It's been nearly a year since we found out that mums ticker wasn't working the way it should. What we thought was a chest infection, quickly escalated into hospital staff actually telling us mum had heart failure, along with an Arrhythmia (irregular heart beat) and severely high blood pressure and heart rate. We were worried, scared even. and I don't know about my other siblings, but I also worried for my own heart. These things are hereditary aren't they ? I mean, mums mum and dad both had heart conditions, so surely we will ! Well its not quite so straight forward. Yes there are cases in which being extremely healthy hasn't helped on the heart front (look at those athletes that have died from a heart attack despite being in their prime), but its not all bad news. In fact, a few lifestyle changes can, in all fairness, help a lot.
Its important to fuel the body with good quality and healthy foods, as well as exercise regularly and reduce stress. Yes, yes, yes... we know this. But is there anything specific that can help... well here goes.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
These have been shown lower the risk of Arrhythmia and atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries through fatty deposits). Most people would suggest eating oily fish, but in fact this isn't necessary, and many research studies now show that a plant based, vegan lifestyle is in fact the healthiest diet for prevention and cure of heart disease and many other long term health conditions. Omega 3 can be found in flaxseeds, chia seeds and other nuts (such as almonds, walnuts and pistachio. Hempseed can also be used for cooking, and Hemp and nut milks are now extremely popular. However when consuming these, please bare in mind that as a food, nuts and seeds can actually contain a lot of fat (yes good fats, but fat none the less).
Fibre
There is also a theory that promotes a diet high in fibre, as it is a powerhouse at lowering cholsterol and acts like a sponge and brush effect where it mops up and brushes out cholesterol and toxins that have not been absorbed or discarded by the blood stream. The fibre spoken about here is the kind found in wholegrain breads, rices and pasta, oats and oatbran and a wide range of fruits and vegetables. The recommended intake of Fibre a daily is 30g. A good start to anyones day would include porridge or oatbran with a nut milk, a tablespoon of milled flaxseed and a sprinkling of berries and seeds.
Eat the Rainbow
The suggestion is that people eat 5 portions a day of fruit and vegetables. But why leave it at 5? The numbers have been increasing in the past few years as research has discovered that fruit and vegetables now contain lower amounts of vitamins and goodness than they did years previously. This is possibly due to the intesen farming methods and quality of soil used nowadays. Eating a rainbow of produce daily will not only provide a good daily dose of fibre, but will provide an array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to protect the immune system, mop up free radicals that are produced in the body and provide flavanoids that show a lowered rate of suffering a stroke caused by clotting in the blood. These also help to lower blood pressure and dilates the blood vessels in the body. The brighter the color of the fruit and veg, the more antioxidants and vitamin rich they are! However, it is worth noting here that fruit does contain a fair amount of sugar. Yes its natural sugars, but the body will utilise it as sugar all the same. I eat one or two pieces of fruit a day, and the rest is brightly coloured vegetables. It would be too much to try and explain the role of each vitamin here, but eating a good variety of fruit and vegetable will provide people with most of their Vitamin intake daily. Just as an example, Potatoes are great source of Potassium which helps ot lower blood pressure, as well as having a great amount of fibre. add Sweet Potatoes and you also get a great source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Tomatoes are also a great source of Potassium, and contain am antioxidant called Lycopene which helps you get rid of LDL (bad cholesterol) and keeps blood vessels open and blood flowing nicely.
Activity
It is suggested that everyone gets 150 minutes a week of moderate to intense aerobic activity a week. But come on, most people will have realised that means you only need to be active for 30 minutes, 5 times a week. Does this mean that the rest of the time you can sit watching daytime TV, or lounging in bed ? No, it does not. Research has suggested that even with a good exercise routine, it is the people who sit down longer during the period of a day that are unhealthier and more prone to heart attacks/strokes. So, basically you could run 20 miles a week, but if the rest of the time you are a couch potato, you arent doing yourself ANY favours at all. I would suggest that you get up and move as much as you can. Walk to and from work if you can, stand up whilst on the phone, walk on the spot when watching TV. Anything. Just keep moving.
