Local News

Heart Healthy

Monday 6th July, 2009:   In the upcoming weeks the Grenada Heart Foundation will be publishing a series of articles aimed at helping you keep your ticker healthy. Today’s article will give you an overview of what you can do today to make a difference for your heart.

Remember, children should be encouraged to be heart healthy too; this is an investment in their future. There’s lots you can do to keep your heart healthy – whatever your age!

Three Steps to a Healthy Heart (As easy as 1-2-3)

  1. Eat healthy
  2. Get moving
  3. Reduce your risk

1. Eat Healthy!

A healthy diet can be a massive step towards reducing your risk of developing heart disease and it’s never too late to start (today is a good time).

Eating healthy prevents buildup of blood clots and fatty deposits in your arteries and reduces your risk for coronary heart disease; protects against diabetes and some cancers; and helps you manage your weight, cholesterol and blood pressure.

Make sure you include plenty of fruit, vegetables and starchy foods, like wholegrain bread, pasta and rice, and reduce the amount of saturated fat, salt and sugar that you include in your diet.  

Fruit and vegetables

Eating at least five portions of fruits and vegetables a day will improve your diet. They can be fresh or frozen, dried or tinned, cooked or raw. Think of your plate like an artist’s palette and try and eat a range of colours. You can introduce this as a game for your children to get them thinking about their diet early.

Fats

Eating too much fat, especially saturated fat, can have a bad effect on your cholesterol, which can increase your risk of coronary heart disease.

Salt

You’d be surprised at how much salt finds its way into your diet, and too much can lead to high blood pressure. Read labels to see how much salt is really in the foods you are eating. Try healthy alternatives to spice up your food and leave salt off the table.

Oily fish

Eat at least two portions of fish a week, and make one portion an oily fish, such as Sardines or Swordfish. Making this small change to your diet could improve your chances of survival after a heart attack.

Cut Back on Alcohol

Too much alcohol can increase your blood pressure and also damage your heart muscle. It can even make you pile on pounds.

2. Get Moving!

Weight has a horrible habit of creeping on and before you know it, you are a stone heavier! Obesity can have serious effects on your health and increase your risk of heart disease. If you suspect you have a weight issue, get advice on how best to change your lifestyle so the weight comes off and stays off.

Being physically active not only keeps your heart healthy but makes you look and feel great. The heart is a muscle, and it needs to work out. It needs exercise to help it keep fit so that it can pump blood efficiently around your body.

Being active at any age helps control your weight, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and will provide long-term benefits for your heart and general health.

Before you start becoming more physically active, it’s important to seek advice from your GP, especially if you have a condition that you’re taking prescribed medication for.

Being physically active doesn’t have to mean long gym sessions or strenuous work-out regimes. In Grenada, we are blessed with great beaches to walk on and swim in. Use your everyday activities to begin your exercise routine; for instance, walk rather than take the bus or garden daily. You can reap the benefits of being more active from all sorts of physical activity – any increase will be good for your health.

Encourage your friends to come with you; walking, talking and laughing is the best combination! Moderate physical activity is anything that makes you breathe more heavily than normal and makes you warmer. Set yourself a goal to build up to at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on five or more days a week. If at any time you feel any pain or discomfort, it is best to stop exercising. Pace yourself and build up to your goal. Don’t rush. Just remember that you are never too old or too unfit to start doing something.

3. Reduce your risk!

Prevention is better than cure, and by making small changes to your lifestyle you can reduce your risk of developing coronary heart disease. Even if you’ve had a heart attack, or been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, you can help your heart to stay healthy and reduce your risk of further problems. Learn more about blood pressure, cholesterol and how quitting smoking could save your life, next week.

If this article has raised any questions for you, GET ANSWERS! See someone at the Health Center or call Grenada Heart Foundation at 444 4175. We will be happy to help!

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