Nutrition for Heart Health- Keeping it Practical

Nutrition for heart health simply comes down to incorporating some basic diet and lifestyle practices to your day, that anyone can do...
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You have a very loyal friend that you may be taking for granted. This friend works tirelessly for you, 24/7, never stopping to take a break, in order to make sure your body has everything it needs to be healthy and happy. This friend is your heart! The heart, our body’s powerhouse, tirelessly pumps blood, delivering essential nutrients and oxygen to every cell in the body. Understanding some basics of how to optimize your nutrition for heart health can go a long way in giving that loyal friend a boost of support, and living a long, healthy life.

Our hearts are amazing, muscular organs.  But they do have vulnerabilities. Cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease, heart attacks, and strokes, are among the leading causes of death globally. Several risk factors contribute to these conditions, including high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, obesity, diabetes, consuming alcohol, and smoking. While genetics do play a role in one’s predisposition to developing a heart related illness, lifestyle choices and behaviors, with nutrition being the most important, can make a significant difference in how your body will fare. According to leading medical experts, ninety percent of the nearly 18 million heart disease cases worldwide could be prevented by people adopting healthier eating, exercise, and other lifestyle habits.

Nutrition for Heart Health, an Introduction

Before I dive into nutrition for heart health, I want to make clear that adopting heart healthy eating habits does not have to mean turning your life upside down, or giving up your favorite foods. By simply augmenting your choices to include 1) fewer foods that harm your heart, and 2) more foods that support your heart, you can begin to make a meaningful difference in not only the health of your heart, but also your overall long-term health. A balanced diet rich in nutrient-dense foods can help manage risk factors, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation, and maintain a healthy weight and body composition. Conversely, diets high in saturated and trans fats, sodium, refined sugars, and processed foods can increase the likelihood of developing heart disease. So it really just comes down to doing what you can to design meals that take these factors into consideration.

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A Real Weight Loss & Health Transformation Story

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Messages that convey weight loss
& health transformation are ubiquitous! Everywhere you look,
marketing messages on billboards, television and radio commercials,
magazines, friends with “breakthrough products,” and social media
are trying to sell us on their “solution” or “formula”
for the perfect, healthy body.

I want to share my weight loss & health transformation
story with you, with all the twists and turns and stuff that I learned along
the way! You can scroll down to skip right to the story and pictures, or read
the entire article…

In my 5 years of coaching hundreds of clients in nutrition, most
of which have focused on some degree of weight loss or body recomposition, I
have learned one solid scientific truth to be certain: Mastering healthy
habits and achieving sustainable weight loss & health is not
something you can accomplish in a hurry.

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Nutrition Coach- Do You Need One? Here Are Some Clues

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Nutrition coach, holistic health
coach, lifestyle coach, nutritionist…the world of wellness and nutrition
information, and the variety of professional designations, can be daunting.
So how do you know if you need a nutrition coach? Here are five clues that
you may want to look at. But first, let me share a little about my health
coaching & nutrition coaching approach.

Today’s food supply looks much different than it did 100 years
ago. Modern farming, demand for convenience, economics, and other influential
factors have us eating a lot more calorically dense, yet nutritionally
insufficient, and many times toxic foods and beverages. Our conventional
health care providers are not always set up, in the best way, to provide
in-depth education and guidance to people on the importance of establishing a
healthy lifestyle. This leaves many at a loss for a practical,
nutrition-based solution to their basic health and wellness goals and
objectives. Many of these can be supported by a more consistent,
healthy-eating lifestyle. But many people need the extra education,
knowledge, creativity, and personal guidance to make that happen. Simply
turning to a diet or a fad doesn’t really get to the core of what makes the
body function and thrive. That is where nutrition coaching comes
in.

So how do you know
if you need a nutrition coach?

1. You Feel Run Down & Want More
Energy

Proper nutrition is the key to maintaining healthy metabolism and
consistent energy levels. When we feel hungry, it is our cells telling our
stomach that they need nutrition. The key is to fuel your
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Inflammatory Foods 101- What You Need to Know

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There is a lot of information on
the internet about inflammation,  inflammatory foods, and how to eat
that sometimes contradict each other. So, I thought I would put together some
basic information on what it even means to be an inflammatory food, what
foods are considered more inflammatory, and how you can protect yourself,
and-or heal, from their adverse affects.

First, let me explain what an inflammatory food actually is – it’s
when you consume a food and your body begins to attack that food and make
antibodies. The antibodies then create inflammation to help centralize the
area being affected by the foreign invaders and to help heal the area.
Inflammation is a natural outcome of an immune response in the body. However,
inflammation gone unchecked, such as in food sensitivities, can cause long
term symptoms and health problems like asthma, heart disease,
chronic headaches, digestive problems, pain and much
more. Read More

7 Superfoods for Summer Menus

superfoods for summer menus
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Entertaining and cooking
outdoors is one of my favorite ways to show my friends a good time. Many
people associate summer parties and barbecues with less healthful food
options. But you can infuse a lot of nutritional density into your celebration
by just knowing what’s at its best right now. Look for these
7 superfoods in season for summer and kick up the nutrition at all your
summer get togethers.

