3 Tips for Heart Health

While it’s true that I spend much of the week these days looking into a TV camera and talking to people just like you, it’s also true that I’ve spent most of my career looking into something else: the open chests of people just like you.

You don’t have to be a country-music songwriter to know what a broken heart looks like, and I’ve seen them all: hearts destroyed by the heavy artillery of fries, doughnuts and all kinds of dietary and lifestyle shrapnel that — over time — chip away at our body’s capital.

That’s certainly one of the reasons why I’ve changed my approach a bit. I’m not spending most of my time fixing the problem. Now I try to help prevent the problem.

While certainly family history plays a role in the future health of our heart, many of our lifestyle and nutritional habits are what really put our tickers at risk of, well, stopping to tick. Besides taking the major steps to help your heart (stop smoking if you do, start exercising if you don’t), you can also make changes that will go a long way in improving your heart health. Three of my favorites:

Add Fiber

We all know it’s great for improving your digestive system, but fiber also improves your cardiovascular health. You can get fiber with plenty of vegetables and 100% whole grains. One of my favorite swaps: changing out the white flour of your pancakes for the 100% whole grain variety.

Snack Right

Want to really sabotage your heart? Then snack on fried, processed, trans-fatty foods (hello, chips). Improve your heart’s future performance by adding more nuts, fruits, vegetables and other healthful foods as snacks over the processed ones.

Get Fishy

I don’t eat a whole lot of meat. Instead, I prefer fish, like salmon on a bed of leafy greens. It has incredible cardiovascular benefits, as the omega-3 fatty acids help lower blood pressure.