How to Keep a Romantic Heart Healthy During Heart Health Month
LOS ANGELES -- (Business Wire)
Herbalife’s (NYSE: HLF) director of nutrition training and registered
dietitian, Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD, FAND, offers ten tips to keep
your heart healthy during Heart Health Month.
The connection between diet and heart health has been around long enough
that most people know what makes a diet “heart-healthy.” Strategies such
as watching your weight, keeping your total fats and saturated fats
down, not being too heavy-handed with the saltshaker, or upping your
soluble fiber intake – all have become well known dietary approaches to
promote heart health.
All good advice, to be sure; after all, a high-fat diet can put weight
on you, saturated fats can bump up your blood cholesterol levels, and
too much salt can drive up blood pressure – all of which can increase
your risk for heart disease.
The foundations of a heart-healthy diet are pretty simple – it’s what
you already know as a healthy, well-balanced diet. The following are ten
easy tips to maintain a healthy heart year round.
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Eat more fruits, veggies, whole grains and beans, which deliver
vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.
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Enjoy healthy low-fat proteins such as nonfat or low-fat dairy
products, poultry breast, lean cuts of red meat, and plant proteins
such as beans, lentils and tofu. These will help keep your total fat
and saturated fat intake in check.
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Keep your total fat intake low – ideally, you want to eat only the
amount that you need to add flavor to foods.
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When you do eat fats, you’ll want to focus on the healthy ones that
are provided by foods like fish, nuts, avocado and olive oil; since
they are rich sources of heart-healthy omega-3 fats. Seafood should be
on your menu as often as possible.
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Limit your added fats by trimming dressings, spreads, sauces and fried
foods from your diet whenever you can.
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Choose healthy carbohydrates, which include whole fruits, vegetables
and whole grains. Steer clear of processed starchy foods, and instead
fill your plate with foods rich in soluble fiber – beans, sweet
potatoes, berries, plums, broccoli and carrots – that help to maintain
healthy cholesterol levels.
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If you are unable to include important ingredients, such as fruits,
vegetables or fish, consider augmenting your diet with targeted
supplements, multivitamins or omega-3 fish oils.
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Lower your stress. If you think activities like yoga,
meditation, and deep breathing aren’t for you, think again. Stress
management is an important part of heart health and these
stress-relieving activities can reduce your risk of heart disease.
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Regular exercise of any kind not only helps reduce stress, but also
improves blood flow to the heart.
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Shed the extra pounds. A healthy weight lowers the risk of heart
disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes, and has an overall
positive impact on total health.
“Eating a balanced diet that emphasizes plenty of colorful fruits and
vegetables and low fat protein, coupled with exercise and stress
reduction are all important in maintaining a healthy heart. Taken
together, these healthy habits contribute to an overall sense of health
and well-being, and allow you to develop a healthy lifestyle that is a
win-win for your heart and whole body,” concluded Bowerman.
Susan Bowerman is director
of nutrition training at Herbalife. Susan is a registered
dietitian and a Board-certified specialist in sports dietetics. More
useful nutrition advice can be found on her blog http://www.discovergoodnutrition.com.
About Herbalife Ltd.
Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) is a global nutrition company that sells
weight-management, nutrition and personal care products intended to
support a healthy lifestyle. Herbalife® products are sold in more than
90 countries to and through a network of independent members. The
company supports the Herbalife Family Foundation and its Casa Herbalife
program to help bring good nutrition to children. Herbalife's website
contains financial and other information at www.herbalife.com.
For photos or additional information, please contact Marco A.
Gonzales.
Contacts:
Herbalife Ltd.
Marco A. Gonzales, Senior Director, Corporate
Communications
310.258.7120
marcog@herbalife.com
Source: Herbalife Ltd.
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