As you age, the chances for heart disease also increase. It’s important to act as soon as possible to be heart-healthy. Although it may sound intimidating, increasing positive cardiovascular health is easy and can be done with very few adjustments to your current lifestyle. Act now in pursuing a healthy lifestyle!
What is “Heart Healthy”?
“Heart Healthy” means keeping your heart and arteries in good shape and health. According to the U.S. Department of Health,
“Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.”
Maintaining and starting a heart-healthy style is simple and only requires minor changes or improvements:
- Participating in regular physical activities (even walking around your senior apartment, cottage, villa, or community for a few minutes every few hours make a huge difference!)
- Quitting smoking and staying away from secondhand smoke
- Drinking alcohol in moderation
- Managing stress
- Eating healthy
By taking action to promote healthy cardiovascular health, you will decrease your risk for heart attacks, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity.
How Do You Eat a Heart Healthy Diet?
The ideal diet would include food that is good for the heart. This includes food low in saturated and trans-fat, added sugar, and salt. Good foods for the heart to increase are whole grains, fiber, unsaturated fats, and antioxidants.
Try adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Fruits are rich in natural sugars and vegetables are packed with fiber. A cheap option is to buy frozen fruits to make smoothies in the morning. If vegetables aren’t one of your favorite food groups to eat, try blending spinach or kale into your smoothies. The fruits will overpower the vegetables and you won’t be able to taste it in your healthy breakfast.
Another tip is to swap your white bread, rice, pasta, and cereals for whole wheat. Whole wheat has a lot more fiber and nutrients. Also, it can sometimes add a nice textural element to your palate. Additionally, often for pasta, the taste difference is very minimal, so it is an easy swap for a heart-healthy diet.
An easy way to keep your salt intake down is the add more herbs and less salt. Although, it is important to note that salt is very important to a healthy diet, so do not remove it completely! Try experimenting with spices rich in flavors like rosemary, curry, chili powder, cinnamon, cilantro, parsley, mint, and nutmeg. They will all add an extra dimension to your dishes while lowering your salt intake.
An easy way to stay away from unhealthy fats is to avoid eating processed foods. Increase homecooked meals and decrease eating out. If you’re a resident of Mansions Senior Living’s retirement communities, you have the option of cooking for yourself in your fully equipped personal kitchen or having healthy and delicious meal options cooked for you by award-winning chefs. Chefs like Christina Milazzo from The Mansions at Alpharetta Senior Independent Living are passionate about providing delicious foods that are also heart-healthy.
Another fun event hosted by Mansions Senior Living is our live cooking demonstrations. They are arranged for both online and offline viewings. It’s a fun way to get started with nutritious and satisfying home cooking.
Recipes for a Healthy Heart
Mansions Senior Living regularly pins and posts heart-healthy diet recipes on Pinterest. However, some delicious recipes we’d like to highlight are:
- Heart Healthy Pizza by Vedged Out
- Curry Roasted Cauliflower Sweet Potato Salad by Ambitious Kitchen
- Crispy Baked Cauliflower Tacos by Veggie Inspired
- Asian-Inspired Vegan Cabbage Rolls by ElaVegan
- Cauliflower Taco Bowls by This Savory Vegan
- Easy and Savory Cabbage Soup by Sweet and Savory Meals
- Coconut Lime Chicken by The Almond Eater
Want to Know More About Improving Cardiovascular Health?
Contact us to learn more about how our 55+ all-inclusive senior living communities have plenty of opportunities to help increase physical activity, decrease stress, and maintain a healthy lifestyle.