Question: How can we lower the risk of heart disease?
My husband's family has a history of heart disease in the men on both his father and mother's side. What can we do to keep him healthy and at a lower risk of developing this disease?
Lauren - About.com User
Answer: There are a lot of lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. These changes will also reduce your risk of other chronic diseases like diabetes and some cancers too. Make sure your husband sees his doctor regularly to detect any problems early and to answer any questions he might have about making any lifestyle changes.
- Eat at least five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
- Watch the calories. Use this BMI calculator to find out if you and you are at a healthy weight.
- Eat fish like salmon, halibut or tuna two or three times each week.
- Add one serving of soy to your diet each day.
- Get plenty of fiber from fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Eat at least three servings of 100% whole grains each day.
- Stay away from high sodium junk foods, processed foods and greasy foods.
- Don't fry your foods. Bake, broil or stir-fry them.
- Eat less red meat. The meat you do eat should be low in fat. Substitute fish, low-fat poultry, legumes or soy products like gardenburgers.
- Don't smoke.
- Start an exercise program.
- Watch your stress levels.
- No more than one alcoholic drink per day.
- Choose one percent fat or non-fat dairy products.
- Cut out the extra sugar from your diet. Avoid sugary soft drinks, candies and other sweets.
- Stay away from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils like the ones found in many brands of margarine. Read "Nutrition Facts" labels.
American Heart Association. "Five combined healthy habits equal lower heart disease risk." Published July 2006.
