EVERY MONTH SHOULD BE HEART HEALTH MONTH
- isoldespies
- Feb 7, 2024
- 2 min read
February is heart health month and considering our monthly talk series I thought it would be appropriate to focus on heart health from a dietary perspective.
According to Public Health Ontario diseases of the circulatory system are preventable, and yet the leading cause of death among Canadian adults. To date the most common cardiovascular diseases (CVD’s) are ischemic heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and heart failure. Congenital heart disease and other chronic conditions e.g., rheumatoid arthritis and COPD can further increase our risk of CVD and its associated events.
Modifiable health factors e.g. smoking, alcohol consumption, eating habits and activity levels can promote or prevent cardiovascular incidences.
Ontario’s dietary intake based on food groupings (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and proteins) differ widely by age, sex, socio-economic class, and culture. Based on a 2015 community health survey (n=4221) on nutrition, 41% of Ontarian’s food intake was from non-whole grain and other food sources (classed as high in fat, sugar, and sodium). These food types are not aligned with the 2019 Canadian Food Guideline recommendations and detrimental to our health.
Copied from: Public health Ontario 2015 community health survey:
To restore the balance of our nutritional consumption we must acknowledge the negative health impact of diets high in processed meats, and refined foods that contain excessive saturated fat, sugar, and sodium. Therefore, let’s aim to increase our vegetable, fruit, and whole grain intake during this month and beyond.
Implementing these dietary changes and regular physical exercise together with enough sleep will have a positive effect on our physical and mental health.
Our February challenge:
Be adventurous and experiment with the use of other plant-based proteins e.g. beans and chickpeas.
TIP for successful diet change:
Like exercise introduce small manageable changes.
To show you how easy and tasty a plant and legume-based meal can be I am including my sweet potato, bean, onion and spinach recipe (serves 2 people)
For those that just can’t go without an animal protein I have added my yoghurt sauce recipe
Ingredients:
· 2 x sweet potatoes
· 1 (medium or large) onion of choice
· Chopped fresh jalapeno to taste
· 1 Crushed garlic cloves
· 2 cups washed spinach
· 1 can legumes (bean or chickpeas)
· Olive oil
· Salt and pepper to taste (I like using a bit of Montreal steak spice)
Method:
· Wash and prick the sweet potatoes
· Bake whole in the oven for 40-60 minutes at 250 C (350 F)
· In a frying pan fry the onion, garlic and chili until it is soft
· Add in the legumes.
· Salt to taste
· Add the spinach
· Continue to fry until all the ingredients are warm
· Cut the baked sweet potato in half and remove the skin
· Spoon the bean mixture on top
For a decadent twist blend the following ingredients for a delicious sauce on the side
· 1 cup yoghurt (I believe in a healthy whole fat yoghurt)
· Fresh chopped chillies and garlic to taste
· 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
Enjoy!
References:
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