If home is where the heart is, shouldn’t every home be heart healthy? Starting with your home, here are four things that you and your family can do to help prevent heart disease.

Ban smoking from your home

Tobacco causes one-fifth of cardio-vascular diseases (CVD) worldwide. The risk of coronary heart disease is cut by half one year after quitting. Fifteen years after quitting, the risk is nearly the same as for someone who never smoked.

Take these steps:

    • Stop smoking tobacco in the home to improve your own and your family’s heart health.
    • Implement a new rule in your home: for every cigarette someone smokes, an extra household chore is waiting!

Stock your home with healthy food options

Previously it was thought that a diet high in fat caused heart disease but health professionals now believe that fats and proteins such as avocadoes, eggs, fatty fish (omega 3), olive oil and nuts together with a low-carbohydrate diet are essential for physical and emotional health. Fats also aid the absorption of vitamins such as vitamins A, E, D and K.

Take these steps:

    • Eat fish high in omega-3, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring and trout.
    • A handful of healthy nuts such as almonds or walnuts will satisfy your hunger and help your heart.
    • Eat berries that are chock full of heart-healthy phytonutrients and soluble fibre.

Be active

Just 30 minutes of activity on most – if not all – days of the week can help to prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Follow these steps:

    • Families should limit the amount of time spent in front of the TV to less than two hours per day.
    • Organise outdoor activities for the family, such as cycling or hiking trips, or simply playing in the garden.
    • When possible, instead of using the car, take your bicycle or walk from home to your destination.

Know your numbers

Follow these steps:

    • Visit a healthcare professional who can measure your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, together with waist-to-hip ratio and body mass index (BMI).
    • Once you know your overall CVD risk, you can develop a specific plan of action to improve your heart health. Make this action plan clearly visible in your home as a reminder!

 

Sources

World Heart Federation, http://www.worldheartfederation.org

Home

http://authoritynutrition.com/23-studies-on-low-carb-and-low-fat-diets

 

Revised by M Collins