How to Improve Cardio Health

Cardiovascular health refers to a class of diseases associated with artery damage and is currently one of the leading causes of death in North America. Heart attacks and strokes may be the end result, but our bodies send many signals before this happens to tell us we need to make a course correction before it's too late. Even better news, scientists now believe that they can be preventable through the right lifestyle and diet changes.

Contributing factors that lead to cardiovascular disease

The three primary causes of cardiovascular disease are

• High cholesterol

• Hypertension

• Smoking

Secondary causes include

• Family history

• Obesity

• Stress

• Diabetes

• Nutritional deficiencies

Signs that we need to take action

If you have a family history of cardiovascular disease or if you've been diagnosed with any of these conditions then it may be time to consider a change in lifestyle:

• Hypertension

• High cholesterol

• Obesity

• Arteriosclerosis

• Atherosclerosis

• Panic attacks

• Anxiety

Hypertension is actually named "the silent killer" as mild cases do not exhibit any symptoms. Severe hypertension can cause dizziness, headaches, visual impairment and heart palpitations. If you're currently experiencing any of these symptoms, consult your physician.

So what does this mean?

Bad diet, chemical additives and stress lead to inflammation within the body. Inflammation is the leading cause of all cardiovascular issues and must be reduced at all costs. To start you can consider:

• Lower consumption of high cholesterol foods like red meat, dairy and eggs.

• Restrict saturated fat intake especially trans-fats and hydrogenated oils

• Reduce stimulants like caffeine and alcohol

• Remove toxic overload - Cigarettes and fried foods need to be removed or heavily reduced. Use natural household products where possible.

• Reduce salt

Add in these to your diet:

• Antioxidants to lower free radical damage in the body - blueberries and green tea are excellent

• Eat cold water fish like salmon and mackerel

• Introduce good heart healthy fats like avocado and olive oils but keep overall daily fat consumption to only 25% of the diet

• A high fiber diet - fresh green vegetables wherever possible

• Add in sulfur containing foods like garlic and onions

• Supplement with Omega 3, proven to be very effective at reducing inflammation, we recommend this brand

Add these to your lifestyle:

• Exercise - get moving to reduce weight and promote blood flow

• Use stress reduction techniques every day - yoga, breathing, meditation, hot baths. What's your go to?