Love Your Heart

Every February, the American Heart Association observes American Heart Month, a time to focus on healthy lifestyle habits that benefit cardiovascular health.

Heart disease is still the leading cause of death in the United States; in 2023, almost one in four deaths was caused by heart disease. It’s estimated that 130.6 million people are currently living with cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke.

“Life’s Essential 8” is a set of important factors for improving and maintaining heart health, according to the American Heart Association.

They are as follows:

1. Eat better – eat mostly whole foods, lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, nuts, and seeds; use less added sugar and salt; and choose heart-healthy oils like olive oil.

2. Be more active – exercise is a workout for your body and brain; set a goal of 150 minutes of activity each week.

3. Quit tobacco – make a plan to quit tobacco use; for help, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

4. Get healthy sleep – practice good sleep hygiene and aim for 7–9 hours of sleep each night.

5. Manage weight – control portions to reduce calorie intake; increase fiber and include protein in meals to help you feel full longer.

6. Control cholesterol – be active, increase fiber intake, limit saturated fat, and boost intake of Omega-3 fats from fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseed, and chia seeds. Take medications if they are prescribed.

7. Manage blood sugar – if you have prediabetes or diabetes, take your medications if they have been prescribed. Manage your weight and stay active. Eat a diet with whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and fewer sugary foods and drinks.

8. Manage blood pressure – know your numbers and take medications if they are prescribed. Lower your sodium intake and eat fewer highly processed foods. Limit saturated fat, eat fruits and vegetables, lose weight if you are overweight, and stay active.

For more information and detailed fact sheets on each of the above, go to:
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/lifes-essential-8

If you are not already eating a heart-healthy diet, making small changes each week can help you form new habits.

• Try filling half of your plate with fruits and vegetables; they’re low in calories, high in fiber, and packed with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.
• Choose more whole grains like oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, and whole-wheat bread for more fiber and nutrients.
• Eat more lean proteins and plant-based proteins like beans, nuts, and seeds, and eat higher-fat proteins less often.
• Go for more whole foods and limit foods that are highly processed.
• Heart-healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocados are better choices than tropical oils and saturated fats that come from animal sources.

Lifestyle habits can also be adopted by making small changes over time. If you are not active already, start slowly and work up to 30 minutes at a time several days per week. Do activities you enjoy; if you have fun while you move, it’s more likely to become a habit that sticks. Consider finding a class, live or online, or asking a friend to exercise with you. Being accountable to another person may help set you up for success.
Try doing activity at the same time each day to reinforce the new habit.

Try this tasty, heart-healthy recipe adapted from the heart.org website.

Sweet Potato Nachos

From ihearteating.com
Serves 6

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound) – peeled and thinly sliced into ¼-inch rounds
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 ½ tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/3 cup no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped tomato or 1/3 cup canned no-salt-added diced tomatoes, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup chopped avocado

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Line 2 medium baking pans with aluminum foil. Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the sweet potatoes, oil, paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder. Spread the sweet potato mixture in a single layer on the baking pans.

3. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and flip the sweet potatoes over. Bake for 5–10 more minutes, or until crisp.

4. Remove the pans from the oven. Sprinkle the beans and cheese over the sweet potatoes and return the pans to the oven for about 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

5. Remove the pans from the oven and top with chopped tomato and avocado.