If you’ve been following me for some time, you may notice that things are looking a little different around here.
I have now been a dietitian for over 10 years and have realised my passion lies in all things heart related.
If you were to ask me what is a healthy diet, I would say it is one that is high in vegetables, fruit, wholegrain (especially legumes) and healthy fats. When looking at different diet patterns I realised that this is essentially the main characteristics of the Mediterranean diet.
Of all the different diet plans and fad diets out in the world, the Mediterranean diet is the one that has the most evidence behind it, highlighting its health benefits. It is mostly credited for heart health benefits, including lowering cholesterol, and lower blood pressure.
The Mediterranean diet it high in phytochemicals and has anti-inflammatory properties, therefore being beneficial to those with auto immune disease. It is known to decrease risk of developing diabetes, some cancer and can be protective against Alzheimer’s disease.
The majority of sudden deaths in Australia are heart related. Therefore it is important to be aware of our heart health even before symptoms appear, because often, there are no symptoms.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men, and the second leading cause of death in women (after dementia).
The heart itself is an amazing organ. Here are some interesting facts about the heart:
It is one of the fist to develop in a foetus (even before the brain). By the time a woman usually finds out she is pregnant there is already a beating heart.
Over a lifetime, the heart will beat 2.5 billion times
Sleep is important to heart health. Prolonged lack of sleep can cause an irregular heartbeat.
You can die of a broken heart, which is different to a heart attack.
About 6000-7500 litres of blood is pumped around our bodies per day.
This new re-branding of my business does not mean I am now exclusive to only heart matters. I am still available for any dietetic concerns and I am passionate about applying these heart healthy messages to other medical diets such as gluten free diet.
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