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Practicing mindfulness can help people make heart-healthy eating choices, new study shows

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Practicing mindfulness focused on healthy eating can be good for the heart, a new study shows, because it improves self-awareness and helps people stick to a heart-healthy diet.

When people who had elevated blood pressure participated in an eight-week mindfulness-based blood pressure reduction program for the study, they significantly improved their scores on measures of self-awareness and adherence to a heart-healthy diet compared to a control group. The results were published in JAMA Network Open.

“Participants in the program showed significant improvement in adherence to a heart-healthy diet, which is one of the biggest drivers of blood pressure, as well as significant improvements in self-awareness, which appears to influence healthy eating habits,” said lead study author Eric B. Loucks, an associate professor of epidemiology, behavioral and social sciences, and director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown University.

Loucks said the study helps

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Healthy Support

Mindfulness Can Help People Make Heart-Healthy Eating Choices

Practicing mindfulness focused on healthy eating can be good for the heart, a new study shows, because it improves self-awareness and helps people stick to a heart-healthy diet.

When people who had elevated blood pressure participated in an eight-week mindfulness-based blood pressure reduction program for the study, they significantly improved their scores on measures of self-awareness and adherence to a heart-healthy diet compared to a control group. The results were published in JAMA Network Open.

“Participants in the program showed significant improvement in adherence to a heart-healthy diet, which is one of the biggest drivers of blood pressure, as well as significant improvements in self-awareness, which appears to influence healthy eating habits,” said lead study author Eric B. Loucks, an associate professor of epidemiology, behavioral and social sciences, and director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown University.

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Practicing mindfulness can help people make heart-healthy eating choices

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Practicing mindfulness focused on healthy eating can be good for the heart, a new study shows, because it improves self-awareness and helps people stick to a heart-healthy diet.

When people who had elevated blood pressure participated in an eight-week mindfulness-based blood pressure reduction program for the study, they significantly improved their scores on measures of self-awareness and adherence to a heart-healthy diet compared to a control group. The results were published in JAMA Network Open.

“Participants in the program showed significant improvement in adherence to a heart-healthy diet, which is one of the biggest drivers of blood pressure, as well as significant improvements in self-awareness, which appears to influence healthy eating habits,” said lead study author Eric B. Loucks, an associate professor of epidemiology, behavioral and social sciences, and director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown University.

Loucks said the study helps

… Read the rest
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Healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive: An expert offers tips

Healthy eating doesn't have to be expensive. an expert offers tips

Groceries cost a lot, but it is possible to eat healthy foods without overspending.

Experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham offer tips for healthy eating on a budget.

“Maintaining a healthy diet is not only about what you eat but also about making mindful choices,” said Emily Davidson, employee wellness manager at UAB. “A little planning, creativity and smart shopping can help people enjoy a nutritious diet without breaking the bank.”

Planning your meals is key. It saves money that you might otherwise spend on impulse buys.

Plan for incorporating fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables, Davidson suggested.

“When planning meals, look for what’s in season,” she said in a university news release. “Notice that some fruits and vegetables are more expensive during different seasons because not all produce grows year-round. Getting fresh fruits and veggies in their off-season is expensive because it requires extra travel and shipping costs.”

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PURE Healthy Diet Sees Advantage by Promoting Whole-Fat Dairy for Heart Health

By counting whole-fat dairy as a protective food, the new PURE Healthy Diet score strengthened the relationship between healthy eating and heart disease in a large study.

For individuals with and without cardiovascular disease (CVD), higher intake of protective foods (i.e., PURE diet score ≥5 points out of 6) compared with lower intake (diet score ≤1 point) was associated with lower risks in the PURE cohort spanning five continents with a median follow-up of 9.3 years, reported Andrew Mente, PhD, of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and colleagues:

  • All-cause mortality: HR 0.70 (95% CI 0.63-0.77)
  • CVD: HR 0.82 (95% CI 0.75-0.91)
  • Myocardial infarction: HR 0.86 (95% CI 0.75-0.99)
  • Stroke: HR 0.81 (95% CI 0.71-0.93)

Unlike previous diet scores, the PURE Healthy Diet score does not penalize eating red meat. With a maximum score of 6, the PURE score simply awards one point each for

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To Lower Your Heart Disease Risk, Try Eating These 6 Foods

A person prepares a dish with salmon and vegetables.Share on Pinterest
Eating fish and whole fat dairy may help you stay heart healthy. Olga Peshkova/Getty Images
  • Eating more whole fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish, and whole-fat dairy products may help lower your heart disease risk.
  • Experts found that a healthy diet can be achieved in various ways, such as including moderate amounts of whole grains or unprocessed meats.
  • Focusing on starting small when making diet changes can help you stick with new eating habits.

A new report finds that if you don’t eating enough of six key foods you may be at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. That’s according to a study led by McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences researchers at the Population Research Health Institute (PHRI).

The study was published July 6 in the European Heart Journal.

The researchers derived a diet score from the PHRI’s large-scale global Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study.

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Regular watermelon consumption may have benefits

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Consuming watermelon may have benefits to cardiovascular health. Nuture/Getty Images
  • Two studies investigated the effects of watermelon on diet quality and cardiometabolic function.
  • They found that watermelon consumption is linked to higher nutrient intake and better heart health.
  • Further research is needed to understand how watermelon affects cardiometabolic health.

Watermelons contain many nutrients, such as potassium, vitamin C, and magnesium. The fruit also has a high bioavailability of antioxidants, including lycopene and l-citrulline.

Studies have shown that watermelon supplements and extracts decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Comparably fewer studies investigate raw watermelon, however, and those that do tend to involve large quantities of over 2 lbs per day.

Nevertheless, these studies also report that consumption of the fruit is linked to lower cholesterol and body weight, as well as a lower risk of prostate, lung, and breast cancer.

Further study

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Health Advice For Women at Each Stage of Motherhood

THURSDAY, May 11, 2023 (American Heart Association News) — Everyone knows that on Mother’s Day, Mom’s needs come first. But the rest of the year, mothers often put their health care on hold to focus on others.

“A lot of times as women, we tend to put ourselves last,” said Dr. Marlene Blaise, a cardiologist in independent practice in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Avoiding that is important for more than mothers themselves, said Jennifer Stuart, an epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

“It’s also important for our families,” said Stuart, who has a doctorate in epidemiology and focuses her research on adverse pregnancy outcomes and maternal cardiovascular disease risk. “As a parent, you’re laying down a foundation and modeling behaviors, healthy or otherwise, for your children. So, if we’re engaging in a healthy diet and physical activity, and our children are seeing

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