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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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Healthy Support

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 Support

How Olive Oil Fits into a Nutrient-Rich Diet

The Mediterranean diet
The role of olive oil
Nutrients in olive oil
Heart-healthy benefits
Fighting inflammation
Using olive oil in cooking
Embracing the Mediterranean diet
Resources 
Further reading

The Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet stands as a renowned model of healthy eating, citing numerous health benefits. An abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds characterizes the diet. It also includes moderate fish and poultry consumption and low to average intake of dairy products.

A central part of a Mediterranean diet is olive oil, the consumption of which has been recognized for its health benefits for many years. The golden oil contains antioxidants and monounsaturated fats, particularly heart-healthy oleic acid and polyphenols, associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases.

Its use in cooking, dressings, and even drizzled-over finished dishes helps explain the low rates of heart disease and extended lifespans observed in Mediterranean regions.

​​​​​​​Image Credit: Foxys Forest Manufacture/Shutterstock.com​​​​​​​Image Credit: Foxys

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Healthy Support

9 heart-healthy foods to lower cholesterol and blood pressure

Food can start you on a path to heart disease — the leading cause of death in the U.S. — or help prevent high cholesterol, clogged arteries and heart attacks.

Diet can have a huge impact on heart health, says Dr. Sean Heffron, a cardiologist in the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at NYU Langone Health in New York.

“What we eat can influence our blood pressure, our blood sugar, our cholesterol levels, certainly our body weight,” Heffron tells TODAY.com.

“All of those things have a direct impact on the vasculature of the blood vessels of the body and can drive atherosclerotic heart disease. So what we eat is very important.”

The first step in the right direction is eliminating processed foods, which are high in salt and fat, and eat more whole fresh foods like fruits and vegetables, says Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist, clinical

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Healthy Support

How to cook pumpkin for the most health benefits

The next time you’re at the grocery store, make sure to grab an entire pumpkin or two on the way out. Like the changing leaves and weather, this is the perfect opportunity to add some variety to your diet. And what’s more in season now than pumpkins?

“Seasonal eating is really powerful in that the earth controls the type of foods our bodies need at specific seasons of the year,” says Melanie Murphy Richter, a registered dietitian nutritionist and nutrition physiology instructor at the University of California, Irvine. “Pumpkin is one of the top foods with essential minerals and nutrients to support our mental health and immune system as we shift from summer to fall.”

Not only does pumpkin spice up your diet, but the vibrant flavors can turn a bland meal into a festive one for you and the family. But it all depends on how you’re using

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Healthy Support

Highly Rated Diets to Support Heart Health

a variety of vegetables, beef, salmon, eggs and cheese
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Eating healthy is an important goal for people looking to maintain or improve their physical health, particularly as it relates to the heart. With often conflicting information available online and via social media, it may be difficult or downright confusing to find the eating plan for you.

To help navigate the maze of information — and misinformation — experts assessed and scored the heart healthiness of several popular diets. Each diet was evaluated against the American Heart Association’s guidance for a heart-healthy eating pattern, which emphasizes eating a variety of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, lean proteins (including fish, low- or nonfat dairy and plant proteins), nontropical plant oils and minimally processed foods; avoiding added sugars, salt and alcohol; and sticking to this guidance even when you’re eating away from home.

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Healthy Information

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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