Tag: healthy heart tips

Healthy Heart Tip: Traffic Light Food Labels

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: Traffic Light Food Labels

Reading food labels can be confusing, and it can be hard to know where to look, with the back-of-pack labels often feels like navigating through a maze.

Most food and drink manufacturers, as well as supermarkets in the UK, now voluntarily display front-of-pack information in a colour-coded ‘traffic light system’. Energy, fat, saturated fat, total sugars, and salt content are commonly displayed in green, amber and red on the front of many food and drink packets to help consumers make informed choices.

By being aware of the nutrient content of foods, reading food labels correctly and making healthy swaps, you can keep your heart healthy and live a little longer too.

Here are some tips to help you make the healthiest food choices possible:

Energy value

The energy value of food or drinks is measured and displayed on packets as both calories (Kcal) and kilojoules (kJ).

On average, men need to consume around 2500kcals per day and women need approximately 2000kcals. This should be taken into account when choosing your food and drink options. Lower calorie options are often healthier, but make sure you check the sugar and salt content.

If you regularly consume more calories than you burn off, then it is likely you will gain weight. Increased weight is associated with a higher risk of developing heart diseases

Go green

You should aim to choose foods that have as many areas highlighted in green as possible. Traffic light labelling can help you to make healthy informed decisions about what brand or type of food you buy.

For example, if you are selecting a pre-packed sandwich or a jar of sauce, look at which one has more green sections on the front.

Amber: proceed with caution!

If you notice that food has amber front-of-pack information, then proceed with caution. This food can still be healthy, and it is advised to opt for foods with mainly green and amber labels, but just be aware not to consume too much of it.

Make sure that you are aware of your intake. If you are buying more than one item of food for a meal and they all have amber warnings for salt, then swap one for a healthier lower-salt alternative.

Remember high levels of salt, sugars and saturated fats can all impact your heart health.

Red: STOP!

Are you regularly choosing foods that have lots of red on the labels? Be careful!

Consuming foods that are high in fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt have a negative impact on your heart and it is generally advised to avoid those with red labels.

Eating these on occasion as a treat and part of a balanced healthy diet is fine, but when they are consumed regularly, they can increase your blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels (LDL).

This puts an increased strain on your heart and heightens your risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Healthy Heart Tip: Reducing your salt consumption

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: Reducing your salt consumption

Consuming too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, a major risk factor for developing heart diseases. Salt is a source of sodium which is essential for a healthy body and diet. However, when we consume too much it can have a negative effect on our cardiovascular system and kidneys.

Did you know that one tablespoon of soy sauce contains almost 3g of salt? The NHS recommends no more than 6g of salt a day, this is around one level teaspoon. This includes salt that is already in our foods, plus any that’s added during or after cooking.

Here are some tips to help you reduce your salt consumption:

Reduce processed food consumption

Processed, ultra-processed foods and packaged foods are often responsible for much of the salt you eat. Eating a diet based on fresh foods, fruits and vegetables will help to reduce your salt intake and improve your heart health.

Processed foods are those that undergo any deliberate changes before being sold, for example, washing, cutting, canning, freezing or adding preservatives. Whereas ultra-processed foods, undergo extensive processing and end up looking nothing like their original state. They often have additives, artificial flavours and colours, sweeteners and preservatives added to them.

Always check your food labels when purchasing packaged foods. Green and amber on the traffic light system labels are healthier as they tend to be lower in salt. Try to avoid labels with red on them where you can.

If possible, try and make the foods from scratch, this way you know exactly what’s going into it. It may help to batch cook and freeze some of the meals for convenience.

Choose lower-salt alternatives

Try low, reduced salt or sodium versions of foods and sauces. These are often available for soy sauces, jars of sauce and stock.

If possible, buy tinned vegetables, pulses or fish in water instead of brine, this will reduce your salt consumption further.

For a food to be classified as low in salt, it needs to have 0.3g salt or less per 100g. Between 0.3g and 1.5g of salt is classed as medium salt content, whilst 1.5g salt or more per 100g is seen as high salt content.

Don’t add salt to your food

Herbs and spices such as parsley, oregano and chilli powder are a great alternative to use than salt.

You could try adding lemon, garlic and wholegrain mustard for extra flavours in your cooking too.

