Your Heart Health Dietitian
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Heart disease is one of the leading causes of mortality in the United States, but it can largely be prevented by adopting healthy diet and lifestyle habits. Even if you’ve been diagnosed with a risk factor for heart disease, such as hypertension or elevated cholesterol levels, your nutrition and daily habits can go a long way in managing these conditions and reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other complications.
The food you consume may be one of the most important lifestyle factors that can protect you from heart disease. Your diet influences blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and weight—all factors that can either contribute to developing heart disease or help protect you from it. If your health goals include improving cardiovascular function and minimizing the risk of heart disease, consider signing up to see a heart health dietitian to dial in your nutrition and start making heart-healthy choices.
What is a Heart Health Dietitian?
A heart health dietitian is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) who specializes in cardiovascular health. These nutrition professionals have a deep understanding of how diet and lifestyle choices impact heart health.
Heart health dietitians may see patients in hospitals or work in a private practice. A heart health dietitian can offer nutrition counseling and education to individuals who want to improve general heart health, those at risk for developing heart disease, and patients who have been diagnosed with a cardiovascular condition.
Depending on your health goals and needs, a cardiac dietitian will provide recommendations and/or a heart-healthy meal plan to help you lose weight, improve blood pressure, and optimize cholesterol levels.
Can a Registered Dietitian Help With Heart Disease?
Registered dietitians can absolutely help individuals successfully manage heart disease. If you’ve already been diagnosed with heart disease, working with a heart health dietitian is crucial for minimizing symptoms and reducing the risk of health complications. In addition to heart disease, dietitians can help you lower your risk of other health problems, including obesity, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, and more.
Dietitians translate scientific research and nutrition science into practical, everyday advice. They will guide you in making healthier food choices and help you set physical activity goals tailored to your needs and lifestyle. Working together, you’ll make small changes over time to improve nutrition and health habits.
Benefits of Medical Nutrition Therapy for Heart Health
Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) is a type of nutrition counseling provided by a registered dietitian. MNT focuses on the prevention or management of a specific health condition, such as heart disease, with evidence-based dietary interventions.
The goals of MNT for cardiovascular health are highly individualized and depend on each patient’s health status, current diet, and health goals. Here are some common goals and benefits of MNT for heart health:
- Improved blood pressure: Choosing lower sodium foods, increasing physical activity, and a heart-healthy diet can naturally lower high blood pressure.
- Reduced lipids: Eating more fiber and choosing foods with healthy, unsaturated fats over saturated fat can help lower triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels.
- Better blood sugar control: Learning to eat balanced meals that include lean protein, fiber, and healthy fat helps prevent blood sugar spikes. Optimizing blood sugar control is vital for controlling inflammation, reducing the risk of diabetes, and weight management.
- Optimized nutrition: Improve overall health by increasing essential nutrients from fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats. Promote health by reducing intake of highly processed foods and unhealthy ingredients, including trans fats, sodium, and cholesterol, that can contribute to disease.
Long-Term Cardiovascular Benefits
The ultimate goal of working with a registered dietitian nutritionist is to empower you to make lifestyle changes that improve your health in the long run and increase longevity. Here are some of the long-term cardiovascular benefits that come with adopting a heart-healthy diet and making healthy lifestyle changes:
Get to a Healthy Weight
Carrying extra body weight is a risk factor for heart disease and other chronic health conditions. A dietitian will calculate how many calories you need daily to support weight loss and maintenance. They’ll also teach you about portion control and which foods to eat to help you feel full and eliminate cravings. Over time, these recommendations can help you lose excess pounds that may strain your cardiovascular health and contribute to poor health.
Lower Your Cholesterol
Cholesterol levels are another contributing factor for most types of heart disease. Cholesterol can be managed through diet. Eating more plant-based foods and fewer animal fats, like fatty meat (burgers, hot dogs, bacon, etc) and full-fat dairy products, (butter, cream cheese, etc) can help lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. You can raise “good” HDL cholesterol by replacing unhealthy fats with healthier, unsaturated fats from olive oil, avocado, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds.
Manage Blood Pressure
Elevated blood pressure is the third major risk factor for developing heart disease. If a doctor has diagnosed you with hypertension, they may recommend starting a low-sodium or DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. These diets typically have you consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. A dietitian can help you learn to cook with less salt, season food with salt-free herbs and spices, and which foods are naturally low in sodium and high in potassium to improve blood pressure.
Conclusion
Nutrition is fundamental to heart health, and working with a registered dietitian can provide you with the knowledge and resources you need to benefit your heart now and in the future. Whether you want to reduce your risk of heart disease or work on managing an existing condition, a dietitian can help you set realistic goals and make sustainable changes for lasting results.