It’s no secret to be thoughtful about the eating habits and food choices you make, to save yourself from heart disease. The battle against heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes – three of the world’s leading causes of death – may be won or lost on your grocery list.

Unhealthy eating habits standout as a major lifestyle factor that increases the risk of death associated with the chronic heart diseases, studies say.

More than two-thirds of heart disease-related deaths worldwide can be linked to food choices.

Healthy lifestyle choices reduce the risk of stroke by 80%.

Thinking food as medicine is particularly right at this time. The right eating habits can really improve your health and decreases your risk of developing heart diseases.

Foods you can avoid for a healthy heart

There are some culprits in poor diet habits that have been influencing bad heart health. Scroll to learn more:

Excessive sodium/salt intake – ranked among the top concerns

Too much of salt intake can lead to hypertension (high blood pressure) and can damage your arteries. Hypertension is one of the highest potential risk factors for a heart attack or stroke.

Eating too much added sugar

A sugar-laden diet may raise your risk of dying of heart disease even if you aren’t overweight. A high-sugar diet may also stimulate the liver to dump more harmful fats into the bloodstream. Both factors are known to boost heart disease risk.

Ultra-processed foods also break your heart

Eating ultra-processed foods — such as packaged snacks, sugary cereals and drinks, chicken nuggets, and instant soup — may leave people more prone to heart disease and an early death. [Source: www.bmj.com]

Ultra-processed foods aren’t just full of fat, sugar, salt, and calories. They’re also low in fiber, vitamins, and minerals that help prevent heart disease.

Choose your diet that helps to build a healthy heart

A healthy eating habit starts in the produce aisle with fruits and vegetables. Whether you have years of unhealthy eating under your belt or you simply want to fine-tune your diet, here are eight heart-healthy diet tips. Once you know which foods to eat more of and which foods to limit, you’ll be on your way toward a heart-healthy diet.

• Control your portion size
• Eat more fruits and vegetables
• Increase the amount of whole grains in your daily diet
• Limit saturated and trans fat
• Choose low fat protein sources

These are not just health tips for your heart these could be life-saving actions.

We all know that over whole body depends on the heart, but we might not know if it’s in trouble. Consider your heart as an engine of the body. If the engine slows down, has a short circuit or gets clogged, the engine fails.

Don’t wait for heart disease or a heart attack to strike you. A cardiologist highly recommends to pay attention to the signs that your engine needs a checkup or tune-up for any heart issues like a blood clot. We have gathered six symptoms of an unhealthy heart to watch out for.

#1 You are dog tired

We often assume being tired is a part of our busy life and daily routine, but the problem may be from your heart. When the heart muscle begins to fail, it is considered as a slow failure and being fatigue is the symptoms that we first observe.

Further, if you are getting enough sleep and still feel fatigue, it’s a red flag obviously.

#2 Climbing stairs leaves you huffing and puffing

If you have to catch your breath while climbing stairs, could it be that you are out of shape? Could be but again it could be your heart.

If you find you can no longer tolerate exercises that once you did it easily (like climbing stairs), that’s a clue that your heart needs a checkup. So leave out any assumptions and get it checked.

#3 You feel anxious several times

OK, there’s been a lot to be anxious in 2020, but this can often be a symptom of underlying heart problems.

Stress, anxiety and panic attacks can cause palpitations, and anxiety disorders are also associated with cardiovascular problems. So even if you think it’s regular anxiety, you should still get your heart checked.

#4 You feel dizziness upon standing

Feeling dizzy is a result of poor blood circulation into your brain and inner ear. If your heart can not pump enough blood where it needs to go, you may feel lightheaded or dizzy upon standing.

#5 You have pain/burning sensation in your chest area

Could it be a heartburn? Yes, but it might not be as well. Because when the heart pumping is clogged, it may present vague pain around chest, arm, neck and back. Please pay attention to this and consult cardiologist immediately.

#6 Even your resting heart is higher than normal

If you have 60 to 100 bpm (and ideally below 90 bpm), it’s an indication that your heart muscle is working well. Anything higher than that (or much higher than normal for you) deserves a mention at your next checkup.

