Healthy Heart

Get heart heathy - it’s a family affair

 

September is Irish Heart Month. The focus this of this year’s campaign is stroke prevention.  Every hour, someone in Ireland dies from a stroke. Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death worldwide.  It was always thought that heart disease affects older people- however we now know that it can actually start in early childhood as a result of poor diet and lack of physical activity.

 

Did you know?

·         About 80% of heart disease is preventable.  Eating healthy food is one of the best ways of making sure that your heart is working at its best.

Making changes to your diet and lifestyle can seem daunting. The good news is that by making a few small changes you can make heart healthy choices that don’t require too much thought or effort. The principles of a heart healthy diet are; choosing low fat dairy products, wholegrain breads and cereals, increasing fruit and vegetable intake, choosing lean protein, reducing fat and salt intake and processed foods.

 

Heart healthy tips for adults and children

·         Match the energy you take in with the amount of exercise and activity you do each day. If you are overweight, losing just 5% of your body weight can reduce your risk of heart disease.

·         Why not get off the bus a few stops early, walk the dog, take the stairs, cycle to work or walk the kids to school, walk to the shops. You should aim for 30-60 minutes of physical activity every day. Exercise is one of the best ways to keep the heart muscles strong. .

·         Make the switch to wholegrains- bread, cereals, rice, pasta, potatoes. These foods are high in energy and low in fat.

·         Cook at home – it’s easy to turn to quick meals like frozen pizza and chips. These foods are high in fat and salt. Try reducing your intake of fast food to once a month as a treat.

·         Hide the frying pan: Think low fat cooking methods like baking, grilling , boiling, steaming.

·         Cook without adding fats or oils. Use low-calorie cooking spray and a non-stick frying pan. If you need more liquid, try adding a splash of water.

·         Choose low fat or reduced fat spreads. Choose olive oil, rapeseed oil, peanut oil, sunflower, safflower, soya bean oil these contain mono and polyunsaturated fats (good fats). Remember all oils contain 100% fat and are high in calories so take care to watch the amount you use. Palm oil and coconut oil contain saturated fats –these are best avoided for heart health.

·         Plate proportions at dinner should be half vegetables (2 servings), one quarter meat, and one quarter rice, potatoes or pasta.

·         Choose low fat dairy for all the family (children > 2 years)- milk, yoghurt, reduced fat/ low fat yoghurt.  A healthy mid-morning snack is a low fat yoghurt with a piece of fruit.  Low fat varieties contain the same amount of calcium.

·         High five: Aim to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day for all the family. Some healthy snacks don’t even require preparation- bananas, grapes, apples, berries.

·         Think oily fish: Eating fish can help reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 50% . You need to eat oily fish twice a week. Ideas include baked salmon with baby potatoes, fish stir fry, tinned mackerel or salmon with sweetcorn and brown bread.

·         Change your salty ways: Try using other flavours in dishes like garlic, pepper, rosemary, thyme, coriander, parsley.