10 Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy
No one ever had fun visiting the cardiologist. Regardless of how good the doc might be, it’s always a little scary thinking about the health of something as fundamental as the heart. But there are ways to take greater control—to ensure that your own heart health is the best it can be—even if you have a family history of cardiovascular disease. Although 50% of cardiovascular-disease risk is genetic, the other 50% can be modified by how you live your life, according to Dr. Eugenia Gianos, director of Women’s Heart Health at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “This means you can greatly reduce a high genetic risk or greatly worsen a low genetic risk,” she says. “Your fate really lies largely in your hands.” Having that kind of control over your heart health is particularly welcome news right now, with cardiovascular disease remaining the number-one killer of both men and women. A recent CDC report revealed that “largely preventable” heart problems killed around 415,000 Americans in 2016. Under its Million Hearts campaign—which aims to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2022—the CDC identified approximately 2.2 million hospitalizations and 415,000 deaths from heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and related conditions in 2016 that likely could have been avoided. “Many of these cardiovascular events are happening to middle-aged adults—who we wouldn’t normally consider to be at risk,” CDC principal deputy director Dr. Anne Schuchat said in a statement. “Most of these events can be prevented through daily actions to help lower risk and better manage medical conditions.” Beyond remembering to go easy on the cheeseburgers, what else can you do to protect your heart? We all know the broad strokes—eat well, work out and find ways to relax—but science is learning more about the specifics that make a real difference. Consider this your daily planner for heart health.
1. Add more plants to your menu
Rather than dwelling on cutting back on red meat, think of what you’re adding to your plate. “Focus on what to eat as much as what to avoid,” Sass notes, “and be open to experimenting.” Aim big: five cups of fruits and vegetables a day. It sounds like a daunting number, but by working in a cup at breakfast (with eggs, in a smoothie or mixed into overnight oats), two at lunch and two at dinner, you can get your fill. When doing meal prep, flip your thinking. “Build meals around veggies, so they’re never an afterthought,” Sass advises. Instead of having the typical pasta primavera that is a mound of spaghetti with a few shavings of carrots and a couple of broccoli florets on top, reverse it so that you fill your plate with steamed or sautéed veggies over a modest portion of pasta—or better yet, farro or quinoa. “It may feel less satisfying at first,” Sass concedes, “but the rewards, like more energy, sustainable weight loss and better digestive health, can drastically improve your everyday quality of life.”