Bottom line…

Let us make a commitment that on noticing any of above mentioned symptoms, we get our heart checked. Timely checkup is what your heart love you for.

Learning to thrive after a sudden cardiac arrest can be challenging. Most survivors face not only changes in their health and behavior.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is not a heart attack

Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when the electrical system to the heart malfunctions and suddenly becomes very irregular. The heart beats dangerously fast. The heart stops beating properly. Hence the name – arrest.

The term “heart attack” is often mistakenly used to describe cardiac arrest. While a heart attack may cause cardiac arrest, the two terms don’t mean the same thing.

Did you suffer a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA)? Did your heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating for seconds?

You survived a sudden cardiac arrest. Someone saved your life, someone helped you with hands only CPR immediately or used a defibrillator to shock your heart back to a normal rhythm, after you collapsed.

Now learning to thrive after a sudden cardiac arrest can be a challenging journey. Remember you are not alone in this who had SCA. Most of the survivors faces changes in their health along with some other ways of thinking about life after SCA. For example:

Depression – many patients feel frightened and depressed after their cardiac arrest incident.
Phobia – gets the biggest fear that it might happen again. In reality it could happen. If you got one, you are at risk of getting another one.
Physical limitations – some patients may feel movement disorder due to pain even after weeks following SCA.

Don’t wait for the second cardiac arrest

Despite all these challenges mentioned, SCA survivors often return to their normal life. Of course, first few weeks are most critical as you are filled up with the thoughts like when you will get back to the work, when you can start exercising and what is safe and not safe to do, etc.

There are no rules to answer all these questions because time taken to recover from SCA depends on many factors of the survivor. But yes, the experience which was a little near-to-death, will make you realize now is the time to play an important role in your health.

Medications

Survivors are sent back home with some prescriptions that includes medications to prevent blood clots, protecting your heart from stress and can prevent future cardiac arrest. Some medications are to reduce the damage received by the heart. So it is important that you take these medications exactly as prescribed.

Regular Follow-ups

Discuss any signs that feel suspicious with your doctor or cardiologist regularly. Don’t just wait or do it by yourself.

Exercise and Fitness

You should start exercising that is safe for your health conditions. The intensity and duration depend on severity of your heart disease. Better you consult your cardiologist for better explanations.

SEE ALSO: In Japan, it’s a must to Exercise while at Work

Joining a survivor support group

Finding other people who’ve been through a similar experience will help you adjust, both emotionally and physically, to your new life as a survivor.

Reduce the risk factors

Quit smoking, treating high blood pressure & high cholesterol, eat right and healthy to manage your weight and cutting down the alcohol intake. These are the most known risk factors for a sudden cardiac arrest.

Apart from these you will have to manage your stress as well. Do not underestimate the stress, it can kill. The excess of stress hormones such as adrenaline into the bloodstream can increase blood pressure and encourage clotting in the arteries. This in turn cause blood clot and cardiac arrest.

Life gave you the best gift ever – a gift called “tomorrow”. Use it wisely. Now you are not a sudden cardiac arrest victim, you are a survivor. Take care of your heart and say #IAmHeartHealthy.

Heart disease doesn’t happen just to older adults. It is happening to younger adults more and more often. The reality is that heart problems can begin at any age.

“A study found that the rate of heart attacks in younger people (aged 35-64 years) increased from 27% to 32%.”

Heart disease—and the conditions that lead to it—can happen at any age. High rates of obesity and high blood pressure among younger people are putting them at risk for heart disease earlier in life.

Since we know irrespective of age, heart disease can occur to anybody, it is important to talk to your cardiologist or doctorsabout your heart health. There are several routine checkups your primary care physician can take to make sure your heart is healthy, such as:

• Heart rate
• Blood pressure
• Listening to your heart and lungs

In addition to above checkups, your doctor can order several other tests including blood sugar, cholesterol and sodium, to determine whether you might be at the risk of heart diseases. These are the basic diagnostic tests.

