The Two Biggest Changes to Make to Reduce the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease

By James Hughes | July 9, 2024 |

Personal care at home can help aging seniors make important healthy changes.

If your family has a history of coronary heart disease, or if your loved one has health conditions that increase her risk of coronary heart disease, being proactive by making two big lifestyle changes is one of the best ways to prevent a possible heart attack or stroke in the future.

The great thing about these two lifestyle changes is that they will not only reduce her risk for coronary heart disease, they will also reduce her risk of many other health concerns such as diabetes, some cancers, and even mental health concerns.

They do require commitment and consistency, which can be hard, especially if your loved one has lived a lifetime with other bad habits. Your loved one might find some benefit to having a personal care at home provider to help her make the changes, especially at the beginning. A personal care at home provider can assist with learning new habits and encourage your loved one when she struggles.

Let’s look at the two lifestyle changes that often make the biggest difference in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.

Diet

A heart-healthy diet is essential to prevent coronary heart disease. For many, it is a two-step process: eliminating unhealthy food and adding more healthy options. Having balanced meals at home is the best place to start. A personal care at home provider can help your loved one shop for the right foods and then prep them for later or prepare them in meals.

What to avoid:

Here are foods that are best to avoid or reduce greatly when trying to adhere to a heart-healthy diet.

Unhealthy fats like saturated fats or trans fats. Your loved one will need to read food labels to determine which foods have unhealthy fats but common culprits are baked goods, snack foods like chips, butter, and cream sauces.
Salt and sodium. Again, reading labels will help your loved one avoid foods that are high in sodium. Many prepared foods like canned soup, frozen dinners, and some condiments have extremely high sodium.

What to eat:

Here are foods to increase in your loved one’s diet.

Fresh fruits and vegetables. While they often require a bit more prep, a personal care at home provider can help your loved one clean and prep them for eating as snacks or adding to meals.
Lean proteins like fish, chicken, and legumes.
Whole grains. Look for whole wheat, brown rice, barley, and buckwheat for grains to add to the diet.

Exercise

In addition to eating well, your loved one needs to move as well. Regular, active exercise is an important step in preventing coronary heart disease. Regular exercise can make the heart stronger. The heart is a muscle and will be able to pump more blood around the body when it’s in shape. To exercise the heart, aerobic exercise that causes it to pump harder is needed, but that might be new to your loved one.

Have your loved one start slow with plans to slowly increase duration and exertion. She should consult with her doctor first for recommendations. Once a plan is determined, her personal care at home provider can help by tracking her progress and encouraging her along the way.

Both of these lifestyle changes are a great beginning to healthier days ahead, and personal care at home providers can help aging seniors incorporate these changes more easily and safely.

If you or someone you know needs Personal Care at Home in Robertsdale, AL, please contact the friendly caregivers at  Hughes Home Care. We provide quality and affordable care for your elderly loved ones in our community. Serving Mobile & Baldwin County. Call us today at (251) 517-9901

Author
Recent Posts

James Hughes

Owner at Hughes Home Care

James Hughes is a graduate of The University of Alabama (Health Care Administration), the University Of Alabama, Birmingham (Physical Therapy) and is a Navy veteran.

He has three teenage children and are actively involved in their church and community – James coach’s youth football, basketball and baseball and serves at 3 Circle Church. He is a member of the Fairhope Youth Football Board and the Rock Creek POA Board.

It is his passion and commitment to providing quality and responsive service that has made their company the fastest growing home care agency in South Alabama.

He believes that being an independently owned and operated company gives him the flexibility to manage his business in a way that better serves their clients.

He understands that you have a choice of care providers and he will do his utmost to earn your trust.