The role of nutrition in promoting heart health
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both women and men in the United States; maintaining a heart healthy diet is key to lowering your risk. Here's a case example of a client who is looking to improve her health and body composition, and what a sample menu representing the recommended diet.
February 6, 2024 | Francine Blinten, MS, CCN, CNS
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both women and men in the United States. Risk drivers include high blood pressure, high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high triglycerides, diabetes, smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, obesity, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity.
As a clinical nutritionist, I work with clients seeking to lower their risk factors through dietary modifications. The dietary pattern I most often recommend is the Mediterranean diet*. Conformity with the traditional Mediterranean Diet is associated with better cardiovascular health outcomes, including clinically meaningful reductions in rates of coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, and total cardiovascular disease.
The nutrition consultation starts with a review of the client’s current clinical data. Specifically, I’m interested in fasting glucose, lipid panel, blood pressure and C-Reactive protein (a measure of inflammation). Body weight and waist circumference are also measured. We establish metabolic targets for out-of-range markers.
Together we evaluate the baseline diet and identify areas for improvement to meet the targets. We discuss lifestyle factors such as cooking skills, meal and hunger patterns as well as food preferences.
If the client has extra bodyweight, we need to address it because being overweight influences several risk drivers of disease. In my experience, a 5% reduction in baseline weight leads to significant clinical improvement.
The diet plan is tailored to the client’s age, gender, activity level and metabolic goals. Food allergies and sensitivities are noted. Portion sizes for each food category are outlined. In my experience, it is better to make small permanent changes rather than a complete overhaul; the latter usually fails.
Case Example
