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5 Heart Health Myths for Women

February 25, 2019 By Bridget Leave a Comment

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Quick question…what’s the leading cause of death in women? You’re probably thinking breast cancer, but you’d be wrong.

Find out the #hearttruth about women and #heart disease here. bit.ly/2Xq5Q0o #healthyheart #womenandheartdisease #goredforwomen #heartmonth

That’s the number one myth; it’s actually heart disease. Heart disease and stroke cause 1/3 of deaths in women.  That’s one woman dying every 80 seconds. Go Red for Women is the national movement of the American Heart Association to raise awareness that heart disease and stroke is the number one killer of women.

Other Common Myths about Women and Heart Health:

  • “Heart Disease won’t affect me—I’m too young!” Heart disease affects women of all ages. Young women increase their risk greatly by smoking while on the Pill. Some women escalate their risk by being overweight, eating the opposite of heart-healthy and by drinking too much alcohol. Others have an underlying condition they were born with but may not know about.
  • “I won’t get heart disease! I exercise!” While exercising regularly keeps your heart fit, it can’t totally compensate for other lifestyle habits like stress, smoking and poor eating habits.
  • “I don’t have heart disease—I’ve never felt better!” Did you know 64% of women who die suddenly of a heart attack had NO previous symptoms? Crazy but true. And what often throws people off is that the symptoms of a heart attack in women are different from men. Extreme fatigue is one symptom—which is easy to overlook because women are often so busy taking care of everyone else, they put themselves as the last priority!Are you at risk for #heartdisease? Find out here: bit.ly/2Xq5Q0o #GoRedforWomen #HeartTruth
  • “I can only eat chicken breast and fish on a heart-healthy diet.” A variety of protein sources is your best bet, and that not only includes vegan options, but also eggs, lean pork and beef! Research from Pennsylvania State University showed a 10% decrease in LDL cholesterol in people following the BOLD diet, which included 4 to 5 ounces of lean beef daily. The BOLD Diet (Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet) lowered cholesterol as much as the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.)

Yes You Can– Prevent Heart Disease!

#Heartdisease is the number one killer of women. Find out how to cut your risk here. #GoRedforWomen Click To Tweet

No matter your age, it’s never too late to start on the road to healthier heart health.

  • Know Your Numbers. Total and HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and BMI. If your numbers don’t meet the goal, make a plan.
  • See your Care Provider. Even when you feel healthy, an annual checkup is the best way to track your numbers. Be sure to follow up with your primary care provider or a specialist if referred. Eat lots of fruits and veggies for a #heartHealthy #diet. #goredforwomen
  • Eat a Heart-Healthy Diet. Veggies and fruits should fill half your plate, followed by a variety of lean protein and whole grains. Eating fish at least twice a week is also a plus for heart and brain health. Going meatless also has health benefits. Low fat dairy like milk and yogurt are good for bone health and blood pressure. Keep tabs on sodium; with a goal of no more than 1500 to 2000 mg per day. Watch portion sizes and keep saturated fat, trans fat and processed foods to a minimum. Get closer to your ideal weight if needed.
  • Keep blood pressure at normal  levels. High blood pressure–called the silent killer because there are no symptoms unless your blood pressure is very high. But even when you don’t feel it, elevated blood pressure damages blood vessels and the heart, leading to heart disease.One #hearthealthy habit for women: eat dark #chocolate. #goredforwomen #heartdisease #hearthealthydiet
  • Eat Your Chocolate. Flavonols, the antioxidants in cocoa, benefit both blood pressure and heart health. The secret is eating the write type of chocolate in the right (read moderate) amount. (In other words, don’t eat that molten chocolate cake with whip cream for dessert in the name of heart health!) Dark chocolate and undutched cocoa have the most flavonols—limit to once ounce a day. And here’s a healthy quick bread recipe from chef and registered dietitian Katie Cavuto at www.nourishbreathethrive.com. Enjoy!

Typical Warning Signs of Heart Attack in Women

5 myths about #womenandheartdisease #heartmonth #healthyeating #hearthealth bit.ly/2Xq5Q0o

Well known heart attack symptoms include chest pain and radiating discomfort in the left arm. But there are symptoms that are more common in women. Besides the ones listed below, trust your intuition. If you just don’t feel normal, get checked.

