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February is American Heart Month, so what better time is there to help children understand the impact of their choices on their own hearts? Here’s a crossword puzzle that’s as entertaining as it is informative—for adults and children, alike! Download Heart Puzzle in PDF Format

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© Food and Health Communications

Did you know that as the temperatures fall your risk of heart attack can increase? If you have cardiovascular disease you’ve probably already been told that you should avoid shoveling heavy snow, but it’s not just shoveling—cold weather can introduce other risks.

Cold weather can cause blood vessels to constrict, reduce oxygen levels, and cause your heart rate and blood pressure to increase. If you already have narrowing of blood vessels even moderate amounts of exertion can further reduce blood flow to the heart and cause chest pain or even heart attack. A study from the American College of Cardiology suggests that, in patients with atrial fibrillation, the risk of stroke is also greater during cold weather months.

Cold weather can make you too hot!

Yes, bundling up against the cold and working outside in cold weather can quickly cause you to overheat. When this happens, blood vessels can dilate causing a drop in blood pressure and reducing the amount of blood that reaches the heart. Dress warmly but be sure to wear layers of clothing when spending time outdoors and take something off as you start to overheat.

Colds and Flu

Cold weather is also cold and flu season. As your body fights off illness, your heart rate can increase, putting additional demands on your heart. Colds and flu can also cause you to quickly become dehydrated, dropping blood pressure and reducing oxygen to the heart. Get your flu shot early and wash your hands often.

Alcohol and Cold Weather

A hot toddy on a cold day might make you feel warm and believe that you can shovel the whole driveway but, as alcohol dilates the small blood vessels close to your skin, it can actually cause you to lose body heat and lead to hypothermia. It can also cause you to underestimate your level of exertion. Avoid alcohol if you’re spending time outdoors during cold weather.

Do you have questions about heart health or cardiovascular disease? Please feel free to drop us a note or call us at 410-469-4000.

The American Heart Association (AHA) released nutrition recommendations for healthy eating based on research published in the journal Circulation. The AHA Blueprint for Healthy Eating summarizes the scientific evidence on the healthiest food choices into practical tips health professionals can share with their patients to prevent cardiovascular disease. While the Blueprint contains no new, earth-shattering information, it is a good summary of practical, realistic suggestions that can be incorporated to fit each person’s taste preferences, cultural food heritage, and budget. Choosing foods that provide essential vitamins and minerals; and are also low in calories, sodium, added sugar and saturated fat, helps achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, decrease risk of cardiovascular disease, and improve overall health.

The Blueprint recommends:

1. Build meals around vegetables, fruit and whole grains for a wide range of essential nutrients and fiber. Even with all of the health messages promoting these foods, more than 80% of Americans still don’t eat the recommended 2-3 cups of vegetables per day on a regular basis.
2. Include a variety of protein sources low in saturated fat such as poultry, fish, legumes, and nuts and use less red meat and processed meats such as deli lunch meats, smoked or cured meats, and sausage. Red meat and processed meats are linked to increased risk of heart disease and some types of cancer, and should be consumed far less often.
3. Choose nonfat and low-fat dairy products, or nonfat and low-fat dairy alternatives such as almond, rice, or soy-based milks that are fortified with calcium and vitamin D and contain no added sugar. While the type of saturated fat in milk, yogurt and cheese may be slightly less harmful than other types of saturated fat, it clearly does not provide heart-healthy benefits found in oils high in polyunsaturated fats like olive oil, canola oil, safflower oil, and sesame oil.
4. Avoid tropical oils including coconut and palm-kernel oils. The majority of scientific evidence supports replacing saturated fat found in coconut and palm-kernel oils, red meat, and processed foods with healthier polyunsaturated fat.
5. Limit sodium, which is found primarily in processed foods like cold-cuts and cured meat, pizza, soup, sandwiches, and restaurant foods.
6. Reduce sweets like candy, cookies, and cakes; and sweetened beverages such as lemonade, fruit drinks, and sweetened tea. A high sugar intake leads to increased risk of overweight and obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver and kidney disease. The Blueprint recommends no more than 100 calories or 6 teaspoons per day of added sugar for most women, and no more than 150 calories or 9 teaspoons of added sugar per day for most men. Since a 20-oz bottle of soda or sweetened beverage like lemonade or sweetened ice tea often contains 14 grams of sugar, choosing water or sugar-free beverages is a key strategy.
7. In addition to healthy food choices, incorporate 150 minutes of physical activity into your weekly routine. That works out to about 20-30 minutes most days of the week.

Use these 4 tips to enjoy delicious meals that meet the Blueprint recommendations:

