How to Promote Heart Health Without Dieting or Focusing On Weight Loss

Out in the world, Intuitive Eating is often misunderstood or mischaracterized. 

People hear experts like me encouraging eaters to give themselves not only full but actually *unconditional* permission to eat and enjoy ALL foods—and they think, “how on earth could that possibly be healthy?”

They’re missing 3 key points.

One, ALL foods include fruits, vegetables, lean protein, nuts, seeds, grains, and loads of other nutrient dense foods. It also includes pizza, cookies, chocolate, and anything else you enjoy.

Two, we’re not encouraging people to eat whatever they want with no regard whatsoever for anything else. Rather, we’re encouraging you to eat all foods with ATTUNEMENT to your hunger and fullness cues and how you want to feel, including honoring your health with gentle, flexible nutrition strategies.

Three, as unbelievable as it may seem, once you give yourself unconditional permission to eat and enjoy any food you want without guilt... a funny thing happens. 

Effectively, you end the battle against those previously 'off-limits' foods. You neutralize them and make them less exciting.

In doing so, you free yourself to eat some, enjoy them, and move on. You’re finally able to keep foods in the pantry you’d never have previously trusted yourself with. What’s more, you start to notice that much of the time your body actually craves nutrient dense foods that make you feel good and honor your physical health.

Wahoo! THIS is what we call the happy, healthy middle ground approach to not just sustainable, healthful eating but also physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing!

The sweet spot of authentic health if you will.

I’m telling you this because I want to drive home the point that Intuitive Eating is anti-diet but PRO-health.

We support health with weight-neutral care—which means we don't focus on the scale but instead we put the attention on individual health-promoting behaviors. Friendly reminder: weight is not a behavior.

And good news! This approach works even if you have specific health conditions or concerns.

Which brings us to your ❤️...

Here are four evidence-based, non-diet ways to support heart health:

1. Eat plenty of fiber. Most Americans get significantly less fiber than they need each day (which is approximately 25-30 grams per day for most adults). And yet, it's so beneficial to heart and overall health. Here are some of the reasons why:

Soluble fiber binds to LDL cholesterol in your small intestine so that it then gets excreted in your stool instead of entering your bloodstream where it can build up over time and cause blockages on artery walls. You'll find soluble fiber in yummy foods like oats, grains, whole grain pasta, legumes, whole wheat bread, and others. Yum!

Many fiber-rich fruits and vegetables are good sources of potassium. This key nutrient helps to relax blood vessel walls and can support a healthy blood pressure. I know diet culture loves to hate on carbs but whole grains are rich in many nutrients including magnesium and folate, which also play an important role in heart health.

The benefits don’t stop there! Meals rich in fiber slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream thereby helping to maintain blood glucose levels in the target range—this is important because, over time, elevated blood sugar can damage blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart.

Bottom line: look for ways to add those fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, seeds, and other fiber-rich plant foods to your meals! If you need ideas, be sure to follow along with me on Facebook or Instagram as I'm constantly making suggestions for how to do this with taste and ease.

2. Move your body consistently and often. Exercise is one of the best ways to support heart health. It helps to lower blood pressure and can also increase beneficial HDL cholesterol levels along with blood flow to your heart. Essentially, exercise helps your heart function more efficiently.

Remember, the best exercise is the one you ENJOY and actually WANT to stick with! 

Pro-Tip: If you have trouble staying consistent with your fitness routine, check in on your mindset. Are you focused on calories burned and the number on the scale? Often, when weight loss and calories burned are the primary motivation for exercise, it encourages an all-or-nothing approach—jumping all in with exercises you don’t enjoy and an extreme or rigid plan that isn’t realistic long-term or well-suited to your lifestyle. 

Try reminding yourself instead that ALL movement counts; pick something you truly enjoy and then find ways to make it fun and consistent. Add in plenty of flexibility and self-compassion for those days when it just doesn’t happen; consistent doesn't mean perfect.

3. Choose heart-healthy fats including avocados, nuts and seeds, olive, canola and other plant-based oils, as well as seafoods and others rich in omega 3s. To remember the types of seafood that are richest in Omega 3 fatty acids, learn the acronym SMASHT: sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon, herring, tuna.

Heart-healthy fats help to both lower triglycerides and boost HDL cholesterol, among other benefits. 

4. Practice regular stress management. Chronic stress increases cortisol and other stress hormones in the body. When these are chronically elevated, it leads to increased blood pressure, triglycerides, cholesterol, and blood sugar—all of which are risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

Physical activity is one of the best ways to help your body complete the stress cycle and return those hormones to baseline levels. Other evidence-based ways to do this include laughter, deep breathing or meditation, getting outside in nature, and engaging in creative projects. I highly recommend the book, Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski if you’d like more awesome insight and tips on completing the stress cycle!

Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention here that feeling stress, guilt, overwhelm or anxiety about your food choices can be another form of chronic stress with all the negative implications described above. This is just one more reason why working to heal your relationship with food and body in order to find the happy, healthy, guilt- and stress-free middle ground approach to eating and self-care is so incredibly valuable.

If you’d like help, be sure to reach out and schedule a free Intro to Intuitive Eating call. ☺️