Tag: Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tips: Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is an approach to food where you pay full attention to eating. Research has shown that eating mindfully can improve digestion, help regulate appetite and helps us enjoy our food much more.

Here we share some simple ways to incorporate mindful eating into your daily routine:

Preparing your food
For many people, cooking can feel like a chore but it doesn’t have to be a rushed experience or something we do on autopilot. Whether you’re chopping, slicing, or marinating, the art of being mindful when you are cooking is an ideal opportunity to focus your attention on textures, sounds and smells. If your mouth waters – you know you’re on track!

Slow down
Taking the time to eat and chew your food thoroughly will enable you to taste the essence of the food. During a meal, you could practice taking smaller bites of food and try to put down your knife and fork between mouthfuls. You may be surprised at all the flavours that are released that you may not normally notice.

Eating around the table
When life gets busy, it can be easy to slip into the habit of eating on the run and neglect taking time to sit down together. Trying to factor in time for sitting around the table can be beneficial for all members of a family or household. It can help everyone switch off from the stresses of the day and provide an opportunity to reconnect over a meal.

No distractions
We tend to eat more mindlessly when we are distracted. We also don’t taste and experience the food as much because our mind is elsewhere.

Try eating with no distractions; this means eating without your laptop or phone, or when reading or watching TV so that you can relax and enjoy your food in the moment.

Mindful eating takes practice, and the more you practice, the more natural it will feel!

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/

Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:

https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-cookbook/

Healthy Heart Tips: Insulin and our Hearts

Insulin is an important hormone that allows sugar to move from our blood, after digesting food, into our muscles and fat cells to be either burned or stored.

Diabetes, is the name we give to the disease related to problems with our insulin. Whilst some types of Diabetes are caused by factors out of our control, Type 2 Diabetes can usually be prevented in younger individuals by adopting a healthy lifestyle. What’s more, most of the lifestyle actions we can take to limit our diabetes risk will also help to improve our heart health!

With this in mind, here are some tips for doing just that:

Eat more Fibre

Fibre can not only help to reduce cholesterol levels but also helps to slow down how quickly our blood sugar levels increase. Try and swap white pasta and bread for wholegrain options, eat more fruit and vegetables, and snack on unsalted nuts and seeds.

Create Activity Opportunities

Staying active is one of the most effective ways to maintain our weight and lower blood pressure. Consider how you can incorporate a minimum of one ‘activity opportunity’ every day, whether it’s walking the dog, cleaning your house, or dusting off your old bike. Remember to keep it fresh and do something you enjoy!

Take the 5% Challenge

Reducing our bodyweight by more than 5% is an effective way to positively manage our future health, however any weight loss is beneficial, so start small and build on your success! Remember to set a goal over a realistic timeframe; 0.5-2lb per week is sustainable.

Know Your Numbers

Eating excessive amounts of sugar over many years can be harmful to our health. Try and opt for foods with less than 5g of sugar per 100g most of the time, and limit high sugar foods such as fizzy drinks and sweets to less than twice per week.

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/

Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:

https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-cookbook/

Healthy Heart Tips: Sugar Awareness Week

Action for Sugar holds a national Sugar Awareness Week each year, highlighting the dangers associated with too much sugar in the diet and this year is held between 8th-14th November 2021.

Here are some healthy heart tips to ensure you are keeping an eye on your sugar intake.

Sugar Recommendations

  • Consuming too much sugar in your diet can lead to weight gain and becoming overweight or obese. 
  • ‘Free sugars’ are sugars that are added to foods as a flavour enhancement or to act as a preservative (increasing shelf-life of products). This is the type of sugars that adults and children in the UK need to cut down on.
  • The government recommends that free sugars should not make up more than 5% of the energy you get from food and drink each day.

This means:

AgeMaximum free sugar/day
4 – 6 years19g
7 – 10 years24g
Adults30g

Tips to reduce sugar intake

  • Choose products that are labelled ‘no added sugar’ or ‘no sugars’.
  • Reduce consumption of sweets treats such as cakes, biscuits, and sweets.
  • Swap out canned fruit in syrup for fresh fruit.
  • Switch sugary breakfast cereals for unsweetened cereal and add fresh fruit for sweetness.
  • Swap sugary drinks for water, sugar-free or diet alternatives.
  • Limit fruit juices and smoothies to 150ml a day.
  • Cut down on sugar in hot drinks or try adding sweetener instead.

Checking Labels

Nutritional labels can help you reduce your intake of free sugars.

The “of which sugars” figure on the nutrition labels (part of the carbohydrate information) will help you understand the amount of sugar. Labels on the front of the packaging use a traffic light system to distinguish the amount of sugar in a product:

–              Red = high (more than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g)
–              Amber = medium (more than 5g but less than or equal to 22.5g of sugars per 100g)
–              Green = low (less than or equal to 5g of sugar per 100g).

