According to the Cleveland Clinic, nearly 2/3 of all cases can be traced back to being influenced by a poor choice in diet. (2) That means every day, you can have the opportunity to make a positive impact on your risk through dietary choices – how powerful!

Why is diet so strongly tied to heart disease? Primarily, this can be attributed to its effect on two of the primary factors listed above – Blood Pressure and Cholesterol. 

• Diet and Blood Pressure: Consuming salt, sugars, and saturated fats has been shown to increase blood pressure. This is a major concern as sustained high blood pressure weakens your arteries, causing decreased blood flow. Sufficient intake of certain nutrients like potassium, magnesium, and calcium have been shown to combat increases in blood pressure. Yet, less than 2% of Americans are getting enough of these nutrients with their current diet. (3)
• Diet and Cholesterol: Cholesterol can be most simply broken down into LDL (bad) cholesterol and HDL (good) cholesterol. The goal is to keep LDL levels low and HDL levels high. Levels of both are significantly tied to diet. Foods commonly known to be poor for your health increase LDL cholesterol – including full fat dairy, fatty red meat, and processed foods (chips, cookies etc.). Whereas high fiber foods like fruits/vegetables, whole grains, and healthy oils have been shown to reduce LDL levels and increase HDL levels – keeping your heart very healthy! (4)

You may be saying to yourself, “Great, the same foods I know are bad are still bad and the good foods are still good, but knowing is only part of the battle. How do I apply this knowledge every day to help myself?”