Preventing Heart Disease with Diet and Exercise – Part 1

Preventing heart disease with diet and exercise means more than dragging out your old running shoes and changing from ice cream to vegetables. Too many times life catches up with us. You may have been a runner or volleyball player before you were married and had kids; but now, with the added stress of work and family life, exercise has been moved to a back burner.

Something may have triggered your desire to exercise and prevent heart disease – it could have been an article, a friend who had a heart attack or a recent diagnosis of a chronic disease. What ever the reason there are steps to take before you begin.

Your first step should be a medical examination with your doctor. Only your doctor can determine if you already have a degree of heart disease or coronary artery blockage that will kill you within weeks of beginning a vigorous exercise program. Depending upon your history, your health issues and your family history, he will do specific tests to look for a coronary artery blockage. This preventative screening may just save your life.

Cardiovascular disease will kill 950,000 Americans every year but as many as 2/3 are preventable. Preventing heart disease with diet and exercise is your next step to a healthier you. A heart healthy lifestyle consists of 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, plenty of water, limited caffeine and alcohol and at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous amounts of exercise each day.

Dietary changes are your first step. There are several easy and quick changes that can make a big difference in the long run. First, change to grapeseed and olive oil. You can use light extra virgin olive oil when you don’t want the heavy flavor of olive oil or a heavier version when you are looking for the extra flavor (like in whole wheat pasta). Olive oil is cold pressed and not heat-treated which makes a difference in the way your body processes the oil. Grapeseed oil is stable at higher temperatures and can be used for frying or baking, while olive oil is wonderful for dipping and sauces.

Resources:

Center for Disease Control and Prevention: PRevention: What you can do

http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/what_you_can_do.htm

Experimental and Clinical Cardiology: Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2716237/

MayoClinic: Heart Disease

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-healthy-diet/NU00196

American Heart Association: Preventing Heart Disease at Any Age

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/More/MyHeartandStrokeNews/Preventing-Heart-Disease—At-Any-Age_UCM_442925_Article.jsp

American Diabetes Association: Diet and Exercise can Help Prevent Future Heart Problems

http://www.diabetes.org/news-research/research/access-diabetes-research/dpp-heart.html

Beth Israel Deaconness: Cardiovascular Disease Prevention