Ingredient list:

Watch out for these names which may suggest there are added free sugars:
•             Glucose
•             Xylose
•             Treacle
•             Honey
•             Dextrose
•             Sucrose
•             Sugar (palm, raw, beet, brown)
•             Cane juice
•             Fructose

Being aware of the amount of sugar in different foods & drinks and following these healthy tips can reduce your sugar intake and consequently, lower your risk of developing health complications such as heart disease!

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website: 

https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/

Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:

https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-cookbook/

Heart Research UK smashes fundraising record with £70,000 raised in art-inspired fundraiser

Heart Research UK has raised over £70,000 with the fourth instalment of their ‘anonymous heART project’, auctioning mystery pieces of A5 art produced by a host of internationally acclaimed artists, musicians and celebrities.

Heart Research UK Patrons Robert Smith (The Cure), Paul Insect and Christopher Kane have joined the likes of Chvrches, Jamie Hewlett, Annina Roescheisen, Anna Tsvell, Ralph Steadman and hundreds of international artists to create over 450 pieces of unique artwork, that were auctioned on eBay between the 22nd – 31st October.

The online auction, sponsored by international law firm Walker Morris included 471 pieces which were all sold anonymously. Prior to the auction, a full list of contributors was available, however the artist of each piece has been kept a secret, only being revealed to winning bidders now that the auction is over.

When the virtual hammer came down on Sunday evening at 8:00pm, the auction had proved to be an enormous success, raising a record amount and bringing the total amount raised for the ‘anonymous heART project’ across the 4 years to over £200,000, which will be helping to fund Heart Research UK’s life-saving work.

Following on from previous auctions, iconic rockstar and frontman of The Cure; Robert Smith contributed four beautiful pieces with the best-selling artwork fetching a stunning £5,900 in the online auction.

The piece, entitled “IT’S JUST THE WAY I SMILE…YOU SAID…” was highly sought after and all four pieces were included in the top 10 best-selling artworks.

Heart Research UK Patron Robert Smith commented: “The anonymous heART auction is a great idea and a great event, a wonderful opportunity to own a unique piece of art whilst supporting one of the UK’s best charities.

“The generosity of the bidding this year was overwhelming and I am very proud of everyone who got involved. I can’t wait for next year’s auction!”

Ahead of its fifth anniversary in 2022, the ‘anonymous heART project’ has seen over 1,800 artworks sold, raising over £200,000 for Heart Research UK’s pioneering research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease.

Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive of Heart Research UK, said: “Everyone at Heart Research UK has been truly overwhelmed with the generosity of both the artists and people bidding on this year’s ‘anonymous heART project’. 

“We knew that it would be tough to beat the previous year’s total but we managed to exceed all our expectations and could not be more grateful to everyone involved. We are indebted to all the contributors and would particularly like to thank our Patrons Robert Smith, Paul Insect and Christopher Kane, who all picked up their paintbrushes and donated their time, effort and support to the campaign.


“At Heart Research UK we like to use fun and innovative ways to raise funds and the beauty of the ‘anonymous heART project’ is that it allows people to support ground-breaking medical research, while at the same time obtaining a beautiful piece of art in return. It really is making high-class art available to all and we’re thrilled with the success of this years’ campaign.

“Each and every year, we try and make the ‘anonymous heART project’ even more special and we are already working on some exciting plans for the big five-year anniversary in 2022.”

To find out more and to register your interest for the fifth-year anniversary of the anonymous heART project, please visit heartresearch.org.uk/anonymous-heart/

Or follow the @he.art_project on Instagram for more updates.

Healthy Heart Tips: How to enjoy a healthy Diwali

Diwali, known as the festival of lights, is a five-day religious festival celebrated around the world. The festival is celebrated by many different faiths, bringing family and friends together.

Here are some tips to help you enjoy a healthy Diwali:

Celebrate with healthier food choices


Traditional sweet treats and flavoursome food is a key part of the Diwali festivities, and it is fine to allow yourself to enjoy some of your favourite dishes. Avoid over-indulging for a prolonged period and try to make some healthier food choices, such as fresh fruit and unsalted nuts, rather than fried foods and sweets.

Healthy Food Preparation


If you are responsible for preparing food for the festivities, look after the health of your loved ones by avoiding too much fat, salt or sugar in your cooking. Include plenty of heart-healthy ingredients such as fruit, vegetables and wholemeal foods, for example wholemeal chapatis, brown rice and wholemeal pita bread.

Move more during Diwali

Take the opportunity to get more active during Diwali. Keep your normal routine going as well as finding opportunities to include more activities, such as walking and dancing.

