Heart health is an important topic for me. After I had covid in September 2021, my overall health declined. I had an autoimmune disease and was lucky to live through nearly a month of severe illness, followed by long-haul covid. My long-haul symptoms included fatigue, irregular menstrual cycles, cognitive impairment, respiratory decline, and heart health deterioration.  

Pre-covid, I was pretty healthy despite a long list of illnesses I had previously overcome. My lifestyle was filled with healthier, more nutritious choices. I genuinely believe my lifestyle affected my ability to survive covid and manage my dreadful symptoms at home naturally. Unfortunately, my Apple Watch recorded my resting heart rate as low as 40 BPM with a heart variable in the teens for nearly a year post-covid.

Not to mention, heart disease runs in my family. Watching my dad struggle with heart disease, clogged arteries, and multiple strokes should have been enough. But when my 23andMe genetic health insights showed I have a 79% increased likelihood of hypertension, I knew what needed to be done.  So, I dove into ways I could take control of my heart health and made some changes.

What is Heart Health

The heart beats about 2.5 billion times in the average lifetime, pushing millions of gallons of blood into every body part. As the heart moves blood throughout the body, it carries oxygen, fuel, hormones, and other essential compounds for everyday living (1). The heart also works with the nervous and endocrine systems to determine when to increase or decrease heart rate and blood pressure levels through electrical impulses (2). 

Studies have observed metabolic factors of cardiovascular disease, and healthy numbers signify a healthy heart (3). Therefore, it only makes sense that to understand heart health, one must know ideal metabolic numbers, such as blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.

Blood Pressure

Your blood pressure is recorded in systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number). Systolic blood pressure indicates how much pressure your blood exerts against your artery walls when the heart beats. Diastolic blood pressure indicates how much pressure your blood exerts against your artery walls while the heart rests between beats (4).  

Standard blood pressure numbers between 90/60 and 120/80 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) are within the normal range (5). If results fall into the normal category, stick with heart-healthy habits like following a balanced diet and regular exercise (6). If numbers are too high or low, tracking them daily and making mindful decisions toward better heart health is recommended. My dad uses the Checkme 2-in1 Bluetooth Blood Pressure Monitor, which connects to an app on his phone to automatically track the device’s blood pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) readings.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance naturally made in the body. The mainstream says there are two types of cholesterol: low-density lipoprotein (LDL), often called bad cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the good cholesterol. Lipoproteins are small, round particles of fats (lipids) and proteins (7). Too much of the bad or insufficient good increases the risk of cholesterol slowly building up in the artery’s inner walls responsible for feeding the heart and brain. A normal LDL level for all adults is less than 100 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter), while the average HDL level for males is more than 40 mg/dL and 50 mg/dL for females (8).

Your liver makes all the cholesterol you need, and the remainder of the cholesterol in your body comes from food (9). Cholesterol is only found in animal products (e.g., meat, poultry, dairy, etc.), while fruits, vegetables, grains, and all other plant foods have none (10). According to the mainstream, as the amount of cholesterol in the blood increases, it circulates in your body, risking overall health. High cholesterol contributes to a higher risk of cardiovascular events like heart disease and stroke. 

Good and bad cholesterol is often considered controversial by some members of the natural health community. Many look at the review of 72 studies of nearly 600,000 people, which found no connection between total or saturated fat and heart disease. Instead, they discovered that trans fats are damaging while omega-3 fats are beneficial (11). With that said trans fats are often found in meat and dairy products from ruminant animals (e.g., cows, sheep, goats), as well as fried and ultra-processed foods frequently containing additives, sodium, phosphorus, nitrates, and trans and saturated fats (12,13).

Triglycerides

Although not cholesterol, triglycerides are part of a lipoprotein panel (a test that measures cholesterol levels). Triglycerides are a type of fat (lipid) found in your blood, consisting of a glycerol backbone (a component of lipids called glycerides) and three fatty acid chains (14,15). When you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn’t need immediately into triglycerides, which are stored in the fat cells. Later, hormones release the triglycerides for energy between meals. A normal triglyceride level is below 150 mg/dL (16).

Blood Sugar

Blood sugar, or glucose, is the primary sugar found in the blood. The body gets glucose from the food we eat. This sugar is an essential energy source and provides nutrients to the body’s organs, muscles, and nervous system. The absorption, storage, and production of glucose are constantly regulated by complex processes involving the small intestine, liver, and pancreas. Before meals, blood sugar should be between 80 and 99 mg/dL, and after should be between 80 and 140 mg/dL (17).

