7 Steps to a Healthy Heart

LOVE YOUR HEART

The health of the vascular system (the heart, the blood, and the arteries and veins) is highly influenced by daily lifestyle choices, thus there is a lot that you can do to keep your heart, blood and blood vessels strong and treat or prevent the onset of heart disease.

The biggest predator to the vascular system is its increased exposure to ‘free-radicals.’ Free-radicals are naturally made by the body; however preventable free-radicals come from poor lifestyle choices such as smoking, eating high saturated fat and processed food, alcohol, chemical exposure such as that found in household cleaning products, cosmetics and pesticides use on our food.

There are two ways free-radicals damage the vascular system; first, free-radicals breakdown the walls of the arteries which increases risk of atherosclerosis (thickening of the arteries). Secondly, free-radicals also transform LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) into a more dangerous form which deposits into the artery walls and contributes to plaque build-up. Anti-oxidants are molecules that help reduce the free-radical exposure to the body. Below is a list of ways to help increase the antioxidants in your body.

Keeping your cholesterol levels within a healthy range is also an important part of heart health. There are two types of cholesterol: ‘bad cholesterol or LDL’ and protective or ‘good cholesterol HDL.’ Cholesterol has important roles in the body; it is the precursor to many important hormones such as estrogen and testosterone, and it also aids in the repair of damaged arteries. An increased level of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol is often a result of eating a poor diet high in unhealthy fats such as Trans fats; additionally, exposure to excess toxins/free-radicals such as smoking can also elevate ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol. As mentioned above, excess toxic exposure insults the artery walls, thus requiring repair. Since cholesterol helps to repair the arteries, more cholesterol will need to be made to help keep of with the repair from damaging toxins.

Prevent or treat heart disease by reducing toxic exposure, eating foods high in antioxidants and that support good cholesterol! Here are some easy steps to get you started:

7 STEPS TO A HEALTHY HEART

1. Stop Smoking

Smoking loads the body with preventable toxins and increases potential for free-radicals damage which breaks down the arteries.

2. Reduce Toxic Exposure

Other toxins that contribute to preventable free-radical exposure are in the food we eat and the common household products we use. Switch to organic food when possible to minimize the harmful affects of pesticide use. Switch to chemical free household cleaners and products such as tooth paste, dish soap, laundry detergent, sanitary products and cosmetics.

3. Eat Foods High in Anti-oxidants

Eating lots of fresh organic fruits and vegetables will ensure a good daily serving of anti-oxidants. Greens are especially high in antioxidants, so eating one big green salad each day will help protect you against free radical damage. Adding a greens supplement is also a fantastic way to increase antioxidants. The greens product we sell at the clinic is very tasty and easily incorporated into a smoothie. Other greens products such as Greens + can be found at your local health food store.

4. Eat food to the Support Healthy Cholesterol

Dietary changes will go a long way toward lowering ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol while maintaining protective HDL. Cutting out saturated fat and adding more dietary fibre — particularly in the form of oatmeal, brain cereals, beans (1/2 – 1 cup daily), and flaxseed (2 tbsp of ground flaxseed) — takes a big bite out of cholesterol. Eliminating white flour, sugar, and other high glycemic carbohydrates from the diet is an excellent therapy for lowering cholesterol and bad fats.

5. Exercise 30 minutes Daily (or equivalent to 3.5 hrs/wk)

Exercise helps to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and reduces the storage of excess body fat. Exercise also helps to strength the heart by challenging the heart muscles to pump stronger and faster during physical activity.

6. Get additional support with an Antioxidant Supplement

Your body produces antioxidants, and you also get them in your diet (provided that you eat lots of fruits and vegetables). However, the best way to ensure optimal levels of these crucial nutrients is to take supplements of the major antioxidant vitamins and minerals: vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin A, beta-carotene, and selenium. We recommend using a complex that includes each of these important antioxidants. The ‘Basic Antioxidant’ formula is available at our office, or you can visit the local health food store for the purchase of antioxidants. Alternatively, a good multivitamin will also contain a high concentration of antioxidants.

7. Supplement with Fish Oils

Fish oil is one of the most potent therapies and preventions for heart disease. Fish oil is high in omega 3 fatty acids. These important fats cannot be produced in the body, so it is imperative that you get them from dietary or supplemental sources. Nature’s most abundant sources of omega-3s are algae, fatty cold-water fish, and marine mammals like seals and whales. Because these are not common foods on most of our dinner plates, many North Americans are deficient in these important fatty acids.

While eating omega-3-rich fatty fish several times a week is highly protective against heart disease, few people do it, and it is estimated that as many as 90 percent of North Americans are deficient omega 3. In addition to eating fish several times per week, supplement with two 1,000 milligram fish oil capsules daily to help prevent heart disease. Higher dosage is required for people that are suffering from heart disease.

The only other abundant source of the omega-3 fatty acids is flaxseed oil, which contains alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA must be converted in the body before it is put to use. In most healthy people, this conversion is not very efficient; and in those who are ill, the conversion maybe very compromised. The fact that fish oil contains fatty acids in a form that is immediately useful to the body makes it my preferred source of the omega-3 fatty acids for the treatment of heart disease. Flaxseed oil (1-2 tbsp/day), however, is a reasonable substitute — and freshly ground flaxseed (2 – 4 tbsp daily) has benefits of its own, particularly in lowering cholesterol.

If you suffer from heart disease it is important to seek professional guidance from a naturopath when considering therapy with multivitamins and fish oils to ensure there is no interaction with current medication and to choose a program that is specific to your health condition. The above recommendation can be incorporated by healthy individuals looking to prevent heart disease.

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