How heart-healthy are your daily habits? In a new book, South Beach Diet creator Dr. Arthur Agatston explains how your everyday routine can damage — or save — your heart.
Heart expert Dr. Arthur Agatston, creator of the South Beach Diet, wants you to take a good, long look at your daily habits. "Americans are fatter and sicker than ever," says the cardiologist, "and we have to do something about it now." In his book The South Beach Wake-Up Call, Agatston examines many of the reasons why Americans are now so unhealthy, and provides seven simple strategies for turning our toxic lifestyle around, one step at a time. He also shares stories of ordinary people who have made good health a permanent way of life. Agatston is also issuing a Wake-Up Pledge to encourage people to reverse their toxic lifestyle.
Unfortunately, the poor health of Americans is only predicted to increase. Due to sedentary lifestyles and junk-food-heavy diets, 34 percent of adults in the United States are now obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a shocking 20 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 11 are as well.
The problem of obesity goes far beyond a person's waistline. Obese and overweight people are also at greater risk for a number of heart-related problems, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, even without any of these other risk factors, obesity by itself increases the risk of heart disease.
But there are many things you can do to help your heart. Here are the simple and practical steps Agatston recommends to get yourself on the road to a healthier heart, and better health in general, as soon as possible.
In order to take control of your heart health and your health in general, it’s important to evaluate what may be holding you back. Often the problem begins with the clutter in your life. Outward clutter is often a sign of inner clutter, or emotional turmoil that is preventing you from moving forward when it comes to your health. A good place to start decluttering is in your kitchen, and that begins with eliminating the junk foods lurking there. “The biggest part of turning a kitchen into a healthy place to cook and eat is to get rid of the bad food to make room for the good,” Dr. Agatston says. He encourages you to look through your pantry, cupboards, and refrigerator and toss out empty-calorie foods such as sugary sodas, candy, baked goods made with refined flour, and sugary cereals, as well as half-eaten cartons of take-out food, or anything that has passed its expiration date. You can also look in your freezer and get rid of unhealthy frozen entrées and half-finished cartons of full-fat ice cream. Your freezer space can be better used to store healthy meals you cook ahead of time for quick dinners during the week.
An essential component of a heart-healthy diet is eating the right kinds of foods throughout the day. Dr. Agatston stresses the importance of starting the day off right with a breakfast that includes some lean protein and fiber, such as an omelet made with chopped vegetables. “While eggs do have a fair amount of dietary cholesterol, studies have found that dietary cholesterol doesn’t raise levels of blood cholesterol in most people, even when eggs are eaten most days of the week,” he says. Snacking strategically mid-morning and mid-afternoon will also help to keep you satisfied so that you don’t overeat at mealtime. Agatston suggests a handful of almonds (about ¼ cup), carrot sticks with hummus, or a piece of fruit along with a slice or wedge of reduced-fat cheese as good snack choices.
Eating out several nights a week didn’t used to be the norm for Americans, but it is nowadays, and that’s part of what’s contributing to the trend toward unhealthy weight. Preparing more of your meals at home can help you take control over what you’re eating, Dr. Agatston says: “By buying your own food and preparing it yourself, you can ensure you’re getting the maximum nutrients in each meal." Best of all, eating at home can help you save money. Dr. Agatston encourages people to create weekly meal plans and shopping lists and then stick to the list at the grocery store. And contrary to popular belief, it isn’t necessary to avoid the center aisles of the store, where you'll typically find processed foods. “While the perimeter continues to be your main source for healthy items, these days shopping the center aisles is also essential — it’s here you’re likely to find whole-grain breads and pastas, olive oil, and all manner of heart-healthy canned goods including beans, fish, and vegetables,” he says.
“If we are to become a healthier society and reverse the trends toward obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, we need to take back the responsibility for cooking our own meals,” says Dr. Agatston. There are many reasons people don’t cook at home — time constraints or simply not liking to cook, among them. Dr. Agatston says that’s okay — you don’t need to be a master chef who slaves over time-consuming creations in order to cook heart-healthy foods. In fact, easy-to-prepare dishes can be just as good — or better — for you. A well-stocked pantry allows you to create a whole-grain pasta dish with low-sodium canned tomato sauce and garbanzos, for example, in just 15 minutes. Add to that some prewashed greens from a store-bought mix and you have a healthy meal that’s ready in a flash. “If your pantry, fridge, and freezer are well stocked, putting a healthy meal together doesn’t have to be a nerve-wracking experience,” he says.
Dining out is an enjoyable part of social life for most people, and there are ways to make restaurant meals compatible with a heart-healthy life. “Don’t be afraid to ask the server questions about how a dish is prepared,” says Dr. Agatston. Is the fish sautéed, baked, or fried? Does a sauce contain a lot of butter or cream? What are the side dish options? Once you find out, ask for it “your way.” Dr. Agatston says it’s also important to watch how much alcohol you drink (both at home and in restaurants), not only for the caloric content, but also to help you stay disciplined with your eating. “If you start drinking before you order, it may sabotage your willpower, so it’s better to wait and have a drink with your meal,” he suggests.
Regular aerobic exercise is crucial for heart health, but there’s another habit that’s just as important, and that’s to simply move more. Walking a few blocks instead of driving everywhere, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or getting up and walking to a co-worker's office to have a conversation instead of sending an email can really help burn more calories and keep you fit. “When it comes to aerobics, I’ve found that interval walking, in which you alternate periods of fast walking with slower recovery periods — whether done outdoors or indoors on a treadmill or elliptical machine — is the form of exercise my patients are most willing to stick with,” says Dr. Agatston. Try to exercise every day, but if you do need to skip a day, don’t give up entirely — maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a marathon, not a sprint.
Sleep may seem like an afterthought in our busy lives, but sleep problems can eventually have a profound effect on your heart and your health. “Lack of sleep can alter your metabolism, making you prone to weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease,” says Dr. Agatston. It can also rev up your stress hormones and make you depressed, another risk factor for heart disease. First, keep your bedroom cool and quiet. Second, eating a big meal too late at night can ramp up your metabolism and make it difficult for your body to wind down, so eat dinner at a reasonable hour, but don’t go to bed hungry (a light, healthy snack like a slice of turkey and a glass of low-fat milk an hour or so before bedtime can have a soporific effect and help prevent the middle of the night munchies). Dr. Agatston says it’s also best not to drink alcohol right before you go to bed, since it can disrupt normal sleep patterns. . If you follow these tips and still have sleep problems, talk to your doctor about how to resolve them.
For more heart-health tips and to find out more about Dr. Agatston’s new book, check out Dr. Agatston's South Beach Diet Wake-Up Call information pages.