Talk to your cardiologist about symptoms

It’s always better to talk to your cardiologist for any symptoms that you might thought of related to your heart. There are some common symptoms, more commonly seen in men, and that includes:

• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Sensation of pressure or squeezing around the heart

In women the signs and symptoms can be quite different. In addition to above mentioned symptoms, women may also experience:

• Pressure in the upper back
• Pressure in the upper abdomen
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Vomiting

In children and teenagers, chest pain rarely involve as symptoms. Below could be symptoms in them:

• Shortness of breath when keeping up with peers
• Inability to physically keep up with peers
• Dizziness with physical activity
• Heart palpitations
• Fainting
• Turning blue around the gums

You could be at risk

Many of the conditions and behaviors that put people at risk for heart disease are appearing at younger ages:

Smoking

Smoking damages the blood vessels and can cause heart disease.

Obesity

Carrying extra weight puts stress on the heart.

Diabetes

Diabetes causes sugar to build up in the blood. This can damage blood vessels and nerves that help control the heart muscle.

Physical inactivity

Staying physically active helps keep the heart and blood vessels healthy.

Unhealthy eating patterns

Diet high in trans-fat, saturated fat, and added sugar increases the risk factor for heart disease.

Take Control of Your Heart Health

You’re in the driver’s seat when it comes to your heart. Here are some tips to keep your heart healthy and reduce your risk factors for heart disease:

• Make heart-healthy eating changes. This includes lot of fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. Limit your consumption of sugar, salt, and fats, especially saturated fat.
• Stay active. Exercise regularly –a 30-minute walk during the day can keep your heart muscle healthy.
• Don’t smoke
• Avoid alcohol
• Avoid drug use, including marijuana

It is never too early to start paying attention to heart health. Take care of your heart and always say #IAmHeartHealthy.

We all know the current time is defined as Unlock 1.0 with many of the work and marketing getting ease of operating. Slowly people are getting back to the normal work life in spite of increasing cases around. But we all know that we need to go to work with great precautions.

We all know that these days we all are following healthy lifestyle when it comes to our diet and other activities. But still people with heart disease needs to take extra care. In this blog we will discuss a few factors that any heart condition patients should strictly consider with this new phase of lockdown or Unlock 1.0. We will be using below terms in our blog:

Self-isolation: the most effective way of spreading the infection
Shielding Yourself: is similar to self-isolation but for a longer period, especially for those who have heart conditions and other critical health conditions.

SHIELDING

We term this word to protect those who are at greater risk of COVID-19 infection due to critical health conditions. Here’re certain FAQs.

SEE ALSO: CVD and COVID-19: Take Care of Your Heart

STAYING AT HOME

Now with the new rules, people are visiting family and friends, but must remember to stay at least two metres away from them, wash your hands regularly, and avoid touching shared surfaces.

But those with any recent heart surgeries of heart related conditions still should avoid going out unless necessary.

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is just like other underlying health conditions that poses the risk of getting infected by the new coronavirus COVID-19. People of all ages can be infected by COVID-19, especially over the age of 60 and those we have underlying medical conditions:

• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Chronic Respiratory Disease
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Cancer

CVD Patients – Take Care of Your Heart

Being a CVD patient if you experience any of these symptom, call your doctor or hospital immediately:

• shortness of breath
• fever
• coughing

Being in self-quarantine can lead people to adopt unhealthy eating habits. It is extremely important to avoid any stress and exhaustion during this unprecedented lockdown. Make sure you follow a daily schedule and maintain a healthy lifestyle, though being at home. Here are few tips that can help you living a heart healthy life during this situation.

• Continue doing exercise, eating a balanced diet, staying hydrated and getting adequate sleep.
• Maintain your social network remotely – communicate with your friends and family on a regular basis.
• Limit the news and information you consume if that is making you more stressed. More importantly trust only reliable sources like WHO.
• Avoid consuming alcohol or smoking during this situation as this makes you more vulnerable to get infected.

WHO recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, or a combination of both. These recommendations can still be achieved even at home:

• Take short active breaks during the day.
• Follow an online exercise class.
• Walk, stand up and relax!

