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E arlier this month the Heart Foundation kicked off its
Cook with Heart Challenge
in partnership with Coles.
The challenge was created to raise funds for heart disease, by encouraging Australians to cook healthy, hearty meals using the recipes shared on the Heart Foundation website. This had me thinking: what types of food are best for heart health and how do I jump on this?
“Heart disease is Australia’s single biggest killer, taking the lives of
48 people every day,” Heart Foundation dietitian Sian Armstrong said.
She continued: “Poor diet accounts for nearly two thirds of the burden of heart disease.”
An issue that weighs heavy
While it has been recognised that health is a rising trend, thanks largely to social media, consuming large amounts of processed foods is still very popular
in Australia.
“The problem with the average
Australian diet is that more than a
third (35 per cent) is made up of highly processed junk and takeaway foods that are high in kilojoules, saturated fat, salt and sugar,” Ms Armstrong said.
“These types of foods include cakes, biscuits, lollies, chocolate, chips, pastries and sugary drinks, which add little in the way of real nourishment.”
Having a diet that involves a lot of these foods presents a great risk to heart health.
“A poor diet can contribute to a number of risk factors for heart disease, including high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, increased risk of diabetes, weight gain and obesity issues,”
Ms Armstrong said.
Several diseases and conditions fall under the umbrella of heart disease, including arrhythmia, atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease and heart infections.1
Ms Armstrong added: “Eating too much salt is linked to high blood pressure, which increases the risks for heart attack and stroke.
“Close to 75 per cent of the salt we eat is hidden in highly processed and packaged foods like biscuits, chips, pastries, pasta sauces, processed meats and takeaways.”
Eat to fill the heart
Ms Armstrong cites estimates suggesting
that “if Australians ate the recommended daily intake of vegetables, it would reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke by about 16.6 per cent and save $1.4 billion in health spending”.
However, it’s important for patients to be reminded that not just one food is going to cure all heart issues.
“People at risk of, or living with a heart condition should consider following
the Heart Foundation’s ‘heart healthy eating pattern’ that recommends consuming more plant-based foods like fresh vegetables, fruit and wholegrains, healthy proteins like fish and seafood, with smaller amounts of animal-based foods,” said cardiologist Professor Garry Jennings, Chief Medical Adviser at the Heart Foundation.
“Reducing your intake of highly processed junk foods like biscuits, fried foods and sugary drinks is also important for good heart health.”
Ms Armstrong emphasises this sentiment, too.
“Heart healthy eating is more than one specific type of food or nutrient,” she said. “Rather it’s about the overall pattern of eating a variety of healthy foods over days, weeks and months.”
BODY & SOUL 67 Ms Armstrong says people with type
2 diabetes should eat fewer than seven eggs a week, while for general diets, the Heart Foundation recommends limiting unprocessed lean red meat such as beef, lamb, veal and pork to a maximum of 350g a week, or about one to three red-meat meals a week.
Foods such as deli meats, she says, “should be avoided as they’ve been consistently linked to higher risk of heart disease and other chronic conditions”.
Professor Jennings said: “People living with a heart condition often require personalised diet advice, which takes into account many factors, including their diagnosis and symptoms, and medical conditions and their medications.”
Advice for a pharmacy assistant
As every individual needs their own, personalised advice, Professor Jennings says it’s important that people living
with a heart condition talk to a health professional for personalised diet advice, based on their specific condition.
“In this case,” he said, “we recommend that a pharmacy assistant refers the customer to the pharmacist on duty or encourages the customer to visit their GP for specific advice, including how they may be able to access advice from an accredited practising dietitian.”
Additionally, resources are available for pharmacy assistants to refer to.
“We recommend pharmacy assistants direct customers to visit the Heart Foundation’s website, to learn more about heart healthy eating and try our delicious recipes,” Ms Armstrong said.
“If a person living with a heart condition needs more specific advice, we recommend they talk to their doctor or health professional for personalised diet advice.”
Reference:
1. Healthline. ‘Heart disease: risk factors, prevention and more’. Accessed 16/6/20. healthline.com/health/ heart-disease
“Heart healthy eating is
about the overall pattern
of eating a variety of
healthy foods over days,
weeks and months.”
Top tips for hearty foods
• Eat plenty of colourful vegetables, fruits and wholegrains.
• Add some heart healthy proteins such as fish, seafood, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds.
• Eat smaller amounts of lean chicken and eggs.
• If choosing red meat, limit to one to three meals a week.
• Choose unflavoured milk, yoghurt and cheese.
• For those with high cholesterol or heart disease, opt for reduced-fat varieties.
More tips, as suggested by
Ms Armstrong, include using healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and their oils for cooking,
and adding herbs and spices to flavour foods instead of salt.
“Drink water as your main choice of fluid, instead of sugary drinks,” she said.
“This style of eating is naturally low
in saturated and trans fats, salt and added sugar and is rich in wholegrains, fibre, antioxidants and unsaturated fats, like omega-3 and omega-6.”
Visit the Heart Foundation website:
heartfoundation.org.au
RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • JUL 2020