Take better care of your heart this Valentine’s Day

February is National Heart Month, and what better day to start taking better care of yours, than this Valentine’s Day (February 14). Leading health charity Viva Health is offering some great tips for preventing and reversing cardiovascular disease (CVD) to get you off to a fantastic start.

– Maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight you are at risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. These conditions all increase your risk of having a stroke – A low-fat vegetarian or vegan diet can help with weight loss, and losing just a few centimetres from your waist can significantly lower your risk of CVD

– Reduce salt in your diet as it may worsen CVD and high blood pressure. Adults should have no more than 6g per day

– Choose more vegetarian foods – they protect and strengthen your heart and blood vessels Heart protecting foods Bananas, oranges, apples, pears, grapefruit, mango, strawberries and blueberries Broccoli, kale, spinach, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, squash and corn Brown rice, wholemeal bread or pasta, unsweetened cereal, quinoa, buckwheat. All types of beans and lentils, eg kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, soya milk and tofu (Try to eat at least five portions of fruit and veg each day)

– Eat more fibre such as wholemeal bread and brown rice. Fibre lowers blood pressure and – helps to control blood fat levels, which helps to prevent coronary heart disease (CHD and stroke)

– Avoid meat and dairy – both contain saturated animal fat and cholesterol which clog the arteries

– Eat “good’ fats – essential omega-3 from flaxseed and walnuts, for example

– Exercise regularly.

Not only can it help prevent stroke and CHD, but also helps to keep your weight down Viva Health has produced a special Healthy Heart Pack available for £5 (inc p&p) which includes: Have a Heart guide. Includes seven day menu plan with recipes. Plant-Based Diets and Cardiovascular Disease. Viva Health’s informative fully-referenced fact sheet, Customisable Blood Pressure Car Sticker, Blood Pressure mini-guide * Nutrition in a Nutshell. Easy to read guide explaining why a plant based diet is healthy and nutritious.

Includes a vitamin chart and where to obtain all the nutrients you need on a vegetarian or vegan diet Viva Health senior nutritionist, Amanda Woodvine, says: “Guidelines for the UK say that we should aim for a cholesterol level below 5.0mmol/l, but unfortunately, we’re not managing it, as the average level for men is about 5.5 mmol/l and 5.6 mmol/l for women. “Veggies, however, tend to have much healthier cholesterol levels and up to 50 per cent less risk of high blood pressure (defined as 140/90 or more) a condition which affects one in four Brits. There is strong scientific evidence showing that vegetarian and vegan diets can be used to prevent and treat high blood pressure, lower cholesterol and even reverse heart disease.”

For more information or to order a Healthy Heart Pack, visit www.vegetarian.org.uk, email info@vegetarian.org.uk or call 0117 970 5190.  For further information contact: Amanda Woodvine, Viva Health senior nutritionist by emailing amanda@vegetarian.org.uk or press officer Helen Rossiter press@vvf.org.uk, or call 0117 970 5190.