Heart Health - Part 4
Finding Balance
I’ve been pouring over all of the recommendations for heart health and I must say, these are long lists!! No wonder why it’s so confusing!
But, I’ve found that most recommendations fall inside these three ideas:
1. Lower your blood sugar
2. Reduce inflammation (and optimize your omega 3-6 ratio)
3. Enjoy lots of antioxidants
I’m going to take you through each one of these items, in order of importance. Start at the top and work your way down, you don’t need to incorporate everything at once :).
At the end of this section, I’m going to add some supplements that can support the heart. But, without a doubt, the best thing you can do for your cardiovascular system, including lowering cholesterol and triglycerides, is to get your blood sugar under control. It’s absolutely #1.
In a nutshell - by lowering your blood sugar you automatically lower the inflammation in your body AND reduce the oxidative stress…which means your body needs fewer antioxidants to be healthy. This one thing ripples down and balances the other two items.
So…let’s get started!
Why are we talking about blood sugar so much inside a heart health masterclass?
I believe that the low-fat 1980s and 1990s left their biggest imprint on our blood sugar levels. By reducing the fat in our diet while happily enjoying loads of sugar and refined flour (remember, we were told this was a healthy way to eat!), many found that their blood sugar regulation system had broken down.
Insulin Resistance (early blood sugar imbalances) is so common that it’s believed that 50 – 75% of women in the US have a risk factor for insulin resistance. And, research has found that a high refined carbohydrate meal has a higher risk for a heart attack than a high fat one…so it’s more than fluorescent leg warmers that were wrong in the 1980s!
Refined flour and sugar are like glucose race cars and they hit our bloodstream too quickly. This is because they’re missing the healthy fat and fibre that puts on the breaks and slows them down. Insulin pumps quickly out of our pancreas to open up the cells and shunt the glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells.
Over time, our cells say “STOP! ENOUGH GLUCOSE!” and some insulin receptors break and then the glucose has nowhere to go. Instead, it stays in the bloodstream, wreaking havoc.
High blood sugar in the bloodstream is like shards of glass. They nick the walls of the arteries and cause a whole host of oxidative damage (free radicals) throughout the cardiovascular system.
LDL cholesterol comes in to save the day and smooth out the damage, allowing blood to flow properly. The extra sugar is transformed into triglycerides to be stored for later in the liver and fat cells, so finally the bloodstream gets a break. High blood sugar can cause high LDL cholesterol and high triglycerides!
This is why high blood sugar is such an important factor in cardiovascular disease. AND! There’s a lot you can do to get your blood sugar back under control.
When your body begins to heal your HDL cholesterol comes in to save the day and clean up all of the LDL cholesterol in your arteries. Your triglycerides also come down because your body doesn’t have to store any extra glucose away for later. Instead, your cells get the nice and steady supply of glucose they need to function properly.
Step 1 - Blood Sugar Management
*For more, check out our Blood Sugar Masterclass
1. Whenever possible add a blood sugar test to your annual bloodwork
- Hgba1c is the most important one, aim to keep it under 5.4
2. Notice blood sugar crashes, for most people they follow a blood sugar spike, and that will let you know which meals are out of balance for you.
a blood sugar crash feels like: big dip in energy, irritable (“hangries”), demanding hunger. You may also feel shaky or light-headed
real hunger feels like: a slight dip in energy, emptiness in your stomach, a feeling like you should eat sometime in the next hour or so.
3. Work on breakfast – this makes the biggest difference in your day
ensure your breakfast is full of fibre and/or healthy protein and fat
check out the recipe section for blood sugar balancing breakfast ideas
4. Get Strong! Weight-bearing exercise lowers insulin resistance dramatically!
women who stay strong live longer!
Check out our “Getting Stronger” masterclass for more
5. Consider supplementing with chromium if your Hgba1c is over 6.0
this is a trace mineral that helps to lower your blood sugar by fixing the broken insulin receptors.
200 – 400mcg/day with food is an effective dose. Supplement for 6 months – 2 years (until your blood sugar is more balanced)
Step 2 - Lower Inflammation:
Once your blood sugar is lower you may feel that your aches and pains are less as well :). You’ve already taken a big step toward lowering inflammation! Here are a few more anti-inflammatory ideas.
Enjoy healthy fat:
There’s a misnomer when it comes to the role of dietary fat with cholesterol and heart disease. (we can’t seem to get out of the 1980s). Healthy, unprocessed fat and oils can help reduce cholesterol levels by lowering insulin levels and reducing inflammation.
Enjoy extra virgin olive oil, virgin coconut oil, organic butter, avocado, nut butters, and other unprocessed fats and oils. Yes, even some saturated fat is okay, especially if it comes from a good source.
Fish oil, flaxseed oil, wild salmon, chia seeds, and other sources of omega-3s are particularly heart friendly.
Avoid processed fats and oils:
These are the bad guys for your heart, blood fats, and inflammation. Avoid all processed fats, including (and especially) margarine…yes, even the one that says it’s heart-healthy. It’s not – that’s all marketing (and some added antioxidants to qualify for the health check symbol). Vegetable oils, canola oil, and any yellow highly processed oils are also very inflammatory. Stay FAR, FAR, FAR away from trans-fat. Avoid it entirely if possible.
