Tips on How to Observe February American Heart Month

As many of you know February is American Heart Month and this is a great opportunity for all of us to find ways to do things and here are some healthy heart tips.

1. Ingesting healthy foods is one way step towards a healthy heart. Foods that are low in cholesterol and saturated fat are the key having a better blood circulation in your body. Increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables is also important to a cardiac friendly diet. Saturated fats are very bad for you like red meats. Lean meats like fish, shellfish, lean poultry. Nuts and beans are also a healthy option. Foods high in fiber are also great alternatives for example whole grains, dry beans, peas and lentils.
2. You should avoid foods that are fatty such as butter, fried foods, cream cheese, and instead of indulging in desserts you can opt for fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth. If you do decide to have that piece of cheesecake, instead of having a full serving have half.
3. All the changes you make to your diet should be gradual. You don't want to shock you body and lifestyle but rather ease yourself into your new regime. One way to entice yourself is to provide yourself with rewards that are not food related. I love to shop so what I do is give myself a dollar amount for every healthy choice I make and I collect the money and buy myself an outfit.
4. It is very important to know and understand what you are eating. I read all the labels on packaged foods and if I do not know what it is, I research it before I buy the product.
5. Also in reading labels it is important to understand the serving size. Often times what we think a serving is, it really is not. In order to aid in a healthy diet, you should follow the serving sizes and focus on portioning rather then just eating how much you feel like.
6. In today's society, it is very hard to avoid eating out weather it is for convenience or for pleasure. What I try to is to find away to make healthy choices from what is available. I will drink water rather then a beverage filled with sugars. Instead of fries, I ask to substitute it for steamed vegetables. The last thing I do is share a meal with someone if I can to cut the portion in half.
7. Another thing to do for improving your heart's health is to avoid tobacco and limit alcohol.
8. In addition to eating healthy it is important to exercise on a regular basis to have a healthy cardiac lifestyle. Diet alone is not enough, exercise and diet work together.

With these tips you can really improve your heart's health and your overall health too.

Good Luck.