Experiment with your flavours and enjoy your cooking.

Healthy Heart Tip: Benefits of physical activity on heart health

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: Benefits of physical activity on heart health

Physical inactivity is one of the main risk factors for heart diseases and is associated with a 24% higher risk of coronary heart disease.

In the UK, it is recommended that adults partake in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week plus two sessions of resistance training.

Over six in 10 adults meet this guideline, if one of these is not you, then why not? Your heart is a muscle too!

This muscular organ also needs to be worked out and increasing the amount of physical activity you do is one of the best things for your heart health. In this healthy tip, we share some benefits of physical activity.

What is physical activity?

Physical activity is any form of movement produced by your muscles that uses energy. A few examples include walking, running, dancing, swimming, and gardening.

Heart health benefits

Partaking in physical activity strengthens your heart muscle and decreases your blood pressure. Regular physical activity can improve your blood sugar control and reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a major cardiovascular risk factor.

Changes in your cholesterol levels will become apparent, with your LDL (bad cholesterol) levels becoming lower and HDL (good cholesterol) levels rising.

Ultimately, physical activity is essential for a healthy heart. It strengthens your heart, reduces your chances of developing heart diseases and increases your lifespan.

Other health benefits

Physical activity benefits both your physical and mental health. If these are in good health, it is likely that your heart is too.

Partaking in regular physical activity will help you build cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, and improve your flexibility and balance.

You may find that you have more energy after carrying out physical activity due to the rise in your endorphins, this also helps to improve your mood.

Other benefits include improvements in your sleep quality and duration, improvements in anxiety and depression as well as a reduction in the amount of stress hormones in your body.

These additional health benefits all directly or indirectly help your heart too.

Healthy Heart Tip: Maintaining your new healthy habits

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

At the beginning of 2024 you may have created a new healthy resolution for the year and now is the time to start thinking about how to maintain it. Creating a new habit or stopping an old one can be difficult, and with motivation at its lowest during the winter months, it can be easy for habits to slip.

A study found that on average it takes 66 days to make a habit become an automatic part of your routine.

Here are some tips to help you change your short-term habit into a long-term one:

Goal setting

When setting your goals, it can be beneficial to make SMART targets to help you maintain them.

  • Be Specific, do you want to increase the amount of walking or running you do, or do you want to eat more fruits and vegetables?
  • Make sure your goal is Measurable, track your progress and success.
  • Make it Attainable, this will help you to achieve your goal.
  • Keep it Relevant, make sure it helps you reach your longer-term health goals.
  • Ensure it’s Time-bound, set an end date to achieve your goal.

Track your progress

By tracking your progress, you can monitor your improvements, motivate yourself to go further and stay accountable for your actions.

It is also a good way to adjust or change your approach to your goal if needed, helping you to achieve it. It is easy to track your progress, you can record it in a journal or make a spreadsheet.

Support

Having the support of friends and family can help you to achieve your goals.

Having a strong support network will provide you with encouragement and guidance in your journey.

You could try and get them to set their own goals too and do it together.

Healthy Heart Tip: A Low Alcohol Christmas

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: A Low Alcohol Christmas

December is the time of year for gathering with family and friends, and these social occasions often revolve around alcohol.

Consuming too much alcohol can have a negative impact on your heart, and even if you don’t drink often, a few drinks can cause you to sleep poorly and be tired the next day making you reach for unhealthy foods for a quick energy fix.

In this week’s healthy tip, we share some ideas for how you can reduce your alcohol consumption this festive season and enter the new year feeling full of energy.

Alcohol-free drinks

Many of the big-name brands now offer alcohol-free versions of their popular drinks. If you haven’t found a good alternative to your regular drink, keep trying until you find one that you like.

There are some great options available that taste very similar to their alcohol counterpart. Even if you don’t quit drinking entirely, you can reduce the amount of alcohol you consume by alternating your regular drink with an alcohol-free version.

Mocktails

Cocktails without alcohol are a great way to enjoy a tasty drink this festive season. Most bars and restaurants will have a selection of mocktails for you to choose from and they’re usually cheaper too.

Just be mindful of choosing ones that are low in sugar, try to avoid those containing sugar syrups and fruit juices and opt for the ones using ingredients like mint, lime juice and soda water.