Don’t worry about dietary cholesterol:
Study after study has found ZERO correlation between dietary cholesterol and heart disease (including high blood cholesterol). Even the US Dietary Advisory Committee agrees and has deemed cholesterol “not a nutrient of concern”. Don’t worry about it at all, enjoy some nice free range eggs :)
Sugar and refined carbs:
The biggest culprit and high fructose corn syrup is the worst. Keep these as low as possible in your diet to help lower inflammation.
If you’d like more on lowering inflammation, check out our Inflammation Masterclass!
Step 3 – Enjoy loads of Antioxidants!
The Mediterranean Diet has been called “heart healthy” for decades…and for good reason! The Mediterranean island of Crete is considered a “Cold Spot” for heart disease. This is an area with a remarkably low rate of heart disease, even with an older than average population.
I agree, a Mediterranean diet IS very healthy, but it’s not all pizza and pasta. The people of Crete enjoy enormous amounts of in season vegetables, slathered in freshly pressed olive oil, and lots of whole grains. This isn’t a diet that you need to follow strictly to feel the benefit, instead, incorporate some of these ideas and enjoy the fresh, amazing flavours!
Here are some ways to up your antioxidant game:
Extra virgin olive oil – this is a beautiful oil that helps to unlock fat-soluble antioxidants and helps them absorb properly. It also brings out flavour and makes food taste amazing! Add 1 tsp – 1 tbsp to your veggies at each meal.
Eat more in season vegetables each day – try to eat a variety of flavours and colours. In season veggies have higher levels of antioxidants.
Eat the rainbow – every colour found in nature contains unique antioxidants. Blue, green, purple, red, orange, yellow, and even white!
Dark leafy greens and wild greens – if you want to up your antioxidant game, bring in some greens into your life. Wild greens, like dandelion pack an extra antioxidant punch! These are best steamed or sautéed.
Don’t forget herbs & spices! – Fresh or dried, herbs & spices add flavour, nutrients, and antioxidants to your meals. Just make sure they’re pretty fresh; dried herbs and spices lose their flavour and nutritional punch over time. If the colour is less vibrant then it’s time to replace them.
Turmeric is extra good for the heart because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory prowess.
Garlic, garlic, and more garlic – this is one of the white antioxidant foods and it’s extra good for the heart! Studies have found that it reduces cholesterol levels, lowers blood pressure, and may help reduce plaque in the arteries!
Heart Healthy Supplements
*check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any supplement if on medication. Some heart medications mix badly with supplements.
Chromium (200 – 400mcg)
This unsung trace mineral hero helps with insulin resistance and healthy blood sugar management.
Omega 3s (fish oil or vegetarian forms)
Be careful if on blood thinners!
Increasing your omega-3 fatty acids while decreasing the inflammatory fats in your diet (processed, refined oils) is important for reducing inflammation.
Fish oil – 1000mg – 1500mg of EPA per day (check your labels for the amount of EPA)
Vegetarian omega-3s – 1 – 3 tbsp per day.
Vitamin C (1000mg – 3000mg per day)
Be careful if you’re on blood thinners! Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant and helps to heal arterial walls, thins the blood slightly, and helps to reduce platelet aggregation (the formation of plaque in the arteries)
Magnesium (500mg – 750mg per day)
Magnesium helps the heart beat properly and I’ve seen it help many people with atrial fibrillation. It also helps the energy production in the heart and dilates the coronary arteries.
CoQ10
This nutrient is especially important if your doctor prescribes a statin drug (Lipitor, Crestor, etc). CoQ10 helps bring more oxygen into your cells and protects the heart muscle.
Statin drugs can cause a CoQ10 deficiency, and they may also raise your risk of diabetes, so keep an eye on your blood sugar!
Hawthorn (dosage vary between products, also can be found in a tea)
Doctors used hawthorn for the heart in the 1800s and have been used for 1000s of years in traditional medicine. It protects against heart disease, lowers blood pressure, may reduce arterial plaque, and has been found to be effective for mild to moderate heart failure.
I’ve used it myself as a heart opener (energetically) when working through some emotional trauma. I love hawthorn :)
https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/hawthorn
Potassium…but it’s hard to supplement
Potassium is an important mineral for the heart (so is sodium…but that’s easier to get). All veggies are really high in potassium, but sometimes an extra boost is needed.
But, it’s hard to supplement with potassium because you can only get 99mg at a time…and you may need 2000 – 3000mg to see a difference. Potassium broth is a great way to get a nice, healthy boost of potassium. And, it’s made with veggies so you’re getting all of the co-factors and other minerals needed to balance the big hit of potassium.
Here’s a recipe: https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/potassium-broth-for-rapid-recovery-and-rejuvenation/
There are many other heart supplements, but they’re best used with the advice of a practitioner. These are good general supplements and they can help a lot…and don’t hesitate to reach out if you want to know about any specific supplements that you’ve heard about that I don’t list here.
In Conclusion
Your heart is quietly working in the background, keeping your cells nourished and your body healthy. It does this without a lot of fuss and bother…but sometimes it asked for a little bit of extra help.
By adding a few of these heart healthy foods you can keep your heart happy and healthy for decades to come ❤️
Got any questions or comments? Comment below, jump to our private Facebook Group, or the Ask Lisa page :).