How to Prevent Heart Disease

Heart Disease & Nutrition Heart disease is a disorder that affects a great amount of people every year. It is the leading cause of death among people in the United States with cancer being the only other health malady that is even close in terms of sheer numbers. Whether it be strokes or heart attacks, the eventual result of heart disease always seems to be deprivation of oxygen to the brain and/or the heart giving out due to damage incurred over the years.

One of the more frustrating part of heart disease is that some people are genetically prone to it. Others encounter problems with their heart and cardiovascular system because of bad nutrition and other shoddy lifestyle habits. Regardless of what leads to it possibly or actually developing, a proper and balanced diet can go a long way towards preventing or even reversing some of the damage done. Nutrition can also be a way to prevent the damage from happening in the first place.

Problem Statement As noted in the introduction, there is a confluence of two major issues when it comes to heart disease. Some people develop heart disease and other cardiovascular issues due to inherited traits and tendencies. Others end up getting it because of poor eating and activity levels over the years. Most people with heart disease issues tend to start showing symptoms and signs in their 40's and beyond but others encounter issues earlier. Even 20-somethings can get heart attacks.

As with many other disorders and diseases, proper nutrition is a huge part of preventing or at least slowing down the ravages that heart disease renders. Whether it be diabetes, cancer, heart disease or others, lifestyle has a huge effect on mortality and quality of life. The problem that exists is that a lot of people either do not care to eat properly or they do not know how.

Other factors that influence the problem is what (or is not) taught in certain schools, patterns that can be found in families/societies/cultures and poverty leading to problems affording quality food. Analysis As noted in the introduction, heart disease is the leading killer when it comes to untimely causes of death. Of the top ten causes of death, only two (accidents and suicide) are causes that cannot be caused directly (or at least in part) by nutrition and other lifestyle habits.

In total, about 611,000 deaths every year are attributed to heart disease. Cancer claims a little bit less at about 584,000. No other cause of death in the top ten claims more than 150,000 in a year (CDC). As explained on the in a recent NIH journal offering, diet has a huge effect on health complications that may or may not develop later in life. As one would expect, the very first one they cite is heart disease, heart attacks and stroke.

They also point to conditions that lead to heart disease including high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and obesity in general. There are even other issues caused by poor diet including type II diabetes, osteoporosis and certain forms of cancer. However, heart disease will be the focus of this report from this point forward (Vorvick). As far as the nutrition habits and foods that are best at helping keep or make one health, journal article author Linda Vorvick has some very specific suggestions.

The first one mentioned is fruits and vegetables. These are important because they are good sources of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Further, a good many of them are low in fat, calories, sodium (salt) and cholesterol. Generally speaking, people should eat at least five serving of fruits and vegetables a day (Vorvick). The next piece to a good diet that helps avoid heart disease is grains. Good ways to get one's proper grain intake would include eating low-fat breads, cereals, crackers, rice, pasta and starchy vegetables.

Examples of the latter would include peas, potatoes, corn, winter squash and lima beans. However, there is such a thing as too many grains as eating too many of them and/or eating too many refined grains (e.g. pasta, baked goods, etc.) can lead to weight gain. Also wise to avoid from a heart disease standpoint would be butter rolls, cheese crackers, croissants and cream sauces used in pastas (Vorvick).

Another key part of a nutrition plan that is meant to combat or avoid heart disease would include healthy protein. Common sources of protein would include meat, poultry, seafood, dried peas, lentils, nuts and eggs. Fish is also very rich in protein as well as omega 3 fatty acids and fish tends to be quite low in calories.

Generally speaking, all fat should be trimmed from the fish, fish should be eaten roughly two times a week and there should be an avoidance of eating too many eggs as those can be over-eaten as well and thus lead to potential health issues (Vorvick). Some final points by Vorvick that are important to note is that saturated fats should be kept to a minimum, too much sodium can cause issues, trans fats should never be eaten and keeping a healthy body weight is every important.

Further, the consumption of foods or beverages that are high in sugar are also wise to keep away from. Processed and certain other types of foods like baked goods can be consumed here and there but they should by no means be a pervasive or common part of one's diet if keeping heart disease away is the goal. Lastly, one's overall calorie count per day is important to watch. That count would be based on one's ideal body weight and level of activity in an average day (Vorvick).

When it comes to getting all of knowledge out to the public, this would require a healthy amount of education and teaching. There are many non-profit groups and government agencies that do precisely that every day. One example is the American Heart Association. Heart disease is a huge part of what they focus on and one of the main things they teach about to avoid the same is nutrition.

A quick glance at their website shows just some of the major things they focus on teaching about including how best to eat out, how to cook at home with one's heart health in mind, recipes that can be printed and used and information brochures about things like sodium intake and other things (AHA). The American Heart Association also helps leverage community education efforts in relation to heart disease.

Just a few of those examples include the Go Red For Women movement, the My Heart, My Life movement, online communities and links on how to volunteer and help others learn about heart health and how to eat right. There are also conferences, self-service.