As an organ responsible for pumping blood throughout the body, it’s crucial that the heart is strong. Adopting habits such as walking or eating more plant-based meals can contribute to a stronger heart. We asked our medical contributor, Dr. Caleb Dzunu, Family Physician at St. Luke Catholic Hospital, Ghana, to provide 5 simple tips you can easily adopt to promote and maintain heart health.
General advice
“Heart conditions are a major cause of death worldwide. General principles of taking care of your heart include diet, exercise, judiciously taking prescribed medications if you already have chronic medical conditions and regular examinations, especially if there is a history of heart conditions in your family,” he advises.
Lifestyle changes
But what are those simple changes you can make to your lifestyle to positively impact your overall heart health? Dr. Mawutor recommends the following:
- Healthy eating. This is not just about dieting, but rather about the portion of food eaten at each meal time, the time of eating and nutrients in the food. As a guiding principle, eat breakfast as early as possible, preferably soon after you wake up, and avoid sleeping immediately after meals. Also, leave a 2-3 hour gap between dinner and bedtime to allow food to digest. Regarding nutrients contained in food, incorporate more fruits, vegetables (especially green leafy vegetables), lean meats and whole grains into your diet
- Optimum salt. When food is ready, no added salt. Adopting this habit helps you to manage the amount of salt you consume, especially when the food already contains some salt.
- Regular exercise. This cannot be stressed enough. Exercising regularly, at least 3-4 days in a week, is the best antidote to a sedentary lifestyle.
- Stress management: This tends to be overlooked but is very crucial to maintaining a healthy mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. Develop a personal stress management mechanism by doing breathing exercises, taking breaks to breathe in fresh air during high stress moments or simply listening to music.
- Sleep enough. Don’t underestimate the power of sleep. Poor sleep, over time, puts you at a higher risk for cardiovascular and coronary heart diseases. Strive to get at least 7 hours of sleep on most nights.
Incorporating these tips into your lifestyle will not only help boost heart health but also improve energy levels that can significantly impact your mood.