Heart disease is a complex and important topic, especially for Americans. Being the number one cause of death in America, it is optimal to be informed about ways that you can naturally prevent your risk of developing some form of heart disease. The sad thing is that many Americans don’t realize the extensive damage they are doing to their bodies until it is too late.
Heart diseases can include: hypertension (high blood pressure), heart attack, arteriosclerosis, or even a stroke. Many people develop these diseases because of a long history of poor eating habits. An average American gets about 57% of his/her calories from polyunsaturated oils or refined cereals and grains. Behind grains, the third source of calories is sugar or high fructose corn syrup. This type of diet contributes to inflammation and oxidative damage.
Below are 5 tips you can use to naturally fight back against heart disease.
1. Change Your Diet
Making an intervention in your diet can be a great starting point to combating heart disease naturally. Eating lots of grains, hydrogenated oils, sugars, salty foods, processed foods, meat & poultry, and dairy products can have negative long-term effects on your diet. It’s crucial to supply your body with a lot of plant-based foods to give your body the essential nutrients it needs. Some of the best foods you can eat to fight heart disease include avocados, blueberries, asparagus, broccoli, beans, bell peppers, walnuts, spinach, grapes, papaya, and sweet potatoes. Make fresh smoothies or juices to get nutrients from a variety of produce items in one go!
2. Reduce Your Stress
This may seem like it is easier said than done, but there are many ways one can easily reduce stress. First, identify what makes you stressed and then eliminate it or channel that energy towards something like yoga, meditation, or Tai Chi. Also increase your daily intake of magnesium, as it helps to naturally lower stress. You can take a natural magnesium supplement, or you can incorporate magnesium-rich foods like bananas, avocados, spinach, raw almonds, pine nuts, cashews, lima beans, chickpeas, or Swiss chard into your diet.
3. Exercise
When it comes to the health of your heart, it is important that you are getting proper circulation. A little exercise goes a long way to helping to promote circulation and reduce high blood pressure. It’s important to exercise daily. Start off by incorporating a daily walk into your routine. Make a scheduled time every day to exercise and stick to it. If you are limited by knee, hip, or back injuries, try swimming, yoga, rebounding, or using a recumbent bike. Aim for 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity when you exercise if you want to lower blood pressure or cholesterol.
4. Get Down To The Essentials
Essential oils, which can have a wide variety of healing properties, can help decrease inflammation or other symptoms that are common in patients with heart disease. Depending on your condition or symptoms, you can use essential oils like frankincense, ginger, lemongrass, lemon, or helichrysum. You can massage these oils into your body, or you can add them to baths in order for your skin to absorb their properties. If you have hypertension, consider taking an Epsom salt bath with lavender oil to lower stress levels.
5. Get Garlicky
Garlic is a powerful herb, plain and simple. It has incredible anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antibacterial properties that have been known to aid over 150 different illnesses. Not only does it help reduce build-up in the arteries, which is common for arteriosclerosis patients, but it also may lower your risk of getting a heart attack or stroke.
Heart disease is a serious epidemic in America, but you can fight back against it or prevent yourself from developing it if you follow these steps. Additionally, you can consume plant-based foods that are high in B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D to stay healthy and promote circulation. Let us know how these tips worked for you and contact us if you have any questions about how Dherbs can help you combat heart disease.