1. Enjoy vegetables including broccoli, carrots, collards, green beans, green peas, kale, lima beans, sweet potatoes, spinach, squash, tomatoes, and peppers as part of meals and snacks. Choose fresh or frozen vegetables, and serve them raw or cooked. Try this: Add dark green leafies like spinach, kale or collards to eggs for breakfast, use raw celery or green pepper with hummus for a snack, and offer both a fresh salad and a cooked vegetable with dinner.
2. Include fruit such as apricots, bananas, dates, grapes, oranges, orange juice, grapefruit, grapefruit juice, mangoes, melons, papaya, peaches, pears, pineapples, raisins, raspberries, strawberries, and tangerines for snacks and meals. Choose fresh fruit, or fruit frozen or canned without added sugar. Try this:  Slice fresh fruit on your morning bowl of cereal, blend frozen fruit into plain yogurt for a smoothie, keep a bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen counter for easy snacking, and end meals with fruit instead of a sweet dessert.
3. Choose whole grains including whole-wheat bread and rolls, whole-wheat pasta, cereals such as grits or oatmeal; brown rice, and popcorn instead of highly processed foods made from white flour for more fiber and nutrients. Look for the word ‘whole’ in the first ingredient to be sure you’re purchasing 100% whole grain foods. Try this:  Enjoy a whole grain breakfast cereal like Shredded Wheat, Cheerios or unflavored oatmeal; make sandwiches with whole grain bread, and serve brown rice or other whole grains like quinoa or amaranth with dinner.
4. Limit added sugar by replacing foods with added sugar like cookies, cakes and candy with nutrient-dense, healthier foods including fresh fruit, unsalted nuts, or popcorn with a sprinkle of cheese, chili powder, or cinnamon for flavor. Try this:  Cook unflavored oatmeal with frozen fruit and top with cinnamon instead of using flavored oatmeal, snack on fresh fruit or dried fruit without added sugar, freeze gapes for a healthy pop of sweetness.

References:

American Heart Association. A Blueprint for Healthy Eating. https://sodiumbreakup.heart.org/a_blueprint_for_healthy_eating Published 10-31-16; Accessed 1-10-17.

Recommended Dietary Pattern to Achieve Adherence to the American Heart Association/AmericanCollege of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) Guidelines: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Van Horn, L et al. Circulation. 2016 Nov 29;134(22):e505-e529.

By Lynn Greiger, RDN, LD

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© Food and Health Communications

Woodholme encourages a healthy diet and proper nutrition as one aspect of maintaining heart health. The nutrition information and recipes are presented for informational purposes only and are not intended take the place of one-on-one advice from your doctor. Please follow your personal physician’s recommendations if any recipes, ingredients, or advice found here conflict with what your doctor has told you.

Heart disease prevention

You don’t need to become a super athlete or go on a very strict diet to protect your heart and lower your risk for heart disease. Every woman can take steps every day toward a more heart-healthy lifestyle. And the best part is that being more heart-healthy also lowers your risk for other diseases like cancer and diabetes.

Get moving

For the most health benefits, you need to get enough aerobic activity to get your heart pumping and do muscle-strengthening activities every week. (Always check with your doctor before starting any regular exercise you are not used to doing.)

You should get at least 30 minutes a day of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, like brisk walking, on most days of the week. The 30 minutes of heart-pumping activity don’t have to be all at one time. You can break it up into 10-minute activities throughout the day.

Do the following each week:

Aerobic activity:

• 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, such as a brisk walk, OR
• 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, such as running, OR
• A combination of moderate and vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity

Muscle-strengthening activity:

• Muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days

Learn more about how to be active for health.

Eat healthy foods

Making unhealthy food choices can lead to weight gain. But that is not the only risk. Unhealthy eating affects your arteries, blood pressure, glucose level, and many other parts of your heart health. Talk to your doctor or nurse about a heart-healthy eating plan that lowers your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Aim for a healthy weight

Reaching and staying at a healthy weight will lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. If you already have heart disease, a healthy weight will help you control your disease and prevent heart attack. A slow and steady weight loss is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Talk to your doctor about how much weight you need to lose and the best ways to do it. Learn more in our Fitness and Nutrition section.

Know your heart disease numbers

Ask your doctor to check your blood pressure, cholesterol (total, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides) and blood sugar levels. Under the Affordable Care Act, most insurance plans must cover these tests at no cost to you. These tests will give you important information about your heart health. Your doctor can tell you what your numbers mean and what you need to do to protect your heart.

Know the symptoms of heart attack and stroke

All women need to know the symptoms of heart attack and stroke and what to do. Make sure your friends and loved ones know how to recognize the symptoms too. If you think you are having a heart attack or stroke, call 911.

Knowing the symptoms and getting help quickly can help you survive a heart attack or stroke and make a full recovery.

Don’t smoke

If you smoke, get the help you need to quit. Start by visiting Women.Smokefree.gov for woman-specific information, tips, and tools.

Limit your alcohol use

If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For women, this means no more than one drink per day.

“One drink” is:

• A glass of wine (5 ounces)
• A can of beer (12 ounces)
• A shot of liquor (1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor)

If you don’t already drink, don’t start drinking for health reasons. Moderate drinking is also linked to breast cancer, violence, and injuries. No amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy.

Take care of yourself

Stress, anxiety, depression, and lack of sleep can raise your risk for heart disease. Take care of yourself with these steps:

• Get enough sleep. Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
• Don’t stress. Keep stress in check by taking time each day to relax and unwind.
• Treat mental health problems. Get help if you have trouble coping because of depression, anxiety, or another health problem.
• Make a well-woman visit. Make an appointment with your doctor for an annual well-woman visit.

Did we answer your question about heart disease prevention?

For more information about heart disease prevention, call the OWH Helpline at 1-800-994-9662 or check out the following resources from other organizations:

• Aspirin for Reducing Your Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke: Know the Facts — Information from the Food and Drug Administration
• ChooseMyPlate.gov — Nutrition information based on the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
• Five Medication-Free Strategies to Help Prevent Heart Disease — Information from the Mayo Clinic

This content is provided by the Office on Women’s Health.