Healthy Eating for a Happy Heart

Stress is a part of life, but how you respond to it can make a big difference to your heart health. Choosing heart-healthy foods can help. When stress levels rise, many people eat more, often choosing comfort foods that are not healthy. This can be bad for your body, especially your heart. So, it’s wise to eat more nourishing foods, which can improve heart health and help with weight management.

If you’re unsure where to begin, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) offers valuable resources.

“We have many recipes for healthy and delicious dishes, plus an award-winning eating plan called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH for short,” said Charlotte Pratt, Ph.D., M.S., R.D., a nutrition expert at NHLBI. For years, the DASH eating plan has been ranked among the U.S. News & World Reports’ best diets for healthy living and heart health. Its success lies in “eating nutrient-dense foods and meals that are lower in sodium and saturated fat, rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and legumes,” said Pratt.

Healthy Eating for Heart Health

NHLBI has developed recipes that support the DASH plan, featuring healthy versions of comfort foods like oven-baked french fries, chicken chili stew, and sweet potato custard. These recipes are easy to prepare and family-friendly, including traditional dishes from African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Vietnamese, Hispanic/Latino, and Filipino cuisines. You can find these recipes, along with tips on safe cooking, kitchen stocking, and food shopping at healthyeating.nhlbi.nih.gov.

“The DASH eating plan is scientifically proven to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels,” said Pratt. Additionally, NHLBI research indicates that combining DASH with increased physical activity and calorie monitoring can aid in weight loss.

Healthy Eating for Heart Health

DASH does not require special foods and helps you set daily and weekly nutritional goals using these guidelines:

• Eat vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
• Include fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils.
• Limit foods high in saturated fat, like fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, and tropical oils like coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils.
• Limit sugar-sweetened beverages and desserts.

To make DASH a sustainable lifestyle choice, consider these tips:

• Change gradually. Add one more serving of vegetables each day. Read nutrition labels to select foods with the lowest saturated fat, sodium, or added sugar.
• Vary protein sources. Try a mix of lean meats, remove the skin from chicken, eat fish once or twice a week, and have two or more meatless meals each week.
• Choose healthy, tasty snacks. Opt for fruit, unsalted snacks like rice cakes, fat-free or low-fat yogurt, or raw vegetables with a low-fat dip.
• Find substitutes. Use whole-wheat bread or brown rice instead of white bread or white rice. If you’re allergic to nuts, try beans or seeds like flax or sunflower seeds.
• Follow the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommendations.

Try this Recipe for Heart Healthy French Fries

Learn More and Get Help

Combining healthy eating with other self-care activities can help reduce stress and protect your heart. Key activities include moving more throughout the day, getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep, and practicing relaxation techniques like meditation or yoga. If you smoke, consider quitting, and build a strong social support system to stay motivated. Learn more about DASH, heart health, and additional resources at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

Talk to a member of your care team for more information.

Transform Your Heart Health with Simple Self-Care

Taking a little time each day to care for yourself can do wonders for your heart. Simple heart health self-care, like de-stressing, moving more, eating healthier, and getting enough sleep, can all benefit your heart.

Heart disease is largely preventable, and focusing on heart health is more important than ever. It’s a leading cause of death for women and men in the U.S., and many people are at risk. But studies show that self-care routines, like daily walks and keeping doctor’s appointments, help keep blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol levels in check, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

It’s easier than you think to “put your heart” into your daily routine. Each Sunday, look at your week’s schedule and carve out 30 minutes daily for heart-healthy practices. Take a yoga class, prepare a heart-healthy recipe, schedule your bedtime to get at least seven hours of sleep, or make a medication checklist. Seek support from others, even if it’s online or via a phone call, to help you stick to your goals.

Heart Health Self-Care Tips

Here are a few self-care tips to try every day to make your heart a priority:

Learn More and Get Help

Learn how to stress less for a healthier heart and more about heart health from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute by visiting www.nhlbi.nih.gov. If you need help finding additional resources to cope with stress, talk to a member of your care team. Seek urgent care if you can’t cope at all or have suicidal thoughts. Resources are also available at nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help.

Stress is a part of life, whether it’s from everyday deadlines, financial struggles, or balancing work and family. Your body reacts to stress: your heart rate increases, your blood vessels narrow, and over time, these small blows can add up and harm your health, especially your heart. Chronic stress can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and poor sleep. Even other parts of your body, like your lungs and gut, can be affected.

How Stress Affects Your Heart

When you’re stressed, your body goes into “fight or flight” mode: your muscles tense, your heart rate increases, and your brain becomes more alert. But your body also has a built-in relaxation response. When triggered, your breathing and heart rate slow down, and your blood pressure decreases.

Techniques to Reduce Stress

You can learn to trigger this relaxation response with practice. Try these techniques on your own or find a teacher or class to help you get started. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get the hang of it quickly. If one approach doesn’t work for you, try something new. There are many ways to de-stress.