If you know you will be consuming more calories during Diwali, why not build a workout in at the start of the day to compensate.

We hope you enjoy a happy and healthy Diwali!

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our other Healthy Heart recipes from our website: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/ 

Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:

https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-cookbook/

Pumpkin Potential this Halloween

Halloween happens every year on 31st October and is a day filled with various traditions around the theme of scary stuff! One key ingredient of a great Halloween celebration is a carved pumpkin (it used tae be a turnip! – Ed.).

Yet in-fact, pumpkins not only look great in your window, but are a versatile veg, full of fibre and vitamins.

Here are some ways you can use your left-over pumpkin this Halloween:

Make a Soup
Find our Pumpkin Soup recipe at the bottom of the page. This recipe contains plenty of heart-healthy fats, is low in salt to improve blood pressure and contains two of your 5-a-day!

Roast It
Roasting is a quick, healthy, and easy way to cook pumpkin. Simply peel, deseed, and slice into 1cm slices, then add a little olive or rapeseed oil and place in a heated oven at 200oC for approximately 40 minutes.

Swap it Out
A great way to use up left-over pumpkin from Halloween is to make some swaps. You can use roasted pumpkin as a great side-dish or substitute it for potato, pasta or rice for a more vegetable-filled plate with a flavour twist

Use the Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are a great source of protein and fibre and are low in saturated fat. To cook, run water over the seeds to remove any excess pulp, boil for 5-10 minutes, drain and spread over a baking tray, adding a little oil, then roast at 180oC for 8-10 minutes.

Hearty Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

  • Light spray + 1 tsp of heart healthy rapeseed oil
  • 2 white onions, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • Finely chopped parsley
  • 100g chopped tomatoes
  • 800g chopped pumpkin
  • 100g split red lentils
  • ½ tbsp dried thyme
  • 1 litre hot vegetable stock (go heart healthy with a low salt variety)
  • 50g half fat or reduced fat crème fraiche
  • 4 slices of wholemeal bread (toasted)
  • Optional black pepper for seasoning

Method:

Step 1:  Heat the oil in a large casserole dish and fry the onions over a medium heat until translucent and turning golden brown. Add the garlic (keep the pumpkins to one side), lentils and dried thyme. Fry together for a minute.

Step 2: Add the vegetable stock then season with pepper and then cover. Let this simmer for 20- 25 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.

Step 3: Wash and dry the pumpkin seeds before heating up the teaspoon of oil. Add the seeds and fry them until they start to pop and jump. Cover and stir frequently. When the seeds look toasted, remove them from the heat.

Step 4:  Blend the cooked lentils and pumpkin mixture with a hand blender until smooth. Add the crème fraiche and give it one last blend. Taste the soup and season with pepper if needed.

Step 5: Toast the bread and slice into croutons.

Step 6:  Serve the soup in a jar or a mug with toasted seeds, parsley, and croutons on top.

Recipe by Simon Taylor

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our other Healthy Heart recipes from our website: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/

Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:

https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-cookbook/

Heart Research UK: Health diet tips for Cholestrol Month

National Cholesterol Month: The benefits of a healthy diet

October is National Cholesterol Month. Cholesterol is a fatty substance which is needed in the cells of your body. Too much cholesterol in your blood can lead to a build-up in your arteries and this increases your risk of having a heart attack.

We provide simple dietary tips to help you keep your cholesterol levels in check.

Eat foods that are high in fibre

A diet that is high in fibre will reduce your risk of heart disease and help to keep your cholesterol healthy. Eat a minimum of five portions of fruit and veg each day and choose wholegrain versions of bread, pasta and rice.

Oats for breakfast

Oats contain a type of soluble fibre known as beta-glucan, which can lower your cholesterol. As the weather gets cooler, you could start your day with a bowl of porridge with healthy toppings such as mixed berries, chopped apple or banana and a sprinkling of toasted chopped nuts, seeds or cinnamon.

Eat healthier fats

Saturated fats can contribute to high cholesterol and these fats tend to come from animal sources (e.g. fatty meats, cheeses, cream and butter). Coconut oil is also high in saturated fats. Swapping saturated fats for unsaturated fats, such as oily fish (e.g. salmon and mackerel), extra virgin olive oil, rapeseed oil and avocados, can help to increase your levels of good cholesterol.

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some heart healthy recipes from our website: 

https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/  

Or our healthy cookbook:

https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-cookbook/

Heart Research UK: Grab some art and help some hearts

National charity Heart Research UK have launched the ‘anonymous heART project’ 2021, an online fundraising campaign that will see hundreds of anonymous one-of-a-kind masterpieces created by huge names from the worlds of art and entertainment go up for auction on eBay. 