A fancy glass makes all the difference, so why not buy some decorative cocktail vessels, and make some indulgent mocktails at home.

Enjoy alcohol in moderation

We don’t have to stop drinking completely to look after our heart, the key is to enjoy alcohol in moderation and adopt other healthy lifestyle habits in conjunction with limiting our alcohol consumption.

The NHS recommends drinking no more than 12 units of alcohol a week, spread across three or more days, so just make sure you don’t exceed this.

This looks like six medium (175ml) glasses of wine or six pints of 4% beer.

Healthy Heart Tip: Keeping stress in check

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: Keeping Stress in check

We’re coming up to a busy time of year, and if you find the lead-up to Christmas a little overwhelming, you are not alone. Stress is very personal and experienced differently by everyone.

The key is to recognise when you are feeling stressed and put things in place to reduce it before it gets too much.

There are many things you can do to manage stress and build resilience, so you cope better next time you find yourself feeling overburdened or in a stressful situation. Stress is linked to heart health because when we are feeling stressed, we can adopt unhealthy lifestyle habits which contribute to the development of heart diseases.

Here are three things to consider building into your routine to help keep stress at bay:

Prioritise your physical health

Getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, and ensuring we are physically active can help us deal with stress better and increase our resilience.

Research has shown that when we are sleep deprived, we report higher levels of stress, so ensuring you get seven to nine hours of sleep a night is essential.

These things can seem out of reach in the midst of stress, however, they can make a big impact so start small, making little, sustainable changes.

Spend time in nature

There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that spending time in nature can reduce our perceived stress levels and increase our overall wellbeing.

Similarly, bringing nature indoors can help you feel less stressed, so think about getting some houseplants to take care of.

You can tick two things off your stress-buster list by taking part in some movement in a green space, such as going for a jog or brisk walk in your local park.

Get creative

Spending time doing activities you enjoy can give you a much-needed break from daily life, and doing something creative that requires your concentration can give your mind some quiet time.

Think about starting a new hobby such as pottery, knitting or even block printing. We have recently partnered with the Indian Block Printing Co. to create a block printing tea towel kit which would be a great first crafty project to start with.

Healthy Tip: Caffeine & Heart Health

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: Caffeine & Heart Health

A dose (or two) of caffeine plays a staring role in the morning routine of many adults, but is our morning cuppa having a negative impact on our heart?

In this week’s healthy tip, we look at caffeine specifically in relation to our cardiovascular health. Does drinking coffee raise our blood pressure? Are energy drinks safe? Read on to find out and pick up some tips on how we can make our caffeine habit heart healthier.

Is caffeine bad for our heart?

You’ll be pleased to know that for healthy individuals, moderate consumption of caffeine (4-5 cups a day) doesn’t have a negative impact on our heart. However, everybody responds to caffeine differently and if you experience any negative side effects such as heart palpitations, it is wise to limit your consumption.

Also, be mindful of drinking caffeine after mid-day as it can remain in your bloodstream for up to 10 hours after consumption and negatively impact your sleep – which could have a negative impact on your heart.

Caffeine & blood pressure

Consuming caffeine has been shown to cause our blood pressure to increase, however this is usually only temporary and in healthy individuals isn’t cause for concern.

It is important we know our blood pressure and put lifestyle changes in place to keep it as healthy as possible, but quitting the coffee isn’t needed for a healthy heart. Instead, focus on eating a healthy diet and taking part in regular exercise.

Energy drinks & dehydration

While consuming a few cups of tea or coffee isn’t cause for concern, consuming multiple energy drinks could be more problematic. This is due to the volume in which they are consumed and the sugar that usually accompanies them.

If you do drink energy drinks, don’t drink them as you would other soft drinks to avoid consuming high amounts of caffeine. It is also worth keeping mind that consuming too much caffeine can cause dehydration, so make sure you sip water or other healthy drinks between your caffeinated beverages.

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for weekly healthy tips at:

 www.heartresearch.org.uk/health-tips 

Healthy Tip: Working out your heart

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: Working out your heart

Did you know that your heart is a muscular organ and beats about 100,000 times a day? This varies depending on your level of fitness, but the bottom line is it has a BIG job to do.

