Start with Your Heart

Never has your diet been more important than during what I call the current Covid-19 Era!  This is not the time to be going to the hospital or outpatient clinics for heart surgery.  One of the most dangerous aspects of Covid-19 is its unpredictability as to which body organs it chooses to attack!

My friend Don recently had a heart attack at age 49 and had stents put in.  He had an artery blockage, and the doctor said a better diet could have avoided it.  Don’s medical and hospital bills exceeded $160,000 by a large margin.  Before his heart attack, he estimates he ate red meat 5-6x/week and had at least 2 alcoholic drinks every day except Sunday’s.  He was lucky to survive.  He was also fortunate that we implemented a strong group health insurance policy for his 12-employee law firm.  Don paid less than $8,000, out of his pocket, 5% of the total claim.

We can all significantly reduce the occurrence of heart disease (regardless of family history) by making modest lifestyle changes.  According to the CDC, (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) more than 800,000 first heart attacks occur annually, with more than half followed by a 2^nd heart attack.

I have always maintained that your diet starts at the supermarket.  I understand it can cost significantly more money to eat healthy and organic; however, the cost of not doing so can be much greater!

My top 4 tips to improve your diet (in addition to reducing sugar and alcohol intake) and drastically reducing the odds of heart disease include but are not limited to:

1. Eat a Minimum of 1 or 2 Squares of Dark Chocolate Several Times Weekly: Evidence in the British Medical Journal shows that 1-2 pieces of dark chocolate several times per week may decrease the risk of a heart attack by 37%, compared to those who consume less.  Who says prevention must be boring and painful?
2. Include More Fiber in Your Diet: Fiber has what is called a “dose response” to reducing risk.  In other words, the more fiber you ingest, the greater your reduction of risk.  The average American consumes roughly 15 grams of fiber per day.  The American Dietetic Association recommends 25-38 grams of fiber per day.  Studies show for every increase of 10 grams of fiber per day, there was a corresponding 14% reduction in the risk of a cardiovascular event and a 27% reduction in the risk of heart disease.  Good fiber sources include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, cereals and beans.
3. Consume More Legumes: In a survey by (NHEFS) the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted using over 9500 men and women, found that those who consumed more than 4 servings of legumes per week (compared to those who ate less than 1 serving per week) reduced the risk of coronary heart disease by 22 percent!  Common sources of legumes are beans (great northern, kidney, lima, navy and pinto), peanuts, lentils, green beans, chickpeas, and snow peas in their pods to name many.
4. Eat More Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Eating both plant-based and seafood-based Omega 3’s will reduce your risks and extend your life.  Good sources of plant-based Omega 3’s include nuts and ground flaxseed.

The more significant the lifestyle modifications one makes, the closer one will become to potentially preventing this disease from occurring!  Even modest changes in your diet will result in significant reductions in risk!  The goal should be to become “heart-attack proof,” a term used by Dr. Sanjay Gupta!

In a nutshell, you can pay a little more for food now to prevent paying a lot more later!

Be Positive, Test Negative and Keep the Faith!