A Heart Healthy Meal: What's in it?

a-heart-healthy-diet.jpgIf asked, do you think that you could prepare a heart healthy meal for yourself or a loved one? The seemingly obvious answer, for many people, would be probably not. Why draw such a conclusion? Because national statistics show that roughly 27.1 million American adults currently suffer from heart disease – a signal that very few Americans are regularly eating a heart healthy meal.

Not Just A Meal

Wait a minute, you say, preventing heart disease is about more than simply eating the occasional heart healthy meal—right?

The answer to this question is yes. Preventing heart disease is about much more than a heart healthy meal, here and there. It’s about living an all around healthy life. The list below illustrates a few simple ways that you can help shield yourself from the heart disease epidemic.

1)    Monitor your blood pressure, and take corrective action if your reading is consistently higher than 120/80.

2)    Visit your doctor to determine your blood cholesterol levels, and keep them under control.

3)    If you smoke, make it a point to quit.

4)    Exercise regularly, and sustain a healthy weight.

5)    Support your body by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.

6)    If you have diabetes, consult with your doctor to keep in controlled.

What About Food?

A heart healthy meal begins with – you guessed it – heart healthy ingredients. But which ones are the best at warding off heart disease?

People concerned about their heart health should take steps to learn as much as they can about the foods that help ward off heart-related diseases. A simple internet search will pull up hundreds of pages containing information on heart healthy foods. Found on almost every one of these lists are salmon, oatmeal, and blueberries, to name just a few.

When it comes to selecting ingredients for a heart healthy meal, the best thing a person can do for themselves is to take an active interest in learning about the condition they are trying to prevent, and how to actually prevent it. It goes without saying that a committed individual is far more likely to accomplish their goals than a person who takes only a half-hearted approach.