Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing nearly 700,000 people in 2021. However, heart disease is somewhat preventable if you are proactive and develop heart-healthy habits to reduce your risk. Including your family in adopting these habits can reduce heart disease risk for all of you.
Why Heart-Healthy Habits Are Important for Children Too
While children have a much lower risk of developing heart disease, plaque can start to develop in the arteries during childhood. Certain heart disease risk factors, such as obesity, can also start in your child’s early years. Teaching your children heart healthy habits makes it much more likely that they will continue those habits throughout their lives. It will also help them to improve their health now, giving them a foundation for a healthy future.
Heart-Healthy Habits
Seven heart-healthy habits can reduce heart disease risk for your family.
1. Eat a Heart Healthy Diet
A heart-healthy diet focuses on foods that protect your heart, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Focus on eating foods from these categories.
- Fruits and Vegetables: Fruits and veggies are high in fiber, which reduces LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. They’re also rich in potassium, which can lower blood pressure, and antioxidants, which reduce inflammation and artery damage.
- Whole Grains: Whole grains contain soluble fiber that removes cholesterol from the bloodstream. They also digest more slowly, preventing blood sugar spikes that strain the heart.
- Fatty Fish: Fatty fish like salmon and mackerel are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which reduce triglycerides. They also reduce inflammation and plaque buildup.
- Plant-Based Proteins: Foods like beans and tofu are high in fiber and antioxidants.
- Nuts and Seeds: They provide unsaturated fats that raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol and contain magnesium, which supports healthy blood pressure. They also help to reduce inflammation.
- Healthy Fats: Healthy fats like olive oil and avocado improve cholesterol balance and support flexible, healthy blood vessels.
- Low-Fat Dairy: These are rich in calcium and potassium which are important for blood pressure control.
Additionally, you should reduce sodium and added sugars.
2. Get Moving
Exercise is one of the most powerful tools for heart health because it strengthens the heart muscle, improves blood flow, and reduces many of the risk factors that lead to heart disease, like high blood pressure and cholesterol. You can make exercise fun for the family by choosing activities such as hiking or bike riding. You can also do strength training exercises with the whole family and make it a competition to add to the fun.
3. Limit Alcohol
Limiting alcohol use is important for heart health because too much alcohol directly affects blood pressure, heart rhythm, and blood vessel function, increasing the risk of serious cardiovascular problems over time. While alcohol isn’t an issue for small children, you can set an example for them by limiting your own alcohol use. If you have teenagers, be sure to educate them on the effects of alcohol on the heart.
4. Don’t Smoke
Smoking is especially harmful to heart health because it damages blood vessels, raises blood pressure, and speeds up plaque buildup in the arteries, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Secondary smoke can also cause these effects for anyone in your household.
5. Manage Stress
Stress management is important for heart health because chronic stress keeps the body in a constant “fight-or-flight” state, which raises blood pressure, damages blood vessels, and increases the risk of heart disease over time. Reducing stress for the whole family is about creating a calm environment with predictable routines and helping each other through challenges.
6. Sleep Well
Sleep is essential for heart health because it gives your heart and blood vessels time to recover, reset, and regulate. When you don’t get enough quality sleep, your cardiovascular system stays under stress, even while you’re resting. Make sure that everyone in the family has consistent sleep and wake times, and limited screen time before bed.
7. Get Regular Checkups
Make sure that everyone in the family goes to the doctor on a regular basis. When you take children to their routine appointments, you can ask their pediatrician to do blood pressure checks so that they get accustomed to the process. Don’t ignore your own blood pressure and cholesterol levels either. Have an annual physical so that any problems will be detected early.
Tips for Getting Started
Following a few tips can help you to get your family started on a heart-healthy lifestyle.
- Start with small changes and add more over time.
- Lead by example.
- Make it a team effort by exercising and meal planning together.
- Offer occasional rewards for following the heart-healthy rules.
- Keep it fun!
In Closing
Everyone in your family should be aware of heart disease risks and take steps to live a more heart healthy lifestyle. At Health Service Alliance, we can help by providing resources for heart health, and regular checkups for your whole family. We are dedicated to providing compassionate, personalized, and accessible care regardless of your ability to pay. Reach out today to learn more.
