This month, there’s more to your heart than just the feelings that accompany Valentine’s Day. February is American Heart Health Month. You may not know it, but cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention one in every three deaths is because of heart disease and stroke. To keep your heart strong and maintain a healthy lifestyle, follow these tips from The American Heart Association.
Kick Calories Out- Bring Veggies In
Replace your high calorie foods with servings of fruits and veggies. These can be fresh, frozen, or canned. Although we love to dip our healthy snacks into ranch, peanut butter and more, try enjoying everything organically to avoid extra calories.
Watch Your Sodium
When you are grocery shopping be aware and avoid foods with an overwhelming amount of sodium. In addition, when you are preparing food you should use little to no salt. To successfully lower your blood pressure you should be eating no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day.
This may seem difficult, but you can take it one step at a time. Even reducing your sodium by 1,000 mg per day can be extremely beneficial to your blood pressure.
Be aware of Fats
Replace saturated fat and trans fat with healthier fats, such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. You should eat no more than 13 grams of fat with a 2,000 calorie diet. You should also cut back on sugar by avoiding certain foods and beverages.
Spread Awareness!
There are many different ways that you can show your support for American Heart Month! You can wear red as a symbol of awareness and support for heart disease. Another way is by simply sharing this blog post on your Facebook page! Helping people become aware of cardiovascular disease, and its causes, as well as the prevention tools, can save lives!
Neighbors Emergency Center supports your start to a healthier lifestyle. Check our Facebook page to stay updated on what Neighbors is doing in your community and new center openings. With our 24-hour emergency rooms in Texas we can treat you quickly and effectively so you can get back to doing what you love.