Heart-Healthy Diet & Exercise

Most people know that to maintain heart health, they need to eat healthy and stay active, but it is not always clear how to translate that into everyday behaviors. Through research since the 1920s, the medical community has defined a number of guidelines to help people choose the right foods and fit the right types of exercise into their lives. Heart 

disease is dangerous and often deadly, but it is also highly preventable through a healthy lifestyle.

Heart Function

There are many types of heart disease, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the most common in the United States is Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). This refers to the buildup of cholesterol deposits, or plaque, along the walls of the arteries that supply the heart with blood. This makes it more difficult for blood to get to the heart, which causes the heart muscle to weaken over time. CAD causes a heart attack when a coronary artery becomes completely blocked. Preventing heart disease consists of preventing the buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries and keeping the heart muscle strong and healthy. Risk factors for heart disease include obesity, inactivity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking and diabetes.

Types of Heart-Healthy Foods

To prevent heart disease, the CDC recommends a diet high in fiber and low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Eating many fruits, vegetables and whole grains will help accomplish this. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and flax seed, also help prevent heart disease by increasing the "good" cholesterol in the blood. In addition to choosing the correct foods, a heart-healthy diet will remain within a person's caloric needs, as consuming excess calories leads to weight gain and may further increase the risk of heart disease. For more information, visit the American Heart Association's website on Healthy Lifestyle .

Foods to Avoid

To keep excessive saturated fat and cholesterol out of the diet, the CDC recommends limiting intake of foods like beef, butter, cheese and whole milk or cream. Salt should also be limited, as this contributes to high blood pressure, another risk factor for heart disease. Trans fats, found in margarine and some other processed foods, should be avoided as much as possible.

Naturopathic expert Dr. Ben Kim reports that the consumption of sugar and processed foods in the United States has risen approximately 60 percent since the 1920s, and the consumption of refined vegetable oils, margarine and shortening has increased 40 percent, while the consumption of cholesterol has only increased 1 percent. This suggests that while limiting saturated fat and cholesterol may help decrease the risk of heart disease, the biggest culprit in the increase of heart disease might be processed foods and oils. Dr. Kim explains that many processed foods contain polyunsaturated vegetable oils, such as safflower, soybean and corn oil, that are unstable and form free radicals when exposed to high heat or other processing. Free radicals damage the cells of the body, including those lining the blood vessels, which can encourage heart disease.

Heart-Healthy Exercise

The heart is a muscle, and it needs exercise like any other muscle in your body to stay healthy. To prevent heart disease and other health problems, the CDC recommends at least two hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, and muscle-strengthening activities at least two days a week. Moderate-intensity aerobic activity might include brisk walking, easy bike riding or pushing the lawnmower. You should get your heart rate up, but still be able to talk.

Other Considerations

Diet and exercise go a long way toward keeping the heart healthy. However, it is important to know your risk factors for heart disease and keep an open dialogue with your physician. Some conditions that put you at risk for heart disease may not be reversible or manageable through diet and exercise. Genetic factors also play a role in heart disease, and these may not be fully controllable through a healthy lifestyle either. If you have any of the symptoms of heart disease or a heart attack, such as chest pain, seek medical attention immediately.