Life’s Simple 7: Tips for Better Heart Health Nutrition

Just because you may have a strong genetic risk for heart disease, there’s no reason to admit defeat. A recent American Heart Association Journal study on circulation suggests that following seven healthy lifestyle habits can add as many as 20 years of life – two whole decades – free from heart disease. The habits are called “Life’s Simple 7” and while they’re not simple, they work. If you put your focus on these steps, it can pay off.

Let’s take a look at the ideas.

Manage Your Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is read as systolic blood pressure over diastolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats. Diastolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest between beats. Normal is considered 120 over 80.

Managing blood pressure may require medication, but can also be improved by implementing many of the simple seven habits.

Control Your Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that our bodies produce and is also found in the animal products we eat. Different types of cholesterol that have different jobs in the body, and some are more harmful (LDL) while others are more helpful (HDL). Managing cholesterol may require medication, but you can improve your scores when you fold many of the Simple 7 habits into your lifestyle.

Reduce Your Blood Sugar

Carbohydrates in the foods we eat turn into glucose in the stomach, enter our bloodstream and fuel our bodies. Yet when we have too much glucose or not enough insulin, our blood sugar spends too much time outside the “normal” range. Consistently high blood sugar can damage the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves.

Managing blood sugar may require medication, but some of the Simple 7 habit help cut it down to "more normal".

Get Yourself More Active

A great place to start is simply moving more. A five-minute walk around the block at lunch. A five to 10-minute tai chi video in the morning or before bed. The long-term goal would be 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity every week; however, every small step toward this goal helps.

Feed Yourself Better Meals

Healthy eating can look different to each of us. Try making small swaps within each food group, with a focus on more natural foods — or fewer foods that are processed. Instead of pre-fried frozen chicken strips, try adding your own bread crumbs to a chicken breast and baking it. Do you often sip on juice at breakfast? Try munching on fresh or freeze-dried fruit instead. If you find you're only getting your vegetables when they're tossed in cheese sauce, try marinating and roasting them instead, for full flavors and less fat.

Get Yourself Off Tobacco

Nicotine is among the world's most addictive drugs. Removing it from your life is not a simple task. Yet it's worth the hard work. Within a year of quitting, you will have cut your risk of heart disease IN HALF.

It's not all or nothing: you might have to take a few tries to quit smoking, snuff or other tobacco use. But keep trying, because the evidence is in.

Several studies show that individuals with high genetic risk for heart disease will have problems 20 years sooner than if they maintain a  lifestyle with poor choices. People with the same genetic risk living ideal lifestyles are proving the facts: if you address even one or two of your habits, you can steer clear of the hospital for many extra years.