Thinking about heart health? Follow the "3 S" protocol.
Published: September 30, 2022
Thinking about heart health?
Have you ever taken a few moments to think about your heart?
Its physical characteristics and what it does for you and has been doing, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 52 weeks of the year ever since you were born?
A healthy heart is an amazing machine.
It is a powerful organ that just keeps on going and quickly reacts to your demands for it to work harder.
Most of us probably take our heart for granted until we notice that it may not be reacting as quickly as we would like to the demands we put on it.
Your heart is a powerful muscular pump.
Your heart needs fuel and nutrients to work effectively and efficiently.
You could equate your heart to the engine of a car which needs gas, oil, and periodic check-ups to keep it functioning as it should: and taking you to the places you want to go.
Like other muscles, your heart thrives on the right amount of nutrients, exercise, and physical activity.
However, a deficiency of certain nutrients and a surplus of others in your diet has the potential to adversely affect the functioning of your heart overtime.
How can you nurture your heart? How can you ensure that you are providing your heart with heart healthy foods and protecting it from heart damaging foods?
There is so much nutrition information available that it is difficult to know which foods are “healthy” and which foods are not.
Foods which claim to be “healthy” frequently aren’t and even “super-foods” don’t supply us with all the nutrients we need.
And which foods protect you from which disease?
The great thing about nurturing your heart and eating for heart health is that you will also be protecting your body from other diseases such as cancer and diabetes type 2.
Plus, eating for heart health may contribute to “waist” loss, which not only reduces your risk for heart disease, but also reduces your risk for some cancers, diabetes, arthritis and obesity.
Nutrients which in excess can lead to an unhealthy heart: The three “S’s”: Sodium, sugar, and saturated fat.
These nutrients are usually added as part of processing procedures to enhance the flavour of the product and/or to enhance the shelf life of the product.
These three nutrients are naturally found in unprocessed foods in lesser amounts. Want to learn more: follow the link to the full article to learn more about the "3 S" protocol.
References
1.
Whitney, E. & Rady Rolfes, S. (2005). Understanding Nutrition. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth
2.
Gropper, S.S., Smith, J.L. & Groff, J.L. (2005). Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism (4thEd.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
3.
Centre for Science in the Public Interest (May, 2013, June, 2012, September 2012, November 2012, April 2011, October 2011, January 2010, September 2010, October 2010, , November 2010. October 2009, March 2007)