Although the cardiac muscle isn’t under voluntary control like the skeletal muscles in your body (you don’t have to tell your heart to beat!), it still requires working out.

Here we share some tips on how to get started working out your heart.

What exercise?

A great way to work out your heart is to partake in some heart-pumping aerobic exercise, which is basically anything that gets your heart pumping faster.

Lots of different activities fall into this type of workout such as brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, playing tennis and many fitness classes such as boxercise or Zumba.

Resistance training also contributes to a healthy heart, including working out with free weights or on weight machines. You can even do hand weight exercises while sat at your desk.

How much?

Doctors recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity, aerobic exercise per week. This could look like 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or maybe some longer sessions on fewer days.

In addition to aerobic exercise, aim for two sessions of resistance training per week.

If you don’t already take part in exercise, start small, as any exercise is better than none. You can gradually work up to the recommended amount.

The benefits

Regular exercise has the potential to lower our blood pressure and heart rate which reduces the risk of heart diseases. It can also reduce the risk of developing other conditions such as type 2 diabetes.

A combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training can contribute to healthy cholesterol levels. Moving more is one of the best things you can do for your heart health.

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for weekly healthy tips at:

 www.heartresearch.org.uk/health-tips.

Healthy Heart Tip: Healthy Bank Holiday

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: Healthy Bank Holiday

Breakfast

Always start the day with a good breakfast as this sets the tone for the day and encourages you to choose healthy options at other mealtimes.

Consuming a breakfast rich in protein will help keep you fuller for longer and a portion of wholegrain carbohydrate will give you the energy you need to power your morning.

Why not try scrambled egg and avocado on wholegrain toast or fresh fruit with low-fat yoghurt and low-sugar granola?

Choose healthier drinks

Consuming too much alcohol can have a negative impact on your heart, but the good news is there are so many healthier and delicious, alcohol-free drinks available nowadays.

A simple soda water with fresh lemon is delightful, or you could try a gut-loving kombucha or simply choose alcohol free versions of the alcoholic beverages you usually consume. These drinks generally contain fewer calories than normal soft drinks and alcoholic tipples and won’t leave you with a fuzzy head the following day.

Drop the guilt

Bank holidays are usually a time when families and friends meet up to enjoy some quality time together. Often this includes an abundance of less healthy food and drink options to tempt us.

Avoid over-indulging, by giving yourself permission to enjoy a moderate amount of food and drinks that are higher in sugar, salt, fat or alcohol, and enjoy it without feeling guilty.

If you are planning a BBQ this weekend, you might want to check out our Healthy Tip on BBQs. 

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for weekly healthy tips at:

www.heartresearch.org.uk/health-tips.

Healthy Tip: Supercharged Sandwiches

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: Supercharged Sandwiches

Thought to have been invented in 1762, sandwiches have stood the test of time and are one of the nation’s favourite lunch options.

They are quick and simple to make, can be adapted to suit any dietary preference and they can be as extravagant or as basic as you wish.

Many people shy away from sandwiches when they are trying to eat more healthily, opting for salads or lighter options instead, but the humble sandwich can be a heart-healthy option when we take the time to plan out its components.

The bread

Choose wholewheat options which contain more fibre and are higher in vitamins than their white equivalent.

Fibre is an essential part of a heart-healthy diet, so it is a great idea to select higher fibre options when choosing bread. You can always switch up the bread for wholemeal pittas, wraps or bagels to add variety. Just be sure to look for lower salt options where possible.

The filling

It is important to make sure we include a source of protein in our sandwiches. Protein helps us feel fuller for longer and will keep our energy consistent throughout the day.

Avoid processed deli meats which usually contain high levels of salt, and opt for healthier options such as roasted chicken, salmon, egg, beans, lentils, or low-fat dairy options such as lighter cheddar or cottage cheese.

The veggies

No sandwich would be complete without some vegetables! It can be tempting to skip these, but adding some colour will make sure you receive a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals and add some more all-important fibre.

Ensuring we eat some plants at every meal makes it much easier to consume our five-a-day. Great options include roasted veggies, grated carrot, cucumber, pepper, spinach, rocket and any other leafy greens.

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for weekly healthy tips at:

www.heartresearch.org.uk/health-tips.