The bottom line…

Typically considered a threat to the lungs, COVID-19 also presents a significant threat to heart health, according to recently published research. Experts say it’s important for those with cardiovascular disease to be isolated from people with COVID-19 symptoms.

Warm weather is finally here! And if you’re spending time outside, sunburn shouldn’t be your only concern: it’s important to think about heart health during the heat and humidity, too.

Your body rids itself of excess heat in two ways: by radiating warmth and by sweating. Both tactics demand extra energy from your heart!

HEART DISEASE IN THE SUMMER

For people who already have a weakened heart or have been diagnosed or treated for heart disease, that extra pumping of your heart can cause stress on the cardiovascular system. Heat exhaustion occurs when a person’s body fails to cool itself, causing symptoms like fatigue, nausea, headache, dizziness, muscle twitching, etc. If those symptoms progress, they can lead to heat stroke.

Another factor that happens during heat exhaustion is, blood pressure drops, which can be dangerous because it can cause people to become unsteady and even to fall or faint.

Don’t let the heat slow you down!

Here are some tips for how to safely stay active in the warm summer months:

STAY HYDRATED

Drink plenty of water throughout the day and before, during, and after any physical activities. Avoid consumption of caffeine products and alcohol as they can both increase dehydration. For some reasons, if you have been instructed to restrict your fluid intake, speak to your doctor.

SHAKE UP YOUR WORKOUT

Just because is summer, doesn’t mean you should not exercise. Change your workout timings like early morning or evenings, when the temperature is lower. You can also try cooler activities like swimming.

STAY INDOOR DURING PEAK SUN HOURS

Plan you daily routine, whether office work or personal work, so that you won’t have to sneak out when the sun is at the highest level of temperature. Spending too much time in extreme heat may lead to heat illnesses such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

DRESS FOR THE HEAT

Dress in light-colored, lightweight fabrics that ventilate easily and help to keep you cool.   Breathable fabrics like cotton allow heat to escape.

EAT YOUR WATER WITHOUT FAIL

Fruits and vegetables are cold, light, easy to digest, and packed with water!  Don’t overload your stomach with a heavy meal. Instead, eat small, plant-based meals. They provide you with some extra hydration.

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THESE DANGEROUS SYMPTOMS

If any of these symptoms present themselves, it is important to get out of the heat:

• Nausea or vomiting
• Dizziness
• Muscle twitches/cramps
• Fatigue
• Disorientation/confusion
• Cold, clammy skin
• Hot, dry skin
• Fainting

WRAPPING UP – TAKE IT EASY

Your heart has to work harder to dissipate the heat. Healthier people are better at adapting, but people with heart disease should go a little slower during the hot months with all your activities. Always be sure to ask your cardiologist about any concerns with your medications and how to cope with hot weather.

#IAmHeartHealthy – Prepare and protect yourself from the heat so you can stay heart healthy all summer long!

If you have a fitness tracker or a health band, it will tell you to take 10,000 steps daily. But, is this target enough for a healthy heart?

Fitness instructors, cleaners, household workers or dog walkers may manage these 10K steps very easily. But what about many of us that has idle desk job or someone with chronic health conditions.

So how often we can manage a week-long stretch above 10,000 steps a day.
Answer: rarely.

Why 10,000 steps?

The magic number “10,000” dates back to a marketing campaign conducted shortly before the start of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. A company began selling a pedometer called the Manpo-kei: “man” meaning 10,000, “po” meaning steps and “kei” meaning meter. It was hugely successful and the number seems to have stuck.

Since then, studies have compared the health benefits of 5,000 versus 10,000 steps and, not surprisingly, the higher number is better. Over the years some high-profile health organisations, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), promoted the 10,000 steps as a target for healthy adults.

What has research found?

Research has shown that walking less than 5000 steps a day increases your risk of heart diseases and other chronic health conditions significantly. Person walking less than 5000 steps a day is considered to have a sedentary life.

And many studies on a large scale have concluded that 10,000 steps a day is a reasonable target for a healthy adult, with 7000-8000 per day as minimum. So are more steps better?

Not necessarily. It also found even moderate increases in steps had benefit for your cardiovascular health. This suggests that for some people, starting with a lower step goal may be better.

