It’s important to nourish your heart – it does a lot of hard work for your entire body, and without the right nutrition it can get strained over time and lead to negative health outcomes.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), or hardening of the arteries, is caused by fatty deposits building up in the walls of arteries over time. This build-up causes the artery to narrow and can stop blood flow. If this happens, it can lead to angina (chest pain), a heart attack, poor blood circulation or a stroke.
Eating a heart healthy diet, along with making other healthier lifestyle choices (such as exercising and not smoking), can help reduce your risk of CVD.
You can improve your cardiovascular health by:
• changing your diet to one that is: – high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fibre, and unsaturated fats – low in trans fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt • controlling your stress • limiting your alcohol intake • quitting smoking • controlling your blood pressure • controlling your blood sugars • being physically active daily
One of the best diets, or ways of eating, for not only overall health, but especially for heart health, is the Mediterranean Diet. Studies have shown that a Mediterranean Diet can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by 30% or more.[i],[ii]
Principles of a Mediterranean Diet:
• Emphasis placed on fruit, vegetables, whole grain bread, pasta, rice and cereal, potatoes, legumes (beans, peas, lentils, pulses, chickpeas, etc.), fish, nuts and seeds • Include dairy products such as yogurt, Greek yogurt, cheese and milk • Include eggs and chicken • Olive oil as the principal source of fat, with other healthy fats such as olives, avocado and avocado oil • Include herbs and spices such as basil, thyme, garlic, rosemary, mint, cinnamon, pepper, etc., as well as lemon for flavouring. • Limit red meat
• Limit highly processed and refined foods (but don't be afraid to consume some, it's the dose that makes the poison). • 1 glass of red wine per day • Water as main beverage, coffee and tea are acceptable, but limit sugar-sweetened beverages and fruit juices
Keep in mind - it's okay to modify and add foods based on your personal taste preferences - everyone is unique, and there is no 'one size fits all' to eating a nutritious heart healthy diet.
There's so much misinformation out there, typically because people spreading it either don't understand how to interpret research, or they're trying to sell you something and they know fear or shock based information creates more engagement (sadly). If you need help fighting through the misinformation and developing a healthy relationship with food, visit my services page or contact felicia@sustainnutrition.ca
Sample 3 Day Sample Meal Plan for Heart Health:
Hint: if you don’t like something, such as olives, it’s okay to omit it. You can also substitute any grain with another grain (e.g. potato for brown rice), and protein with another protein (e.g. salmon for chicken), and veggie with another veggie, etc.
Day 1
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with spinach, tomato & feta.
Lunch: Roasted Chickpea Wrap, with roasted chickpeas (spiced with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper), lettuce, red onion, tomato and Greek yogurt tzatziki (or homemade tzatziki).
Dinner: Grilled chicken (or sautéed in olive or avocado oil), with vegetables such as green beans or asparagus, and a small sweet or white potato with olive oil or plain Greek yogurt for flavour (or Greek yogurt tzatziki). Fruit for dessert.
Day 2
Breakfast: Greek yogurt with berries, nuts and oats or seeds (e.g., pumpkin, flax, chia, hemp).
Lunch: Lemon Herb Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, with arugula, chickpeas, cucumber, red onion, red bell pepper, feta cheese, and kalamata olives. Seasoned with dried basil, oregano, parsley, and lemon juice.
Salad Dressing: Equal parts olive oil, red wine vinegar & water with a splash of lemon.
Dinner: Mediterranean pizza made with whole wheat pita or flat bread, topped with cheese (mix of cheddar and feta, or goat cheese), spinach, red pepper and olives. Fruit for dessert.
Day 3
Breakfast: Quinoa Breakfast Bowl (using leftover quinoa from day before) with banana, blueberries, almond milk and almond butter.
Lunch: Sprouted grain or whole grain toast with hummus, tomato, onion, cucumber, roasted red pepper, crumbled feta cheese and a few black olive slices.
Dinner: Baked salmon, served with brown rice and vegetables. Fruit for dessert.
Heart-healthy Snacks:
You don’t need to eat more than 3 well-balanced meals per day, such as the ones above. However, if you become hungry between meals, these are some heart-healthy snacks that also fit with the Mediterranean diet.
• ¼ cup nuts with a medium piece of fruit • Vegetables with hummus or Greek yogurt tzatziki and 1 serving of cheese • Greek yogurt or ricotta cheese with ½ cup berries and 2 tbsp nuts or seeds • Apple slices or other fruit with almond butter • 1 serving whole grain, high fibre crackers with 1 serving of cheese • Side salad with quinoa (or basmati rice), feta, arugula, red onion, tomatoes and lemon/olive oil dressing
[i] Mitrou PN, Kipnis V, Thiebaut AC, et al. Mediterranean dietary pattern and prediction of all-cause mortality in a US population: Results from the NIH-AARP diet and health study. Arch Intern Med. 2007;167(22):2461-2468. Available from: http://www.medscape.com/medline/abstract/18071168 [ii] Estruch R, Ros E, Salas- Salvadó J, et all. Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet. N Engl J Med 2013; 368:1279-1290. Available from: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1200303#t=article
For help with taking control of your health and developing a healthy relationship with food, using a personalized approach, feel free to check out the shop page for booking options, or reach out to felicia@sustainnutrition.ca with any questions (and no pressure to book!).
Felicia Newell is a Registered Dietitian, Nutritionist, Food and Nutrition Expert, Health Coach, and a mom of 4 kids under 12. She is also the owner of Sustain Nutrition/FN Health. Felicia wears many hats, and knows what it is like to try and live healthy in a busy world, where our environments aren't always supportive of making healthy choices. Life is busy, confusing at times, and full of contradictions, especially in the world of health and wellness. Felicia is passionate in helping others fight through the misinformation out there, and to navigate life and health, but most importantly, to enjoy it while doing it. She has over 12 years of education and experience in Nutritional Sciences. Between completing her Bachelor and Masters in Nutritional Sciences, working at a research centre, teaching university courses, years of nutrition counselling helping people crush their goals, and being a busy mom of 4, she has the passion, skills, education, and experience to help you reach your health and wellness in a way that works for YOU.