A cardiologist with Florida Heart Group offers heart-to-heart advice to lower the risk for coronary heart disease

When you think about it, the family unit is a powerful tool when it comes to its members looking out for each other. Wouldn’t it make sense to harness this energy and work together to create a heart healthy unit? The bad news is that there are major risk factors that can’t be changed, such as increasing age, gender, and heredity. The good news is that to reduce the chances for heart disease, we can modify, treat or change certain risk factors including smoking, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and physical activity.

Since nearly everyone in the family might have some degree of risk, alarm bells should be ringing in every home in America and families should be developing strategies to tackle those risk factors that can be adjusted to reduce the risk of heart disease. Florida Hospital Medical Director for Woman and Cardiovascular Disease, Patricia A. Guerrero, M.D., offers a number of tips to create a heart healthy family unit that is armed and ready to do battle with cardiovascular disease. Please note that it is important to know your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar, so check with your physician before making changes in your lifestyle.

“Your diet should be balanced and include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, beans, and whole grains,” says Dr. Guerrero. “Avoid foods like biscuits, cakes, pastries, and dairy products that are high in saturated fats and sugar.”

Family Meals:

• Prepare foods as “ready to eat” meals or snacks when you come home from grocery shopping. Cut up vegetables and fruits and store them in containers, so they’ll be ready for the next meal or an easy snack. Always prepare a shopping list and never shop on an empty stomach.  Read labels and avoid products that have sugar listed in the first five ingredients.
• Trim off any fat you can see before cooking meat and poultry. Drain off all fat after browning. Chill soups and stews after cooking so you can remove the hardened fat from the top. Eat no more than 4 ounces per day of cooked lean meat, fish, or skinless poultry.
• Learn about portion control. Some of the biggest misconceptions when dieting occur with the quantity of food piled on the plate. Invest in a kitchen scale.
• Challenge your entire family to cook together, with each one preparing a heart healthy dish. Dad can grill the fish while mom prepares a healthy salad. Kids can smear the peanut butter on celery stalks, and teens can slice the strawberries and apples for dessert. In this fashion you all learn about healthy eating while also enjoying the final product.
• Keep a journal of your daily intake. Count every lick, piece, scoop, and ounce. Each night reflect on what and how much you ate. Determine if you really needed to eat everything on your list.
• Don’t skip meals. Eat at least three meals a day—or eat several smaller meals throughout the day.  Grazing avoids hunger and decreases the total number of calories in a day.

Social Meals:

• Never attend a party or event on an empty stomach.  Try to have some fruit or vegetables before leaving the house.
• Have fun as a family! Instead of just dining together, why not enjoy each other’s company by dancing, hiking, canoeing, or walking together. Eating is not the only way to enjoy being with your loved ones.

Get Off the Couch

• Become more physically active. Aim for 30 minutes of moderately intensive activity on most, preferably all, days of the week. Schedule active time in advance on your weekly calendar and check it each time you fulfill your goal. The object is to expend some energy and use up calories, but make sure your activity is enjoyable.
• Be creative with your exercise.  Exercise while watching your favorite TV show. Dance in your living room to your favorite music. Little ones love to see Mommy or Daddy gyrating with wild abandon around the kitchen!
• If you have a dog, think of the dog as an exercise machine with fur. A brisk walk with the dog is good for both your hearts. Exercise together as a family and make it quality time.

Heart Health Tidbits

• Floss your teeth regularly. Avoiding periodontal disease prevents inflammation in the arteries, which helps prevent heart disease.  Visit your dentist regularly.
• Remember to drink water.  Your goal should be 6-8 glasses a day. Limit beverages that contain sugar since these add up to extra pounds.

“Avoid fad diets,” advises Dr. Guerrero. “Adopt a new style of eating and a physical activity that you really enjoy. Take it one change at a time, and in no time, your family will be doing all it can to avoid heart disease and live a heart healthy life.”

The American Heart Association reports that:

• Approximately every 34 seconds an American suffers a heart attack.
• Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is the major killer of both men and women in America.

One in three American children is either overweight or obese, one of the primary risk factors for CHD.