Heart Research UK Patrons Robert Smith (The Cure) Paul Insect and Christopher Kane have joined the likes of Chvrches, Jamie Hewlett, Ralph Steadman and hundreds of international stars and artists who have created stunning A5 pieces.

The twist? Though the list of artists will be available to all bidders, the artist of each individual piece will be kept anonymous, only being revealed once the auction is over. Could you bag yourself an original masterpiece for a bargain price? 

Their pieces will be auctioned alongside almost 500 others pieces created by a host of celebrities and international artists on eBay from 22nd October – 31st October 2021.

You can bid on your favourite piece here www.heartresearch.org.uk/heart-auction

The anonymous heART project is back for its 4th year, with previous editions raising over £130,000 in total. All the money raised will fund Heart Research UK’s vital medical research into the prevention, treatment, and cure of heart disease. 

Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive of Heart Research UK, said: “The anonymous heART project is one of the most exciting projects Heart Research UK has ever run. We are delighted to welcome it back for another successful year, as we have received an astounding number of artworks from artists, designers, and celebrities all over the world. 

“At Heart Research UK, we are always looking for fun and innovative ways to raise money to help us continue our vital medical research, helping us benefit patients as soon as possible. 

“The anonymous heART project is a fantastic event allowing people to own their own mini-masterpiece created by an artist or celeb but allows them to get involved and give a little something back. 

“What makes this project so special is that everyone has the chance to own a piece of iconic art; it really is making high class art available to all whilst, allowing people to support our ground-breaking medical research which helps save lives.” 

The anonymous heART project is proudly sponsored by international law firm Walker Morris.

Walker Morris, who partnered with the charity to launch the first anonymous heART project in 2018, are reinforcing their long-standing reputation for innovative sponsorship of the arts with a two-year sponsorship of the project, including the Anonymous heART Project’s 5th anniversary year in 2022.

Heart Research UK: Health tips on World Mental Health Day

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY

Sunday 10th of October 2021 is World Mental Health Day. It is an international day for global mental health education and awareness.

Every week, one in six adults experiences a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression.

By keeping the body healthy we can also improve the mind, so here are a few tips to get you started:

Meditation


Try setting aside two minutes per day over this week to give meditating a go. Simply find a quiet place, sit in a comfortable position with good posture, concentrate on your breathing and pay attention to your wandering mind.

Stay Hydrated


If you are not adequately hydrated, you may find it difficult to think clearly and concentrate. Try to drink six to eight glasses/cups of fluid each day. Water is a cheap and healthy option. Tea, coffee and juices all count, but these may be high in sugar or caffeine.

Reduce Alcohol Intake
Alcohol acts as a depressant and can have a negative impact on your mental health as well increasing your risk of heart disease. Try cutting down on alcohol by swapping to drinks with a lower alcohol content or having a soft drink between alcoholic drinks.

Good Diet and Exercise Routine


Eating a healthy diet can have a positive impact on your mood. Changing dietary habits can be difficult, but small changes can make a big difference.

Try to plan healthy meals in advance and make sure you include five portions of fruit and veg every day. Being physical activity can reduce stress. Try to establish a realistic physical activity routine that fits in with your commitments.

Health Research UK Healthy Heart Tip: Keeping yourself fit

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

Keeping yourself fit

Regular physical activity can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 35%. Keeping fit is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle for people of all ages, since exercising regularly can have various long-term health benefits on both physical and mental wellbeing.

See the tips below on how to increase your fitness:

Join challenges/schemes

One of the main obstacles to improving fitness can be getting started. By joining challenges, plans, or schemes, it can help create structure to your fitness journey. Why not check out the NHS 12-week-plan which combines running, strength and flexibility workouts to improve overall fitness.

Work across different intensities

It is recommended that each of us try to do at least 150 minute of ‘moderate’ intensity exercise per week, or 75 minutes of ‘vigorous’ intensity activity.

To improve fitness levels, it is important to work at both high and low intensities. A good indication of ‘moderate’ activity is being able to talk but not sing during your exercise session. Moderate activities may include brisk walking, dancing, lawn mowing or moderate cycling.

A good indication of working vigorously is the inability to speak more than a few words without pausing for a breath. Vigorous activities include swimming, skipping, running, and sports such as netball, hockey, and football.

Engage in different types of exercise

There are four main types of exercise: aerobic fitness, strength, balance, and flexibility. Doing some of each creates variation in your day-to-day activities to combat boredom, reduce your risk of injury, and improve your all-round fitness. Activities that improve muscular strength include using resistance bands, lifting, weights or even heavy gardening tasks such as digging.

You may also incorporate balance exercises through activities such as tai-chi, and racquet sports such as tennis and badminton. Flexibility exercises include yoga and Pilates, which can help to improve mobility. Try finding a local fitness class or club today!

For more tips, visit our website at heartresearch.org.uk