‘You don’t need lots of money to keep your heart healthy’

Keeping your heart healthy doesn’t necessarily depend on how fat your bank account is, but on how well you manage your eating, a dietician at Garki Hospital, Abuja,  Yemisi Olowookere has said. Heart health comes down to “how you eat, the nutrient contained in the food,” she said.  The worries about cardiovascular condition stem from […]

Keeping your heart healthy doesn’t necessarily depend on how fat your bank account is, but on how well you manage your eating, a dietician at Garki Hospital, Abuja,  Yemisi Olowookere has said.
Heart health comes down to “how you eat, the nutrient contained in the food,” she said.
 The worries about cardiovascular condition stem from hypertension and high blood pressure to triglycerides and cholesterol.
But changes matter too, regardless of income level.
“If you are changing your diet to improve your heart health, it is not about how much you have but making changes to the food available to you,” she added. 
A high income earner wolfing down fried foods and all manner of meats also needs to be concerned about how much sodium they are taking in, explained Olowookere. 
More carbs means increase in calorie intake, especially when there isn’t much physical activity to get rid of excess calorie.
Olowookere said a simple rule is moderation. 
“Try and match your calorie need to your lifestyle. You can’t be sedentary and consume all that calorie without burning off some with an active lifestyle,” she cautioned.
Vegetables are always safe to fall back on, but even they require care and moderation.  “There are lots of inexpensive vegetables around–eggplant, tomatoes, carrot, cucumber-the way you make them matters,” according to the dietician.
Vegetables are better kept and eaten close to fresh as possible, and not exposed to high temperatures in frying and boiling.  She also advised that watermelon, oranges, and bananas, should not be taken in excess. All you need is your five a day, she said.
“Say no to sugary drinks,” urged Olowookere. “They are actually bad news for the heart.”
The same caution could as well apply to concern about obesity, but obesity itself predisposes to heart disease.
“Once your BMI [body mass index] is above 25, it increases your risk of having high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and all are risk factors for cardiovascular disease,” Olowookere concluded.