7 Superfoods In Season
for Summer

Blueberries: Blueberries are
available from May through October. So they are at their peak
now. Blueberries contain a type of flavonoid known as anthocyanins, which
are responsible for giving foods like blueberries, cranberries, red cabbage
and eggplants their iconic deep red, purple and blue hues. Anthocyanins are
responsible for more than just the blueberry’s pretty blue color – they also
contribute to the popular fruit’s numerous health benefits. This article from
Medical News
Today lists the many Read More

Edible Flowers You Can Find In Your Garden

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When we think about foods for
Spring, we often just think about the root, leaf, or stalk of the food. But
there’s a lot of nutritional and medicinal value being overlooked in many
varieties of edible flowers. Some flowers can be eaten, others can be mixed
in with the herb they are attached to, and then there are others that work
better as a tea or tonic.

This expands the argument for organic gardening. When you raise
your garden using GMO free, heritage, or heirloom seeds, and free from
chemical pesticides, you open up a whole new benefit from your typical flower
garden. Not only can you enjoy looking at your garden, but you can enjoy
eating and getting some nutrition form your flowers as well. Here is a list
of some edible flowers that you may not be aware are perfectly safe to eat,
along with some of their nutritional qualities.

Nutritious Edible
Flowers Sitting Right Under Your Nose

Nasturtium

Where I live in Southern California, nasturtiums grow wild and
sometimes occupy entire hillsides. Although foraging for wild edible flowers
can seem exciting, it’s best to only forage from private yards or remote
areas where you know for sure the flowers haven’t been contaminated by
pesticides, car Read More

5 Delicious, Bioavailable Uses for Turmeric

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Turmeric is one of the latest
whole food “wonder-ingredients” trending in the media. You have
probably read or heard about medicinal and therapeutic uses for turmeric. If
you do a little research you will find a plethora of articles and videos
touting turmeric’s health benefits. According to this blog
article written by Dr. Josh Axe, turmeric can provide many health
benefits, and based on research, might even outperform some common medical
procedures and medications.

You can do some easy research to decide if turmeric  is
something you would like to add to your personal wellness protocol.
If you do, you will need to figure out how to get it into your
daily, or at least weekly routine. The easiest way would be to find a high
quality turmeric supplement. But incorporating dried turmeric root and even
fresh turmeric root into your diet can be not only easy but a fun culinary
adventure. I put together 5 delicious and practical culinary uses for
turmeric that you can start incorporating into your healthy
lifestyle.

Before you start using turmeric in your kitchen, there is a
caveat. You want to make sure you take Read More

Why Dieting Sucks- Some Nutrition Coaching Insights

why dieting sucks
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Yes, dieting sucks for most
people. And that is a serious problem. Why? Because we all need a diet in
order to live, thrive, heal and reach our best health and wellness potential.
Wait, did I just say everyone needs to be on a diet? Well, in a sense, yes!
The Miriam
Webster definition of the word
diet is “1 : food and
drink regularly provided or consumed. 2 : habitual nourishment.” In
other words, dieting is simply our preferred manner of eating. But when we
typically think of “dieting,” we only think of a short term,
fragmented fix to try and change something we don’t like about our bodies. This
leads to an underwhelming experience or ultimate failure for most people who
try.

Dieting sucks
because you may be missing key points and going about it all
wrong.

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Does the Paleo Diet Work? An Objective Review

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Occasionally someone will ask
me, “Does the Paleo diet work?” And my answer is usually the same
answer I give to any question of this nature: It depends on the person and
the way the diet is implemented.  I have several clients whose current
approach to eating appears to come very close to what would be considered a
Paleo or Paleo-type diet. So, I decided to try the diet out for myself, for a
trial run, and share a review of my experience.

What Exactly Is the
Paleo diet?

I guess there are two answers to that question. There is the
concept of the diet, where you basically match your eating habits to that of
someone who would have lived in Paleolithic times. Then, there is the diet
itself from a nutrition science point of view.

Eat like a Paleolithic person? Like, chomp down on big wooly
mammoth legs wearing a leopard skin Read More

Vegan Protein Sources To Eat By

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Vegan diets are becoming more and more popular lately. People are learning, understanding, and choosing to
eat less animal based foods, both for the health of their bodies, and the
planet. But there are common questions and concerns that a vegan diet may not
provide enough complete protein. Those who work out regularly may be
concerned about getting enough vegan protein sources to keep up with the muscle building
and recovery that comes with rigorous exercise. And, many of us are just
stuck in the mindset that we must consume meat and dairy in order to get
enough protein. The fact is that animal products aren’t the only source of quality protein. Read More