A Balanced Heart Is A Healthy Heart
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Take the quiz!By Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum | Posted Dec 6, 2022
Close your eyes. Think of your favorite food. Is it sweet? Is it savory? Is it salty? More importantly, is it good for you? Most often, we crave things that are not the best for us. In fact, we tend to crave things that are bad for us! People who have trouble metabolizing sugars crave simple carbohydrates, like cookies and bread, and those who cannot metabolize fats desperately want meat and cheese. It is just the way it tends to be. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all craved what made us feel healthy, energized, vital and satiated? Sometimes we start craving the food that makes us feel healthy only after we start eating it, when it becomes a part of our daily nourishment routine. Without a doubt, we just have to begin.
Let us start there. Firstly, commit to getting rid of that one habit. Is it soda? Ice cream? Extra bread with dinner? Daily meat consumption? Now, focus on cutting back. Food is not just what we eat to fill us up and give us some pleasure. It is to sustain us, to nurture us, and to live with vitality and health. Let’s figure out how to find pleasure in the food that we choose to eat and let it nourish us differently than ever before. We need to pivot how we think about what we eat as a tool of true nourishment.
Consistently, the Mediterranean Diet has been a diet plan shown to decrease the risk of heart disease. It has traditionally been associated with good fats, multi grains, complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes. Olive oil itself is a monounsaturated fat with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that prevent the development of plaque. Unquestionably, the combination of foods leads to a decrease in cholesterol, stabilizes blood sugar, and helps to manage weight. Moreover, the diet is varied, and there are many options for healthy and tasty foods that can nourish our hearts and our bellies.
Undoubtedly, diets and food have always been a topic that many have explored for weight loss and for health. There have been obsessions with exactly what to eat, when, and in which combinations. The reality is that when you nourish your body with the foods that provide the nutrients and minerals and properties to provide your body with the right fuel, the need to obsess goes away. Nourishment becomes more about how to eat to live healthily and satisfyingly.
Finally, you can start your own journey by getting some healthy ingredients. Follow a Mediterranean recipe and share it with some people you love. Talk about Nourishment…there is nothing more delicious and satisfying than sharing healthy food around a table filled with love.
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.118.313348