By Natasha Turner, ND

Diet Recommendations

• Minimize your intake of bad fats while increasing your intake of healthy fats. Bad fats are those labeled saturated or hydrogenated, vegetable oil, corn oil, shortening, margarine and cottonseed oil, as well as those in red meat, dairy products and peanuts. Healthy fats are fish oil, olive oil, safflower oil, canola oil, hemp oil, flaxseed oil and borage oil. Small amounts of butter are recommended over margarine.
• Soy products are very beneficial for heart health as they have been found useful in reducing cholesterol levels.
• Garlic, ginger and onions are beneficial for circulation, as is cinnamon.
• Increase your intake of potassium while limiting sodium.
• Other foods that are useful for reducing cholesterol are oat bran, apple pectin (as in applesauce), millet, garlic, turmeric and fiber from whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
• We recommend completely avoiding (or limiting as much as possible) refined carbohydrates and sugars in white processed flours, pastries, muffins and other baked goods. Also limit candies, chocolate and soda pop.
• We recommend an increased intake of legumes as a source of vegetable protein, along with fish and chicken for animal protein. Decrease or, optimally, completely avoid red meats.
• A dietary balance of 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein and 30% healthy fat should be maintained to ensure production of good eicosanoids beneficial in the reduction of hardening of the arteries.

For a personalized Nutrition plan, complete the Truestar Nutrition Profile today!

Exercise Recommendations

• The American Heart Association has added lack of exercise to the list of major risk factors for heart disease. The other risk factors are smoking, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.
• Exercise not only helps fight heart disease – sedentary people who add a little exercise to their daily routines also reduce their risk of high blood pressure, osteoporosis, breast and colon cancer, depression, anxiety and stress. Ideally, you should exercise three to five times a week for 20 to 50 minutes within your target heart rate. However, health benefits can be had from simply accumulating 30 minutes of moderate activity per day, such as stair climbing, walking to work or gardening.
• Resistance training, or weight lifting, is an important component of a good fitness program because it increases your strength, decreases body fat and helps improve blood cholesterol levels.

For a personalized Exercise plan, complete the Truestar Exercise Profile today!