Other Ways to Manage Stress

Getting your mind and body to a place of calm doesn’t always mean being still. Other healthy ways to manage stress include:

• Taking a yoga or tai chi class
• Talking to a professional counselor
• Joining a stress management program or an art class
• Meeting up with friends for a brisk walk
• Spending time in nature

Combine Stress Reduction with Healthy Habits

Combining stress reduction techniques with other healthy habits can strengthen your heart. Eat more veggies, fruits, and whole grains, and less sodium, sugar, and saturated fats. Move your body more, like through dancing and walking meetings. Find exercises you love and do them regularly. Get enough good, quality sleep. Develop a strong social support system. Rethink some of the familiar ways you may be coping with stress, such as drinking alcohol frequently, using drugs, smoking, or overeating. These can actually worsen your stress and health.

Learn More and Get Help

Learn how to stress less for a healthier heart and more about heart health from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute by visiting www.nhlbi.nih.gov. If you need help finding additional resources to cope with stress, talk to a member of your care team. Seek urgent care if you can’t cope at all or have suicidal thoughts. Resources are also available at nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help.

Heart disease is the top cause of death for men and women in the U.S. Many adults, especially in our community, have risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, or being overweight. Having more than one risk factor increases your risk of heart disease. The good news is that we can do a lot to prevent it. Here are some heart health tips to help you.

Connecting with Others is Good for Your Heart

Research shows that people with close relationships at home, work, or in their community tend to be healthier and live longer. One reason, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), is that we’re more successful at meeting our health goals when we work on them with others.

Feeling connected with others and having positive, close relationships benefit our overall health, including our blood pressure and weight. Having people in our lives who motivate and care for us helps, as do feelings of closeness and companionship.

Heart Health Lifestyle Tips

Here are some facts, how-to tips, and resources to inspire you to join with others, even if you can’t be physically together, to improve your heart health.

Follow these lifestyle tips to protect your heart.

• Be more physically active.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Eat a nutritious diet.
• Quit smoking.
• Manage stress.
• Get 7-9 hours of quality sleep.
• Track your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar numbers.

You don’t have to make big changes all at once. Small steps will get you where you want to go.

Move More for Heart Health

Invite family, friends, colleagues, or members of your community to join you in your efforts to be more physically active:

• Ask a colleague to walk “with you” regularly, put the date on both your calendars, and text or call to make sure you both get out for a walk.
• Get a friend or family member to sign up for the same online exercise class, such as a dance class. Make it a regular date!
• Grab your kids, put on music, and do jumping jacks, skip rope, or dance in your living room or yard.

Aim for a Healthy Weight

Find someone in your friend group, at work, or in your family who also wants to reach or maintain a healthy weight. (If you’re overweight, even a small weight loss of 5–10 percent helps your health.) Check-in with them regularly to stay motivated. Agree to do healthy activities, like walking or cooking a healthy meal, at the same time, even if you can’t be together. Share low-calorie, low-sodium recipes. Check out NHLBI’s Are You at Healthy Weight? fact sheet.

Eat Heart-Healthy

We tend to eat like our friends and family, so ask others close to you to join in your effort to eat healthier. Follow NHLBI’s Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan. Research shows that, compared to a typical American diet, it lowers high blood pressure and improves cholesterol levels. Find delicious recipes at NHLBI’s Heart-Healthy Eating webpage.

Quit Smoking

To help you quit, ask others for support or join an online support group. Research shows that people are much more likely to quit if their spouse, friend, or sibling does. Social support online can help you quit. All states have quit lines with trained counselors — call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669). You’ll find many free resources to help you quit, such as apps, a motivational text service, and a chat line at BeTobaccoFree.hhs.gov and Smokefree.gov.

If you need extra motivation to quit, consider those around you: Breathing other people’s smoke, called secondhand smoke, is dangerous. Many adult nonsmokers die of stroke, heart disease, and lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke.

Manage Stress for Heart Health

Managing stress helps your heart health. Set goals with a friend or family member to do a relaxing activity every day, like walking, yoga, or meditation, or participate in an online stress-management program together. Physical activity also helps reduce stress. Talk to a qualified mental health provider or someone else you trust.

Improve Sleep for a Healthier Heart

Sleeping 7–9 hours a night helps to improve heart health. De-stressing will help you sleep, as does getting a 30-minute daily dose of sunlight. Take a walk instead of a late afternoon nap! Family members and friends: remind each other to turn off the screen and stick to a regular bedtime. Instead of looking at your phone or the TV before bed, relax by listening to music, reading, or taking a bath.

Track your Heart Health Numbers, Together

Keeping a log of your blood pressure, weight goals, physical activity, and, if you have diabetes, your blood sugar will help you stay on a heart-healthy track. Ask your friends or family to join you in the effort. Check out NHLBI’s My Heart Health Tracker.

Visit www.hearttruth.gov for more information about heart health.