Heart-healthy recipes and tips

People often don't think about their health until they receive advice from a doctor. Issues like high blood pressure and heart disease can be scary when you first hear of them, but many individuals can improve their symptoms and overall health with some lifestyle changes. Start here with heart-healthy recipes and tips:

Get active
Likely, one of the key things your doctor will tell you to work on is your level of physical activity. Between the commute to work, being behind a desk all day and watching TV on the couch, it's easy to develop a completely sedentary lifestyle. It's crucial to your health that you bring up your heart rate every day and take part in activities that stretch and work your muscles. Discuss workouts with your doctor as he or she can provide guidance as to how intense you should go based on your personal needs and conditions. You may need to add options like a brisk daily walk or several trips to the gym every week to your routine.

Eat smart
Many people eat food that is too fatty, leading to blockages and thinner blood vessels. This condition puts strain on your heart and greatly affects your overall health. Your physician may suggest that you see a nutritionist or dietician to learn about certain foods to cut back on or avoid altogether in the interest of improving your cardiovascular functioning. In general, it's a good idea to follow the Heart and Stroke Foundation's recommendations, like eating mostly fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and fiber-rich whole grains. 

Try new recipes
Often people get into ruts where they eat the same meals each week. This can get boring fast! It's not always easy to just hop on the Internet and come up with a recipe to make, though. If you've had that, "What am I going to make?" conundrum, especially after switching to a heart healthy diet, consider using these awesome resources:

• Pinterest: Simply search "heart-healthy recipes" and you'll find thousands of great dishes. If you're lucky, you might even have the ingredients for a good meal at home already. Many of the pins on this site are from healthy bloggers who may even be in a similar position in terms of trying to improve their heart health.
• Best Health Magazine features exciting, delicious recipes that you can try out - look for heart-healthy ones with low sodium. These can be easily modified to serve just you or your entire family. Your loved ones won't even know they're eating dishes specifically aimed at improving their health!
• The Heart and Stroke Foundation: From spinach and green pea soup to bistro chicken pasta salad, you'll have a hard time choosing a recipe for dinner off this site - it all looks so good! Just choose whether you want a meat, veggie or fish idea and you'll soon be browsing awesome options.