Fat
There is always a headline in the media regarding fat, and to be quite honest people are confused. Dont eat fat at all, eat monounsaturated fats, no dont do that, do this. Frankly, each time a researcher finds out something the angle on which fat is approached changes and people are just left wondering what in earth to do when it comes to fat. Personally, you should be reducing ALL types of fat, including the 'Healthy' ones. Avoiding all fats as much as possible would mean a cleaner eating regime, and less chance of any heart health issues. This includes Olive oil, vegetable oils etc. Most people have been told that we need fat to increase our levels of Omega 3, but we dont need Olive oil to do this, eating Olives would be fine. That way we would also have a direct hit of the vitamins they contain also, and we dont eat the concentrated fat thats extracted from them. See where I am going here ? The truth is, eating a diet low in fat with minimal meat, fish and eggs is actually one of the healthiest diets. Plants can provide all neccesary vitamins and minerals, apart from Vitamin B12- which will be discussed in another post. The idea of a plant based diet is hard to imagine for some people, and I get that. But by reducing meats, eggs and dairy you are cutting fat straight away. A lot of people are following 'Reductionism' where they dont pledge to be fully vegan, but they do pledge to reduce animal products from their diets.
Salt
The truth is, we need salt. It is vital to the millions of processes that take place in our cells billions of times a day. What we dont need is the amount of salt we consume. In fact, its frightening how may of our packaged foods is loaded with salt and sugar for taste purposes. A healthy level of salt maintains a healthy blood pressure, a overload of salt can be fatal. Its all about balance. So instead of choosing convenience and packaged foods, have a go at making sauces and soups yourself. and substitute table salt for a pinch of Himalayan rock salt- it contains close to the same mineral make up as the human body! Try not to add salt to a salad, why not add a squeeze of lemon juice instead !
Smoking
OK, well this is a given ! Not only does smoking contribute as one of the main causes of Coronary Heart Disease, it also doesnt do your lungs any favours either. Smoking causes cancers of many types, Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease, Asthma and many other diseases of the mouth, throat and lungs. Please, stop !
Stress
How many of us feel that we have a grip on our stress levels ? I know sometimes I definately need a little help. Whatever it is you do to get relaxed, do it and keep doing. We live in a world where everything is constant, we are bombarded with stressful things on an hourly basis. We have streams on social media updating us on worldy events (or family members who then tell us), we have smartphones that allow us to make contact and reply to someone any hour of the day, we can reply to work emails on a cruise ship for heavens sake. The truth is we are bombarded by stress, and sometimes we dont even realise how much. We check our smartphones before we go to sleep, not knowing that bluelight that it ommits will actually decrease the amount of quality sleep we will get. We have Instagram feeds that show us how we SHOULD be living, creating a false reality and an underlying anxiety to those who strive for a better life. It needs to stop. Its hard to make it stop forever, its the way the world is. But for an hour a day at least. Do some yoga, mindfulness, meditation, breathing exercises, cooking- anything that doesnt involve social media, newsfeeds, emails, chatting to anyone. Be yourself, by yourself, and be in the moment. Im not going to lie, it will be hard at first. We are so accustomed to being in touch with everyone, every moment of the day, but You will see the benefits I promise. Stress can increase blood pressure and heart rate, increase the chance of a heart attack or stroke, and cause a lot of anxiety related symptoms that just arent pleasant. Yes, I agree, life does seem to be all GO GO GO.... but as the picture says, wouldnt it be nice to just dance in the rain for a while ?
For all those that want to know, Mum is doing great now. She has had major heart surgery to fix the valves that were failing. But lets be honest, she was one of the lucky ones. Some people dont have the chance to find out they have a dodgy ticker until its too late. She has changed her lifestyle, her perspective, and she most definately doesnt wait for any storm to pass. Who has the bloody time after all ? Thankyou for reading this post. And please, dont become one of the broken hearted....
