February is American Heart Month and yes, we see what they did there, picking up on Valentine’s Day. But healthy hearts call for more than romance and chocolate. (Though both can be good for mental health, for sure!)
Preventive care is even more important – especially if you or your family have a history of heart disease. Heart disease is still the nation’s number one killer and we can all benefit from efforts to stay heart healthy. The top suggestions from the team at Oregon Medical Group follow:
- Eat your green, leafy vegetables: Shoot for a cup (raw) or half a cup (cooked) a day. Spinach, lettuce, arugula are good choices. Fennel and beets deliver similar results.
- Cut the sodium: Consume no more than 2,300 mg per day. Less is even better.
- Limit how much red meat you consume: No more than three, 6-ounce portions
- Track your blood pressure and any routine lab test results. Understand ‘heart numbers’. Learn more about this below.
- See your doctor each year. Set an appointment! Even if your heart health is robust, seeing your doctor is important to establish what ‘normal’ is for you. This allows your medical team to see changes over time and to identify and address any unhealthy trends.
Original source can be found here.
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