Heart Health

Here’s The Simple Heart Truth:

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute for Health, if you eat a nutritious diet, engage in regular physical activity, maintain a consistent healthy weight, and stop smoking, you will improve your heart health. Currently, only 3 percent of U.S. adults practice these “Big Four” healthy heart habits. The good news is that it’s never too late to start. No matter what heart disease risk factors you have, or how many, you will greatly benefit from taking action in these four areas.

Normal Circulation of blood through the heart:

The heart is a large muscular organ which constantly pushes oxygen-rich blood to the brain and extremities and transports oxygen-poor blood from the brain and extremities to the lungs to gain oxygen.

How does a healthy heart work?

Blood flows into the right atrium from the body, moves into the right ventricle and then is pushed into the pulmonary arteries in the lungs. Once the blood is filled with oxygen, the blood travels back to the heart through the pulmonary veins into the left atrium, to the left ventricle and then out through the aorta into the tissues of the body.

Eat for a Healthy Heart

The health of your heart has a lot to do with the foods you eat. The “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” give science-based advice for eating right as well as being physically active to maintain good health. The guidelines recommend the following healthy eating plans:

• Give emphasis to fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.
• Include the following high quality proteins: lean meats, poultry, fish,beans, eggs, and nuts.
• Choose foods that are low in saturated fats, cholesterol, trans fats, table salt and sodium, and added sugars.
• Balance the calories you take in with high quality, nutritious calories that you need.

Sources: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/