  • Shortness of breath
  • Irregular pain in the lower or upper back
  • Jaw, neck, arm or stomach pain.
  • Nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, breaking into a cold sweat
  • Extreme fatigue

See my other blog post about heart health here.

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Earth Day 2022:  17 Ways to Eat More Sustainably

April 19, 2022 By Bridget 2 Comments

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As Mother Nature continues to remind us that we can’t fool her, or abuse her, actions we take on Earth Day (and every day) to live more sustainably are even more important. It will take everyone’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and reduce climate change, pollution, and improve environmental literacy. Saving the planet shouldn’t be political but it is; instead it should be about making the earth a better place for our kids and grandkids.

My earlier post on this topic gives you some great hands-on tips to teach your kids how to better take care of their planet to celebrate Earth Day. Today I reach out to some other colleagues to get their best tips on how to tackle food waste, sustainable living and more.

Sustainable Living

To live sustainably means you aim to live in a way that reduces your personal impact on the environment around you.

Ashley Petrie, RDN, LDN

Ashley Petrie RDN, LDN of EverydayNutritionandWellness.com is a newbie homesteader and shares her living tips on her post 17 Ideas for Sustainable Living in 2022. Some of her tips include:

Cook with Seasonal Ingredients. She says seasonal ingredients are usually fresher, require less transport time [using less energy] and thus have more nutrients. To shop more seasonally, shop produce that’s on sale at the grocery store and utilize your local farmer’s market. Consider supporting a local farmer’s coop to eat more sustainably. To find local food sources and community supported agriculture organizations in your area, go to this USDA website.

Boxes of peaches at a farmer's market. Shop sustainably by buying food in season.
Photo by Conor Brown on Unsplash

Swap Common Kitchen Items with a Reusable Version

  • Paper towels: “We use more than 13 billion pounds of paper towels each year, according to Ashley, “manufacturing these paper towels is one of the leading causes of global warming.” At our house, we use cotton towels—a separate one for hands and drying dishes. Reusable sponges are also a great way to safe on disposable towels. This is one of the easiest habits to change for Earth Day (and every day.)
  • Plastic wrap: “Beeswax wrap has become a popular, sustainable alternative over the past few years. It comes in a variety of patterns and sizes and, when cared for and used properly, can be reused for up to a year! ” Last year I got stretchable silicone covers to put over bowls, cans, baking dishes etc. They are awesome! Now they can be found all over amazon.com, but I really like the products from www.netzerocompany.com.
A stack of white napkins shown here is one way to reduce your use of disposable items on earth day and every day.
Photo by Dan Burton on Unsplash

Food Waste

Raise your hand if you threw out food in the last week. I’m guilty too but thankfully it was minimal—a moldy grapefruit that we kept too long in the pantry when it was getting too warm in there. I know I’m not alone here.  

Here are a few of my favorite tips from Judy’s post How to Reduce Food Waste at Home: 60 solutions and tips [free grocery list]:

Photo from blog post How to Reduce Food Waste at home by Judy Barber

Food for Thought on Earth Day:

According to Judy Barber RDN of www.LiveBest.com, Consumers throw out 20% of the food they buy and food trash is the largest chunk of waste in American trash.

  • Her top shopping tip is to shop your kitchen first to see what you have rather than what you want. Then shop with a grocery list. How many times have I bought avocados only to find there’s some hidden in the produce drawer?
  • Post an “eat first” sticky note on foods you need to eat soon.
  • Add leftover chopped veggies to hummus, quesadillas, pizza, tacos, frittatas and omelets.

Using Food Scraps is a Great Way to Reduce Food Waste

I know this is an issue for many people who have great intentions for eating more produce, (present company included) but some of it spoils before we can use it. Colleen Woods over at Zest Nutrition Service has five great tips on her post How to Reduce Food Waste This Week. Her first one is the most important and that is Plan Your Meals for One Week. Planning is the key to both having a healthy diet and living greener and a great first goal for Earth Day! More of my favorites:

Infographic by Colleen Woods that shows different tips to use food scraps to reduce food waste.

If you’re at the end of orange season, Colleen suggests you dry the oranges you might otherwise throw out, into potpourri.
Did you know you can also pickle watermelon rinds?

Recycle your food waste by starting a compost bin–it’s great for your garden! Or Donate your food waste to a community compost.

