Our Comments on Heart Health

Simple Heart Health

Diet

There are a number of factors which affect heart health, but it can be made very simple, by first following the concept of creating an alkaline terrain in the body, consuming mineral-rich, nutrient-dense foods and healthy fats. The more simple the diet, the better for your health. Cut down on or eliminate red meat, which is very unhealty in this country (read Howard Lymans’ book “Mad Cowboy”). You can meet your protein needs on a vegetarian diet if you understand the proper foods to eat. Nearly all vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds contain some, and often much, protein. A serving of leafy greens contains more assimilable protein than a serving of red meat! Whole, complex grains such as quinoa, amaranth, barley, rye, brown rice, millet, oats, spelt and wheat (be careful you’re not sensitive or allergic!) are good in moderate quantities. Vegetables are high in phytonutrients which prevent and repair damage to cells. Nuts are a good source of protein, and walnuts particularly good for heart health…buy raw nuts and seeds and be sure and soak them overnight to activate the enzymes in them. Have a varied diet in small portions throughout the day to meet your needs and feed and protect your heart. Some foods particularly good for heart health: walnuts and almonds (soaked), spinach, flaxseed (a whole protein), fatty fish (such as wild salmon), carrots, broccoli, asparagus, all leafy greens, sweet potatoes, blueberries, brown rice, chocolate made from cacao (sweetened naturally).

Avoid processed sugars, alcohol, table salt, processed foods and simple carbohydrates – they are not nutritious foods and will actually deplete the body of precious nutrients and minerals, causing acidity and stress to the body, including the heart. Stimulants should also be avoided. Some other foods which can be detrimental to health and are best avoided; tomatoes, potatoes, all mushrooms, soy products, orange juice (see the chart of Acid/Alkaline foods).

Exercise

We have become very sedentary and often lazy as a society and some people view excercise as trudgery or something they’ve got to talk themselves into. That might be attributed to the fact that most diets don’t contain what we need to provide energy, then we use sugar and stimulants to try and fulfill the deficit, creating a vicious cycle and little motivation for exercise. Not to mention most people are working at jobs which are stressful and tiring and just want to rest when the work day has ended. If you’re in this place, you can start to shift your diet to one that is giving you energy, alkalizing your body and take smalls steps to integrate exercise into your day. You don’t have to join a gym to get exercise! Take the stairs whenever you can, park farther away from your destination and walk, take 10 minute breaks throughout the day and walk around the block. Or just take a moment from time to time to get up from your desk and do some stretches. Take a walk in your neighborhood when you get home, even if you think you’re too tired, you’ll find you have more energy. Begin with small increments and build up to an hour, or more per day. Look for natural places in your area to walk on the grass, take a hike in nature, walk in the moonlight and breathe the fresh air!! If it’s raining, put on a raincoat and take an umbrella! If it’s the cold of winter, find an indoor mall with stairs you can walk. Put on some uplifting music and dance when you get up in the morning instead of a cup of coffee! Get a rebounder (mini-trampoline) and bounce or jump on it – just ten minutes a day will move your lymphatic system (see our article on Lymphatic Health), get your heart moving and make you feel great – this is an amazing little exercise device and has immense benefits.

Exercise stimulates the production of endorphins and is necessary for heart and brain health. Exercise is a wonderful way to combat and even alleviate depression.

Stress/Emotion

We all hopefully know how much our mental state and attitude affects our heart and our overall health. Some would even argue that attitude is more of a determining factor in our health than diet or exercise – though, it’s difficult to maintain a negative attitude when one is taking natural care of their body through diet and exercise. Still, we all know of the person who is considered a perfect picture of health, who shockingly collapses from a heart attack as they’re going about their life. Upon closer examination, the underlying factor usually turns out to be tional/psychological, or even the stress of overexertion, as in the case of some athletes or runners.

In a study done at The University College London, they found evidence that stress can elevate blood pressure over an extended period, and trigger the release of high levels of clot-forming platelets. In their study, they identified that 99% of the men who had suffered a heart attack on an average of 15 months earlier, had symptoms which were preceded by acute stress, anger and depression. With or without research, we all know the effects of a stressful situation or emotions not handled properly; the hearbeat rises, inner pressure can build, adrenalin pumps…we might feel explosive if the feelings aren’t processed in an appropriate way and this of course, profoundly affects the body, often leading to heart problems for some people.

So it reasons to follow that learning how to manage our emotions and stress is important to maintain homeostasis of our chemistry and heart health. Everyone responds to stressful situations and emotions in different ways, and even perceives them differently. Those who have learned not to react, will be much less likely to have the stress effect them. We can all help ourselves by recognising what stresses us and come up with coping strategies to help control how we respond to these situations. If we have a daily practice of some kind which switches the mind out of it’s usual rigor of repetitive thoughts and emotions, and can experience times of quiet or thought focused upon peace, emotional skill, etc., then we can begin to live in a way where we become the observer of everything that goes on around us, without becoming emotionally upset, stressed or agitated. Even the most intense experiences with potential to be extrememly stressful can be handled in a way which doesn’t affect one’s physiology.

Look into different modalities for finding emotional resolution and well-being, such as E.F.T (Emotional Freedom Technique), B.E.S.T. (Bio-Energetic Synchronization Technique), NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), (EMDR) Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Hypnotherapy, to name a few, to help you to begin to change the emotional programs which run in you and cause you to react in an undesirable (and usually predictable!) way to stressful factors and emotions in your life.

Other ways of dealing with stress and stressful emotion is to begin to be aware of how you react and simply resolve not to. Physical actitivity is a good way to release energy and tension – yoga, Tai Chi, and some martial arts combine breathwork, stretching and meditation. If that’s not for you, something more actively physical may help you to “let off steam”, such as tennis, a brisk walk, running, rebounding, racquetball, etc. Know your limits and don’t overexercise, as that can be equally stressful.

And, of course, don’t forget to have a lightheart, laugh and enjoy your life! If you find you tend to think negatively a great deal, begin to make a list daily of at least 5 things which you’re grateful for. Watch movies that make you laugh, listen to uplifting music and do and think things which make you happy. The more you learn to be in control of your emotions, and even focus on joy and happiness, the more you will experience it in your life. You’re in control of having a happy, healthy heart, or not!