Most of us don’t start to worry about heart health until we reach middle age. However, eating for a healthy heart is important at all stages of life, and focusing on it early can help prevent cardiovascular disease later in life. Here’s why its never too early to think about heart health.
Our hearts begin to show signs of inflammation and blockages as early as the teenage years, so making conscious choices to protect your heart is a lifelong process. If heart disease runs in your family, you may be tempted to accept heart troubles as genetically pre-destined, but research has shown that diet can be very effective for overcoming genetic factors. Introducing nutrient-dense foods can actually change the messages transmitted by our DNA.
Reducing stress is also critical for heart health. This means cutting back on inflammatory foods and reducing environmental factors that cause you stress. Diets that limit refined and processed sugar and carbohydrates, such as the Mediterranean diet, have been shown to reduce inflammation which causes oxidative stress to heart walls. We often think fats equal poor heart health, but plant-sourced fats high in omega-3s are important for gene expression which keeps our systems running smoothly.
A strong heart is critical to keeping our bodies healthy and happy, so it’s never too early to think about how your habits and diet affect your heart.
