Keep Your Heart Healthy

Tips to Have a Healthy Heart

1. Ride your bike 20 minutes a day.

When German researchers had 100 men with mild chest pain, or angina, either exercise 20 minutes a day on a stationary bike or undergo an angioplasty, they found that a year after the angioplasty, 21 men suffered a heart attack, stroke, or other problem compared to only 6 of the bikers. Just remember that if you already have angina, you should only begin an exercise program under medical supervision.

2. Eat fish at least once a week.

Have it grilled, sautéed, baked, or roasted-just have it. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in April 2002 found that women who ate fish at least once a week was one-third less likely to have a heart attack or die of heart disease than those who ate fish only once a month. Other studies show similar benefits for men.

3. Eat a high-fiber breakfast cereal at least four times a week.

In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in September 1999, Harvard University scientists found that women who ate 23 grams of fiber a day-mostly from cereal-were 23 percent less likely to have heart attacks than those who consumed only 11 grams of fiber. In men, a high-fiber diet slashed the chances of a heart attack by 36 percent.

4. Drink at least two cups of tea a day.

Black tea or green tea, it doesn’t seem to matter. At least, that’s the result of a Dutch study that found only 2.4 percent of 5,000 healthy Rotterdam residents who drank two or more cups of tea a day had a heart attack within six years, compared with 4.1 percent of those who never drank tea. Another major analysis of 17 studies on tea drinkers found three cups a day could slash the risk of a heart attack by 11 percent.

5. Eat 15 cherries a day.

Studies find the anthocyanins (plant chemicals) that give cherries their scarlet color also work to lower levels of uric acid in the blood, a marker for heart attacks and stroke. Try sprinkling dried cherries on your salad or substituting a cup of cherry juice for orange juice in the morning.

6. Cook with ginger or turmeric twice a week.

Ginger and turmeric have anti-inflammatory benefits, and inflammation is a major contributor to heart disease.

Compiled from https://www.readersdigest.ca/health/conditions/30-ways-boost-your-heart-health/view-all/

Phyllis Robinson MSN, RN

My name is Phyllis Robinson MSN, RN. I have been a Registered Nurse for 27 years in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. I am passionate about cardiac care and heart disease. I also want this blog to be an educational tool that people can refer to for traditional and alternative treatment. I will blog on heart disorders such as high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, and high cholesterol.

I received my Nursing degree from Baltimore Community College.

I went on to receive my Masters in Nursing from Walden University

I have worked for almost 30 years in Critical Care with a focus on heart health. I am an advocate of preventive healthcare.

www.healingheartdiseasenaturally.com