Signs of Heart Disease

When the heart stops working correctly, we often hear the diagnosis of heart disease. Heart disease usually refers to several heart conditions associated with their own set of symptoms (18). Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for one death every 36 seconds (19). Approximately 659,000 people die annually from heart disease in the United States (20).  Some key indicators of an unhealthy heart/heart disease include (21,22):

• Chest pain/discomfort 
• Cold sweats
• Coughing
• Dizzy or lightheadedness
• Fatigue
• General weakness
• Heartburn
• Indigestion
• Nausea
• Pain that spreads to the arm
• Palpitations (fast or uneven heartbeat)
• Poor blood supply to extremities
• Shortness of breath 
• Snoring loudly
• Stomach pain
• Swelling in the legs, ankles, or feet
• Wheezing

Although there are many types of heart disease, almost all (except congenital heart defects) have one similarity – they’re preventable. Of course, heart disease can be caused by genetic and lifestyle factors, but our genetics load the gun while our lifestyle choices pull the trigger. Nonetheless, it’s important to understand the risk factors for heart disease, such as (23):

• Ages 65+
• Being male
• Family history
• Being African-American, Mexican-American, American Indian, Asian-American, or Native Hawaiian, partly due to familial lifestyles and cuisines.

Influences on Heart Health

Sometimes, the blood supply that normally nourishes the heart with oxygen is cut off, and the heart muscle begins to die; this is called a heart attack (24). The most common cause of a heart attack is plaque buildup in the arteries (atherosclerosis), which prevents blood from reaching the heart muscle. Heart attacks can also be caused by blood clots or torn blood vessels and, less commonly, by a blood vessel spasm (25). 

Some of the most common threats to heart health that lead to heart problems, such as heart attacks include (26,27,28,29,30):

• Diabetes diagnosis 
• Drug abuse
• Excessive alcohol 
• Excessive caffeine
• High cholesterol
• Hypertension (high blood pressure, including pre-eclampsia during pregnancy) 
• Over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements (e.g., NSAIDs, decongestants)
• Overweight/obesity
• Prescription medications (e.g., birth control, hormone replacement therapy, opioids, metformin, antidepressants)
• Sedentary lifestyle (not enough exercise)
• Sleep apnea
• Smoking
• Stress
• Ultra-processed foods (e.g., fast food, soda, cereal, lunch meat, white bread, etc.)

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of controversy surrounding heart-healthy foods. One source says to avoid eggs, while the next states to eat them frequently. Although some older studies demonstrated eggs as heart-healthy, newer studies have had different results. For instance, recent studies have found eggs increase the risk of obesity, hypertension, coronary artery calcium scores (a measure of heart disease risk), and even diabetes (31,32).

So why does the American Heart Association feature multiple recipes with egg ingredients? Well, maybe it has something to do with Eggland’s Best being one of the American Heart Association’s proud national supporters, meaning the AHA is in Eggland’s Best’s pockets (33). If you’re looking for actual heart-healthy foods, aside from good old fruits and vegetables, try some of these options:

• Amla berries (34)
• Black beans (35)
• Brown rice (36)
• Cannellini/white beans (37)
• Cayenne pepper (38)
• Chia seeds (39)
• Cinnamon (40) – learn the benefits of cinnamon
• Dark chocolate (41)
• Flaxseeds (42)
• Garbanzo beans/chickpeas (43)
• Hawthorn berries (44) – learn the benefits of hawthorn berry
• Hemp seeds (45)
• Kidney beans (46)
• Navy beans (47)
• Nuts, including nut milks (48)
• Oats, including oat milk (49)
• Pinto beans (50)
• Pumpkin seeds (51) – learn the benefits of pumpkin seeds
• Sesame seeds (52)
• Sunflower seeds (53)
• Turmeric (54) – learn the benefits of turmeric
• Whole grains (55)

Due to the incredibly complex determinants of heart disease and various possible contributions, it’s hard to pinpoint an exact way to prevent it. Still, you can at least take steps to lower your overall risk. That’s why I created simple-to-follow steps categorized by beginner, intermediate, and advanced. To optimize health health, I recommend starting with the beginner steps and adding in and working through the intermediate and advanced steps.

Beginner Steps to Support Heart Health

• Increase water consumption.
• Focus on consuming more whole foods while incorporating foods from the list above.
• Exercise. The goal should be daily, but aim for at least a few times each week. 

Intermediate Steps to Support Heart Health

• If you smoke, try to quit (start by decreasing your intake).
• Incorporate heart-supporting herbs (e.g., amla berry, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, hawthorn berry, turmeric, etc.).
• Eliminate food toxins (e.g., food coloring, refined flour, alcohol, sugar, and vegetable oils).

Advanced Steps to Support Heart Health 

• Eliminate/limit pharmaceutical medications (do this to the best of your ability with the help of a trusted medical professional).
• Consider supplements like Gaia Herbs Hawthorn Supreme or Herb Pharm’s Heart Health.

Product Disclaimer

Product recommendations are affiliate links. I do not own or make these products. Recommendations are selected according to ingredients at the time article was written and can change at any time. I encourage you to double-check ingredients and research each company to ensure they’re suitable for your journey.

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