February is Heart Month

This year is the 50Th anniversary of Heart Month, and while the number of deaths due to heart disease continue to decline, the financial and personal burden of the disease remains high. Heart disease impacts close to 100 million people either through elevated blood lipids, hypertension or a combination of both. These diseases impact quality of life as well as medical care, you can reduce your risk by making a few changes.

Making better food choices is one clear way to improve your health, and hopefully reduce your risk of heart disease. Research shows that the best approach to healthy heart eating is filling your plate with more plant foods and fewer animal foods. At the same time make sure that you choose lean, lower-fat animal foods so more poultry, fish, beans, nuts and fat free or lowfat dairy.

Boosting plant food intake means choosing whole grains instead of more processed grains; so whole wheat bread instead of white or brown rice instead of white. Along with the whole grains load up your menus with brightly colored vegetables and fruits. Choosing canola or olive oil for cooking helps to boost healthier fats and if used in place of butter or other solid fats reduces your intake of less healthful fats.

This Friday, February 7, is “National Wear Red Day”; a day dedicated to educating women about their risk for heart disease. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the US so if you don’t know about your risk level take time to call you physician for a medical evaluation.

Learn more about heart health, healthy recipes and resources for improving your risk for heart disease by visiting - http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyCooking/Healthy-Cooking_UCM_001183_SubHomePage.jsp

Connie Diekman, M.Ed., RD, CSSD