As many of you already know, February is National Heart Month! It’s time to get excited and empowered to OWN our cardiac health!
- Cardiac Disease is the leading cause of death in America
- Heart disease kills more people than all forms of cancer combined.
- Heart attacks affect more people every year than the population of Dallas, Texas.
- 83% believe that heart attacks can be prevented but aren’t motivated to do anything.
- 72% of Americans don’t consider themselves at risk for heart disease.
- And 58% put no effort into improving their heart health.
What can we learn from this??
Heart disease is a PROBLEM America!
But wait…… There is some good news! The good news is you have the power to change your life! Yes, there are some risk factors we cannot control such as age, gender, race, and family history, BUT there are risk factors we CAN control! This is nothing we haven’t all heard before, however; I want everyone to take a moment to embrace the fact that we have the opportunity to live our best lives…TODAY.
We have the opportunity to seize opportunities and make choices that will make us feel like the best version of ourselves. Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). They are made to live in homeostasis and equilibrium. Everything that we do on the outside of our bodies effects what happens on the inside of our bodies.
If you take anything from this blog post, please take this: You are the sum of your parts and what you feed your body will directly affect how your body functions.
“Every time you eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it.”
-Heather Morgan
It is time we make the connection between what we eat and how our bodies react. The most powerful thought you can have day to day is, “How will eating this make me feel? Did I choose food to feed my cells or is what I’m eating a storm that my body has to break down and get rid of as soon as possible?”
The truth is, the processed and sugar-filled foods cause inflammation in our bodies. What does inflammation do? Chronic inflammation (the kind that is caused by processed food and sugar) contributes to plaque build-up in our arteries and causes heart disease (AHA).
So to my point, eat REAL food.
Eat the kind of food that isn’t made in a factory, wrapped in plastic or filled with shelf stabilizing chemicals. Check out these whole food and plant based resources and make the change now!
I encourage you to make the connection between food and your health. Take control of your heart health, be your own advocate, and live your very best life!!
Peace and love,
Amileth Brooks, MSN, RN
For more information on your heart health, email Amileth at amileth.brooks@sih.net.
Know your risk!! https://www.sih.net/heartaware