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A cardiologist said the biggest mistake for heart health is waiting too long to make health-promoting changes.
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Diet and exercise play a major role in preventing later heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.
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An easy way to make your diet more heart-healthy is to start by changing your beverages.
If you want to live a long life, now is the best time to take care of your heart health, according to a doctor.
The biggest mistake people make when it comes to their heart health is waiting until it’s too late to do something, says Dr. Gregory Katz, a cardiologist at NYU Langone.
“People think it’s something that happens suddenly. Sometimes they look up and think, ‘How the hell did I have a heart attack or a stroke?’ The seeds are planted very early,” Katz told Business Insider.
Your habits today, such as eating well and exercising, can make a big difference in protecting your heart and preventing heart disease, heart attacks and strokes later in life, he said.
While medications can help, sometimes patients put off taking medications that could help them control their risks because they are trying to change their habits first.
“Taking medication is not a moral failure. That is an important message,” Katz said.
The trick is to focus on changes that you can actually sustain, he added.
“People aren’t honest with themselves about the lifestyle changes they actually want to make,” Katz said. “A large percentage of patients tell themselves they’re going to make changes, and suddenly five years later their cholesterol is still high.”
To maintain heart-healthy habits, focus on small, sustainable changes — one of the easiest, according to Katz, is reducing your sugar intake in beverages.
Reducing liquid calories can be transformative
High cholesterol and other heart health risks are linked to a diet rich in processed foods, added sugar, red meat and saturated fats, which is common for the average American.
In contrast, diets for better heart health include eating plenty of vegetables, whole grains, legumes and unsaturated fats like olive oil, which help lower your cholesterol levels.
But it can be difficult to change your diet overnight, and too many changes at once can backfire
One of the easiest ways to make your diet more heart-healthy is to reduce your consumption of sweetened or alcoholic beverages, Katz says.
“Calorie intake and alcohol consumption are the biggest modifiable risk factors. The number of people I see drinking 500 calories a day blows my mind,” he said. “Just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s easier.”
There is evidence that sodas, juices, sugary coffees and cocktails can contribute to health risks such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
A nutritionist previously told BI that a good strategy for limiting sugary drinks is to replace them with alternatives such as the following:
Replacing liquid calories is a good first step toward improving important factors for better heart health (and longer life), such as healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels and stable blood sugar.
Read the original article on Business Insider
