Heart Health

Build a strong, healthy heart with Heart Smart Foods!
Lifestyle is the first line-of-defense against heart disease, the number one killer of adults in the United States. Lifestyle includes things like the food you eat, whether or not you are physically active or have planned exercise, whether or not you use tobacco products and how you handle the stresses of day-to-day living let alone crisis situations.

Diet plays a huge role in reducing your risk of getting and managing heart disease. If you have already been diagnosed with heart disease you can reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Diet can help
  • Lower LDL, the "bad" cholesterol
  • Increase HDL, the "good" cholesterol
  • Lower Triglycerides
  • Lower Blood Pressure
  • Lower markers of inflammation such as CRP
  • Reverse the build-up of plaque in the vascular system (atherosclerosis)

When it comes to diet there are foods that negatively affect heart health, but more importantly, there are many foods that are very good for your heart and vascular system. Doctors may give their patients a handout with foods to avoid and foods to eat. While this is the first step in helping patients, I have found that most people don't know how to take this information and actually plan and prepare meals. Just eating from the list of "do's & don'ts" won't ensure you will have adequate nutrition. By this I mean it's important to get the right amount of key nutrients so you won't have deficiencies and conditions that can result from those deficiencies. Are you getting enough calcium or iron? What about the many B vitamins? Are you consuming enough protein foods - or possibly taking in too much?

When we work together to develop a meal plan for heart conditions you can be sure you will have a balanced plan that also addresses your total nutritional needs. And if you need to lose weight, we can make sure your Heart Smart diet helps you do that as well.
"I thought I was eating better to lower my cholesterol, but my numbers went up instead of down. I know I needed help and Kim taught me how to make appropriate dietary changes. My cholesterol and my weight are both down, and I have more food choices than before." ~T. Smith

​If you would like help with your Heart Smart diet, click here.