All About the Heart

Welcome Back!

Are you heart healthy? This term gets thrown around a lot, but most people aren’t even sure what being heart healthy is all about. Well, today’s your lucky day. You’re going to learn all about heart disease and how to prevent it!

Heart disease is the number one killer of people worldwide. If you’re young, you may think you have nothing to worry about. But that’s just not true! The fatty deposits, called plaque, in the arteries of the heart, start to form at age 2. I don’t mean to scare you, but plaque build-up is a very serious thing. Most people will have no symptoms of the plaque build-up until they are diagnosed with heart disease. But I do have some good news, the build-up can be reversed through good nutrition and exercise.

The easiest way to decrease your risk of heart disease is by controlling your blood cholesterol levels. It is recommended that every person get their cholesterol level checked at age 20 and then once every 5 years, if your levels are normal. Normal blood cholesterol levels are:

• Total blood cholesterol below 200 mg/dL
• HDL cholesterol: >40 mg/dL for men and >50mg/dL for women
• LDL cholesterol: <100>

In order to lessen plaque build-up in the heart, a low saturated fat diet is required. There is a common misconception that eating high levels of cholesterol causes someone to have high blood cholesterol. But the real dietary cause of high blood cholesterol is a diet high in saturated fat. Saturated fat intake should not exceed 7% of your total calorie intake, which is approximately 20 grams per day. Foods with a high amount of saturated fat include:

• Fatty cuts of meat
• Dairy products, such as, cheese, ice cream, butter, and whole and 2% milk
• Sweets, such as, cookies, cakes, and chocolate
• Processed meats, such as, hot dogs, bacon, and sausages

Other ways to decrease your risk of heart disease include: exercising for 30 minutes each day, control your blood pressure, moderate alcohol intake (1-2 drinks/day), maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, and getting regular check-ups at the doctor.

I hope this information helps all of you live a longer and healthier life! Please keep the questions coming, I love to help.

Fact of the day: 2 ounces of cheese has 9 grams of saturated fat.

Becky <3

Feeling Stressed?

Hello Readers!
Before I start on today’s topic, I’d like to let you know that I made comments answering everyone’s questions from my last blog entry. Click ‘comments’ to see my responses. Great questions and keep them coming!

Today’s topic is all about how to deal with stress. Stress can come from a variety of sources, especially with everyone’s busy lifestyles. I’m sure most of us have been stressed before and have had symptoms such as, headaches, an upset stomach, chest pain, and problems sleeping. When stress goes untreated for a prolonged period of time, the body’s natural defense system gets worn down and a variety of symptoms can occur. Some of these symptoms include: frequent headaches, clenched jaw, indigestion or acid reflux symptoms, increase in or loss of appetite, racing heart, cold and sweaty palms, exhaustion, trembling/shaking, and weight gain or loss.

None of the above symptoms are desirable, so let me give you some tips on how to keep stress levels under control. First, exercise regularly! Your body is better able to deal with stress when you are physically fit. Now this doesn’t mean you have to go out and run a marathon. But exercising for 30 minutes/day will help reduce your stress levels. This exercise can be anything from walking to running or even biking. Not only does exercise make you feel great, because of the endorphins being released into your blood stream, but it also improves the blood flow to your brain.

The next way to control stress is healthy eating. Sometimes it’s easier and quicker to grab the unhealthy foods, such as, pizza or fast food, but trust me, when you fill your body with fruits and vegetables, you will most definitely feel great! Shoot for a total of 5 fruits and/or vegetables per day. A combination of the two is best. This may seem like a lot, but if you eat an apple for breakfast, carrots as a morning snack, one vegetable for lunch, and one vegetable for dinner, then you’re almost set for the day.

The above two ways to control stress are very important. Other ways to help deal with stress include: keeping a positive attitude, learning and practicing relaxation techniques, such as yoga, learning to manage your time effectively, saying no to requests that could create excessive stress in your life, making time for hobbies and interests, getting enough rest and sleep, and spending time with loved ones.

I hope the above suggestions help you deal with the stress of everyday life. Enjoy your day and I look forward to your comments!

Fact of the day: 15 minutes of sun exposure twice/week gives you sufficient vitamin D synthesis for optimal bone health.

Becky <3

Eat Breakfast!

Welcome back! Today I’d like to talk about breakfast. Not only would I like to stress how important eating breakfast is, but I would also like to give some healthy option to satisfy your hunger in the morning.

After a full night of sleep, the body is completely out of its main fuel source and is fully reliant on stored fat to keep you going. For most, this sounds wonderful. You’re eating up fat cells without even exercising. But wait, there's more to the story.

The human brain runs almost completely on carbohydrates, which are not exclusively stored for the brain's personal use. If your stomach is completely empty, your brain has nothing to run off of, which can be disastrous if you're trying to stay awake in class or properly take an exam. Running on "empty" is okay for short periods of time, but think of how much more alert you would be if you gave your body the nutrition it needs by eating a healthy breakfast.

Now, what should you be consuming for breakfast? As mentioned above, a strong source of carbohydrates must be included, preferably complex carbohydrates. Lucky for you, many common breakfast cereals have added complex carbohydrates to the ingredient list, not only for added nutritional value, but also to simply make you feel fuller.

When choosing a cereal to consume, the amount of fiber per serving is one of the most important factors to look for. In order for the cereal to be considered fibrous, each serving should contain at least 5 grams of fiber. With all the cereal choices out there today, this should be quite easy to accomplish. Some possible choices include Raisin Bran, Fiber One, and Frosted Mini-Wheats.

Not only will fiber keep you fuller longer, but it will also help you eat less over the course of the day, which is helpful with weight loss. Other benefits of consuming 25 grams of fiber daily include decreased risk of heart disease, obesity, cancer, diabetes, and digestive problems.

So start the day out right with a fibrous bowl of cereal! Your body will thank you.

Becky <3