Laura Yautz, RDN
Heart disease hits close to my… well… heart. In my own circle of family and friends, many are living with heart disease; high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, etc. Several have been lost too soon. After all, heart disease is the #1 killer of American men and women.
When I developed preeclampsia at the end of my first pregnancy, the importance of heart healthy living became even more real. It was a warning sign that I could very easily develop a heart condition in the future. And with my genes, it may not be the too distant future!
Maybe you, also, have experienced a warning sign or two. Maybe you’ve experienced feet or ankle swelling, shortness of breath or less stamina doing normal daily activities, discomfort or pain in your chest, chronic heartburn or back pain, or perhaps you have another condition that puts your heart at greater risk. Health conditions like type 2 diabetes, connective tissue disorders, rheumatic fever, and some viral and parasitic infections can increase your risk of heart disease.
And, of course, there are lifestyle factors that go into heart disease risk as well. I’m talking about smoking, drinking alcohol in more than moderate amounts, not managing stress in healthy ways, not exercising, and not eating well.
Here’s the good news for you and me: in many cases, heart disease is preventable. That means that the things we do every day; what we eat, drink, smoke, and how we live our lives, can either help us avoid health problems, or lead to them! And if you already have a heart disease, a healthy lifestyle can help treat (and in some cases reverse) it. So that’s why I created Being Nutritious. I’m on a mission to create the most delicious recipes from some of the heart healthiest foods on the planet, so all of us can live longer, healthier lives!
Join me in my quest for yummy, heart healthy foods!
“You’re going to LOVE Being Nutritious!”