Approximately 2,200 Americans die from cardiovascular disease every day (that’s one person every 40 seconds!), and by the year 2030, over 23.6 million people are expected to die annually from this chronic illness. Those are some frightening statistics especially considering heart disease is rooted in many diet and lifestyle factors that can be appropriately managed.
There is mounting, overwhelming evidence suggesting that the widely recommended low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, heavy in processed grains and legumes and man-made polyunsaturated fats, is not the way to go.
In fact, embracing whole, unprocessed foods may offer superior cardiovascular benefits.
This is largely due to the emphasis on a variety of vegetables, protective fats, like salmon and sardines along with adding lifestyle factors including movement, community, sleep and sunshine.
Outdated Heart Health Myths
1. Fats Are Detrimental to Heart Health
For decades, low-fat diets were heralded as the cornerstone of heart health. However, this perspective is evolving. While it's prudent to limit man-made hydrogenated and trans fats, incorporating healthy fats from sources like well-raised animals, avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil can be beneficial. These fats support heart health by improving cholesterol profiles and reducing inflammation.
Learn more about healthy fats and download our fat guide here
2 High-Carbohydrate Diets Are Heart-Healthy
Traditional guidelines often emphasize high carbohydrate intake, particularly from grains. Yet, excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates can lead to insulin resistance and increased triglyceride levels, both risk factors for heart disease. Prioritizing real-food carbohydrates from vegetables and fruits, supports better metabolic health.
Read on here for more on real food carbohydrates
3. Avoid Cholesterol-Rich Foods
Eggs and shellfish have been shunned due to their cholesterol content. Current research indicates that dietary cholesterol has a minimal impact on blood cholesterol levels for most individuals. Nutrient-dense foods like eggs provide essential vitamins and minerals that support overall health.
The Real Food Approach to Heart Health
A real food diet focuses on unprocessed foods that have been eaten for generations, including well-raised animal proteins, wild-caught fish and seasonal vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. By eliminating processed foods, refined sugars, and grains, this approach aligns closely with heart-healthy eating principles.
Benefits Real Food for Cardiovascular Health
- Reduced Inflammation: A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids from fish and nuts helps decrease inflammation, a key contributor to heart disease.
- Improved Lipid Profiles: Studies have shown that eating a diet of whole, unprocessed foods can lead to favorable changes in cardiovascular risk factors, including improved cholesterol levels.
- Stable Blood Sugar Levels: By avoiding refined sugars and emphasizing low-glycemic fruits and vegetables, stable blood glucose levels are maintained. This reduces risk of insulin resistance.
A Real Food Heart Healthy Diet
A well formulated diet based on whole, minimally processed foods, naturally eliminates many of the inflammatory triggers for cardiovascular issues. Within these guidelines, there are a few specific diet and lifestyle modifications that can offer greater benefits for the heart and the cardiovascular system.
Dietary Factors
Omega-3 Rich Foods.
Across numerous studies, omega-3 fats are consistently associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (as well as reduced mortality from sudden cardiac death). These essential fats promote cardiovascular health in a variety of ways, including by lowering triglycerides, reducing inflammation, and providing important micronutrients to support vascular function.
Fiber.
The fiber in vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds can protect the cardiovascular system. Fiber consumption is associated with lower risk of stroke and heart disease, and some types of fiber can reduce LDL cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and promote healthy body weight.
Saturated Fats.
The idea that high-saturated fat animal foods cause heart disease has been discredited, and eating naturally occurring saturated fats (like those found in well-raised, pastured animals) is not detrimental to your heart health. Certain genetic factors, however, may make some people more sensitive to the LDL-raising properties of some forms of saturated fat. Always focus on saturated fats in their whole-food form (such as fatty cuts, organ meats and eggs), while also getting a variety of monounsaturated fats (avocado, olive, macadamia nut) and omega-3s from your diet.
Lifestyle Factors
You can eat all the right foods but without addressing certain lifestyle factors, you may still have inflammatory markers that are high.
Sleep
Sleep deprivation is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease risk, and is associated with higher blood pressure, weight gain, obesity, and greater rates of heart disease and stroke. Getting less than 6 hours of restorative sleep a night doubles the risk of stroke, heart attack, and coronary heart disease, while also raising risk of congestive heart failure.
Read on here for tips on improving your sleep
Stress
Stress is a larger predictor of cardiovascular disease than other diet or lifestyle factors. Make a conscious effort to reduce the avoidable stressors in your life, or to manage existing chronic stress through activities including meditation, taking walks, journaling and getting time in nature. This will directly translate into increased protection against cardiovascular disease.
Movement
Make the commitment to engage in gentle movement throughout the day. Although chronic overtraining can actually harm the cardiovascular system by raising cortisol and inflammatory markers, frequent gentle movement helps improve insulin sensitivity and circulation.
Sunshine
Get your daily dose on vitamin D. In a number of studies, vitamin D deficiency has been strongly associated with an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. Whether getting daily sun exposure is or is not an option, eating vitamin-D-rich foods like fatty fish and egg yolks, as well as supplementing when needed, can help protect against the cardiovascular-harming effects of deficiency.
This post goes into detail on Vitamin D
Foods For Heart Health
Real food provides the body with a rich supply of vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants, along with emphasizing foods that boost your metabolism and keep your body satiated and satisfied.
There a many heart-healthy Paleo food including:
Avocado
These fat-filled fruits are already a favorite. They are rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats along with numerous vitamins and minerals that support cardiovascular health, including vitamin K (aids in proper blood clotting), magnesium (promotes muscle relaxation and electrolyte balance), and potassium (helps to regulate blood pressure). Eating an avocado daily may help to maintain normal serum total cholesterol.
Brussels Sprouts
Nutrients in Brussels sprouts help to lower systemic inflammation and reduce arterial plaque buildup, along with improving blood vessel function.
Blueberries
Blueberries are rich in anthocyanins and flavonoids which are antioxidants that can decrease blood pressure and dilate blood vessels reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Citrus
High in flavonoids that are linked with a reduced rate of ischemic stroke caused by blood clots, and rich in vitamin C which has been associated with lower risk of heart disease, like atherosclerosis, adding more citrus to your diet can boost your heart health. Furthermore, adding citrus to your dark leafy greens will almost quadruple the amount of iron you absorb.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
EVOO may help lower your risk of heart disease by improving related risk factors. High quality Extra Virgin Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats which have been found to lower your total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
Salmon
Wild caught Salmon is a cardiovascular superfood. It is one of the best sources of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids which can lower the risk of irregular heart beat as well as reducer plaque buildup in the arteries. Regular consumption of wild-caught salmon can help to reduce blood pressure, lower resting heart rate, and improve vascular flow.
Spinach
This dark, leafy green is loaded with lutein (a carotenoid), B-complex vitamins, folate, magnesium, potassium, calcium and fiber. Lutein is found in beneficial HDL cholesterol and may prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and promoting heart disease.
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The topic of heart health can be incredibly confusing thanks to much myth and misinformation. By revisiting and revising outdated dietary advice, we can adopt a more nuanced understanding of nutrition that honors both ancestral wisdom and modern science. Embracing a Paleo lifestyle rooted in whole, unprocessed foods offers a promising path to optimal heart health.