloric intake according to daily physical activity and body needs, and pushing yourself to meet minimum daily physical requirements can reduce risks of heart related problems. Remember the heart is a muscle, and like all other muscles in the body must be utilized and kept in shape by exercising. Strive for movement every day. Say goodbye to a sedentary lifestyle. In analogy, it isn’t good to have a car sit for months and months without starting it up and taking it for a short spin around the block, or revving the engine on the highway. Consult your healthcare practitioner (not your auto-mechanic) to find out whether some short spins around the block (light walking) or revving your engine up (using an elliptical at a moderate pace) is recommended for you.
