Take care of your heart
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What images come to mind when you envision a “heart healthy” diet? Most imagine a boring and tasteless diet. However, there are many delicious foods that can lower your cholesterol and help keep your heart healthy.
To begin, there is more than one type of cholesterol in our body. LDL, low-density lipoprotein, encourages the deposit of plaque within the walls of our arteries; while HDL, high-density lipoprotein, removes this plaque build-up where it ultimately can be removed from our bodies.
HDL has been found to function as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting agent as well. Ideally, your LDL should be less than 130 and your HDL more than 40 (for men) and more than 50 (for women). If you do not know your cholesterol levels, you may obtain this test at Haywood Regional Medical Center’s annual Spring into Wellness Health Fair 7-11 a.m. March 28 for only $25.
A diet rich in plant-based foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans and legumes is an essential part of a heart-healthy diet. Not only do these fiber-rich foods help remove unwanted cholesterol from the body, they provide antioxidants that help protect our cells from damage, so they may continue to function normally.
Since a high-fat diet contributes to high levels of LDL, eating a low-fat diet is important. However, there is more than one kind of fat, so a low-fat diet does not mean a “no fat” diet. In fact, eating too few fats can lower your HDL, as well as your LDL.
Heart-healthy fats like poly- and mono-unsaturated fats can be found in certain types of fish, vegetable oils, avocados, nuts and seeds.
A special Lunch and Learn event at Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center at noon Thursday will elaborate on what we should eat to lower our LDL and raise our HDL. A heart-healthy meal will be available for $6.
Avoiding tobacco, exercising, and losing weight if you are overweight are key components of a heart-healthy lifestyle. An informative Lunch & Learn about Exercising for your Heart will take place at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Take time this month, American Heart Month, to care for your heart, so it can continue to take care of you.
