With cardiovascular disease impacting more than 2.4 million Canadians, heart health has never been more important. Whether you’ve found out you have heart disease or you want to take preventative action, there are many steps you can take to stay healthy.¹

By making smart lifestyle choices, we can drastically reduce the risk and/or impact of heart disease. Assessing your diet and physical activity is one of the easiest ways to implement change.

Diet

The food we eat, and the amount we eat, has an impact on weight, hormones, and the health of our organs. Being conscious of food intake helps to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

• Fruits and vegetables: High in fiber, vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables pack a punch when it comes to nutrients and add flavour and variety to your diet.²
• Healthy fats: There is a lot of contradicting information about the role fats play in our diet. Monosaturated fats such as olive oil or avocados are considered healthy fats, along with polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids. You can find polyunsaturated fats in nuts and seeds and omega-3 fats in fish. The fat that should be avoided, especially when talking about heart health, is trans fat, which is usually found in processed foods and snacks. Tip: When determining if food contains trans fats, look for the words ‘partially hydrogenated’ in the ingredient label.¹
• Whole grains: Bread and pasta are some of life’s simplest pleasures, and often get a bad reputation when it comes to healthy eating. Selecting whole-grain breads and pastas can help you attain a balanced diet as they are complex carbohydrates and high in fiber.¹
• Healthy protein: Whether you’re a meat lover or a vegetarian, ensuring that you are getting enough protein is important for a healthy diet. Eat protein-rich foods such as fish, lean meats, eggs, nuts, seeds, and beans. When given the option, select meats that don’t have skin which is high in fat.¹
• Things to avoid: While everything can he healthy in moderation, for optimal health and wellness, it’s best to avoid high levels of sodium, saturated and trans fats, added sugar, and alcohol.¹

Exercise

Exercise is one of the most effective tools you can apply for strengthening your heart and preventing damage to your arteries.³ A stronger heart makes it easier to pump more blood with each heartbeat, delivering more oxygen to your body.¹ It helps lower your blood pressure and impacts your cholesterol by lowering low-density lipoproteins (LDL) which can clog your arteries and cause a heart attack. While lowering your LDL, it can also raise high-density lipoproteins (HDL) which are the ‘good’ cholesterol that carry the fat deposits out of your arteries.¹  

Any form of exercise will have a positive impact on health and wellness, but for optimal heart health, aerobic exercise is best. This form of exercise forces you to take deeper breaths and makes your heart work harder to pump blood to the rest of your body. Examples of aerobic exercise include:

• Walking
• Jogging/running
• Dancing
• Swimming
• Biking
• Rowing

Questions? Check your benefits booklet for benefit plan terms and coverage details. If you need more information, contact OTIP Benefits Services at 1-866-783-6847 or visit our Help Centre.


Sources:

1. Familydoctor.org
2. Heartandstroke.ca
3. Hopkinsmedicine.org