Katie Mumford MS, RDN, author and blogger at momskitchenhandbook.com, says the average family loses nearly $1500 a year on food waste. Yikes! I think we could all find better ways to spend that cash. Here are some of her tips from 10 Ways to Stop Food Waste, Save Money and Help the Planet. I also love her post 12 Steps to a Greener Kitchen—with tips like drink from the tap, use second-hand shops for kitchen ware, carbonate at home with a Soda Stream of similar and unplug appliances when not in use to reduce your carbon foot print.

  • Get Creative. She writes, “using what you have is getting creative with ingredients. Who says you can’t make chili with chick peas or muffins with raspberries instead of blueberries?”
  • Store Food Smart. Katie recommends labeling everything you freeze, with the name and the date. She says you think you’ll remember but if you’re anything like me, you won’t. So true! Recently hubby and I took something out of the freezer that wasn’t labeled. We took wild guesses as to what it was but were totally wrong. Labeling is the key!
  • When You Eat Out, Share. It’s true that restaurants often brag about their super-sized entrees. Sharing the entrée and ordering another side veggie or salad ups your veggie intake. Our family takes it one step further—we keep containers in the car to take our leftovers home in. You use less Styrofoam and plastic and you’ve got another meal for another day. Another win for Earth Day (and your waistline!)

Speaking of Eating Out…

Photo of white cardboard take out box, which is a great alternative to plastic and styrofoam to reduce our environmental impact.

Melissa Traub a plant-based nutritionist has great tips for being kind to the earth in the guest post by Rebekah Lara Zero Waste Takeout. Rebekah is the founder of Simply Living Green with Rebekah.

  • Choose the restaurant based on their sustainability practices. Read Yelp reviews and see if there are any related comments there. There is also an app called PlasticScore Zero Waste Dining, which is a crowdsourced zero waste rating for restaurants. The company uses the data to help restaurants improve. This is a great way to support restaurants that practice sustainability.
  • Say no thank you to the plastic utensils, straws and single-serve condiments. Just politely make this request when you are ordering, or you can kindly refuse it when you arrive to pick up your order. 

Last but not least, Christine Milmine RDN owner of www.plantpoweredyou.com has this tip, which is a common tip for eating more sustainably:

Consider adding some legumes to the menu as a protein source! Legumes are generally accepted as a more eco-friendly source of protein than meat. Luckily, they are also often inexpensive and easy to find as well. There are so many ways you can add in legumes, so get creative with soups, chili, curries, and more!

Learn More:

“Our planet is headed for disaster. We need to learn how to work with nature, rather than against it.” – David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet (Netflix documentary)

EarthDay.org

Your 2022 Go Green Guide

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5 myths about #womenandheartdisease #heartmonth #healthyeating #hearthealth bit.ly/2Xq5Q0o

5 Heart Health Myths for Women

February 25, 2019 By Bridget Leave a Comment

“I’m too young for heart disease!” I can’t have heart disease–I exercise!” These are just 2 heart health myths covered in this post.

Brown sea turtle in the ocean next to large coral. Turtles suffer a lot due to plastic pollution. You can help them by limiting your use of plastics on earth day and every day!

Earth Day–Enlightening Ideas for Kids

April 12, 2022 By Bridget 1 Comment

Kids are sometimes a tough audience, so it may be difficult to inspire them on Earth Day. In this post, I’ve come up with a few unique ways to show kids what their impact on the environment is.

Sunflower seeds

5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Sunflower Seeds

March 28, 2022 By Bridget Leave a Comment

Sunflower seeds are small, but they provide a powerhouse of nutrition! But among all the nuts and seeds that are touted for their nutrition, these seeds are often left out. I decided to show them some love in this blog post, and convince you why you should love some today! Are Sunflower Seeds Good for…

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National Nutrition Month 2022 Logo

March is National Nutrition Month!

March 17, 2022 By Bridget Leave a Comment

Nutrition professionals celebrate National Nutrition Month every year. And it’s that time of year again to promote nutrition and celebrate a world of flavors and healthy food! If we’ve learned anything the past two years, it’s that diversity is important and we should celebrate it! Whether we’re talking about food, the way we look or…

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I'm Bridget...and I'm a mom on a mission to help you and your family eat healthier. I'm also a registered dietitian and author of three books on family nutrition.

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