The Heart Foundation recommends minimum of 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, i.e. two and half hours. So that means 30 minutes a day. For a start, both 30 minutes a day or 10,000 steps a day, have proven benefits to your heart health like lowering your risk of coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

If you can’t manage 30 minutes all in one go, try three 10-minute exercise “snacks”.

Will 10,000 steps a day help me lose weight?
Well, that depends on what you eat and your metabolism. That said, currently do a less than 10,000 steps a day and gradually increase the count to help you shift your extra kilos.

Why should I be active?

Your heart is a muscle and needs exercise to help keep it fit so that it can pump blood efficiently around your body. Without regular physical activity, the body slowly loses its strength, stamina and ability to function well.

• Preventing heart disease
• Lowering your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke
• Helping to fight the battle to quit smoking
• Aiding cardiac rehabilitation
• Establishing good heart healthy habits in children
• Building stronger immunity
• Reducing blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure
• Helping to reduce stress, tension, depression and anxiety
• Helping to control weight
• Improving overall health and well being, prolonging your optimal health

Wrapping Up…

What can we conclude from all of this? Count if you find it motivates you, but remember there’s nothing special about 10,000 steps. Set the goal that is right for you. It might be more, it might be less – or it might be throwing out your tracker entirely.

Is heart disease or stroke in your family? If so, your risk may be higher.

Cardiovascular disease is the #1 cause of death worldwide. So most of us may have a family history of, and some genetic risk for, heart disease.

Did your father have a stroke?
Did your mother have a heart attack?
Did any of your grandparents have any heart disease?

Yes, these are the random questions your cardiologist may ask, and they are very important when it comes to understanding your risk factors for heart diseases. Because knowing your family history can help you avoid heart disease.

Just because your family has a history of heart diseases, doesn’t mean you will certainly have the same disease. It just means you are more likely to have them.

Diseases are not imminent and your health can be managed by making healthy lifestyle choices. Healthy habits can cut your risk of heart disease in half, even if your genes are stacked against you, according to new research.

“People with the highest genetic risk scores had nearly twice the risk of having a heart attack or a related problem as those with low scores. But people who had three or four of the healthy lifestyle habits cut their risk in half, compared with people who had none or just one of the habits, the researchers found.” [Source: Harvard Health Publishing]

Healthy Diet – including more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish, limited intake of sodium, added sugars and saturated fats.

Regular Exercise – at least once per week. Even a long brisk walking will do the job.

No Smoking – avoid any type of smoking habits, not even the electronic cigarettes. [Know what happens when you quit smoking.]

No Obesity – as defined by body mass index (BMI)

Control your numbers – both high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels increase the risk of a heart attack. You can keep them in check with lifestyle changes and, in some cases, medication.

We know that both genetic factors/family history and lifestyle choices contribute to the development of heart disease. Further your risk of heart disease can be lowered through a healthy lifestyle changes that only you have the power to change.

Skip blaming your mom or dad (they didn’t ask for this family history, either) and take action instead.
Choose a healthy lifestyle and say #IAmHeartHealthy.

“Heart Attack” – the words seem so alarming but thanks to the medical advancements through which people survive the first cardiac incident and can go on to live a full and productive life.

If you are admitted to hospital for having a heart attack and you survived, there might be a plenty of questions and doubts in your mind or your loved one’s mind, such as what triggered the incident and what could be the next move now.

For the first few weeks, it may be helpful to have someone close by to support and help you. Typically, you’ll be in the hospital for 2 days to a week after a heart attack. But if you have had certain complications, or other procedures like bypass surgery, you’ll probably need to stay longer.

The first thing you may notice is that your medication routine might change with adjusting your daily dosage or medications. And you’ll be probably put on new meds, too.

See Related Post: Breakfast – The most important meal of the day for your heart, says The American Heart Association

It’s important to talk to your cardiologist about your medications and have a conversation about your further lifestyle and care. We have gathered some questions and created an infographic, that might help you have a conversation with your cardiologist.

A guide to conversation with your cardiologist after a heart attack…