Preventive Cardiology Treatment in Sugar Land, TX

Preventive cardiology is a multi-pronged, holistic approach to managing heart disease risk, and can include changing your diet, work and home environments, and lifestyle. At Reddy Cardiac Wellness and Diabetes Reversal Center, we can create a personalized preventive cardiology plan that can significantly reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and help you better manage your health. This guide highlights key steps in preventive cardiology in Sugar Land, TX. Taking these steps can reduce your risk of cardiovascular problems and help you maintain a healthy heart.

Improve Your Diet & Nutrition

Making changes to your diet can improve your nutrition and your heart health. You may want to work with a registered dietitian nutritionist to better understand how your diet impacts your heart health, and the key changes you can make to enhance your health and nutrition and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Some of the most effective dietary changes you can make to improve heart health are:

• Eating More Whole Foods – Whole foods are fresh and natural foods that haven’t been processed. Eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish, beans, and nuts can lower cholesterol and improve heart health.
• Reducing Saturated and Trans Fats – You should reduce or limit your intake of saturated and trans fats such as fatty meats, high-fat dairy products, sugar, and red or processed meats. These foods contain fats that increase cholesterol and lead to plaque buildup in arteries. You can opt for healthier fats, like those found in nuts and avocados, and choose lean meats and oily fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines, and anchovies.
• Switching to Healthy Oils – You can switch to healthier oils when cooking and making salad dressing, sauces, and marinades. Healthier oils include canola, corn, safflower, sesame, sunflower, and soybean.
• Limiting Excess Sugar and Salt Intake – When buying prepared foods, read nutrition labels and choose options that say ‘low sugar’ or ‘low sodium’ or ‘no added sugar’ or ‘no added salt.’ Excess sugar and salt can increase inflammation throughout your body and increase the risk of heart disease.
• Be Mindful of Your Dairy Choices – You should switch to low-fat or fat-free dairy products and avoid non-dairy creamers with a lot of added sugars and oils. Choose skim or 1% fat milk and low or reduced-fat cheese and yogurt. You can also opt for non-dairy alternatives like soy, rice, oat, and nut-based milks and coffee creamers.

Get More Exercise

Making key lifestyle changes like exercising more and improving your diet and nutrition can help you maintain a healthy weight. Weight gain and obesity can put more stress on your heart and increase your risk of cardiovascular problems, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. You should work on a collaborative exercise plan with your cardiologist, primary care doctor, and nutritionist. Even if you can’t commit to daily or strenuous exercise, you should try exercise at least three or four days a week for 35-50 minutes. Aim for around 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week, such as walking, biking, hiking, or yoga. Regular aerobic exercise, such as jogging, swimming, and water aerobics, can help you manage your weight and improve your heart function.

Manage Your Stress Levels

Chronic stress can increase your risk of heart disease. It’s important to try to reduce your stress levels. Gaining a better understanding of what increases your stress levels can help you avoid certain stressful situations, activities, or people or limit your exposure to them. You can also work with your primary care physician or a natural or integrative medicine provider to incorporate stress management techniques into your daily routine. Some of the most effective stress management techniques for adults are:

• Meditation
• Deep breathing
• Mindfulness
• Journaling
• Yoga
• Massage
• Therapeutic stretching
• Creative visualization or guided imagery
• Social connection
• Self-care
• Repetitive tasks like drawing, painting, knitting, beading, or putting together a Lego set or jigsaw puzzle

Quit Smoking & Limit Alcohol

Smoking severely damages blood vessels and raises heart disease risk. Quitting smoking or the use of tobacco products is essential for your heart health. You should also limit your alcohol intake to avoid complications such as high blood pressure and heart failure. Speak with your primary care doctor and cardiologist about whether a small amount of red wine could have therapeutic benefits for your heart, and learn what types of alcohol are most harmful to your heart health.

Schedule Regular Check-ups

Scheduling routine health screenings with your cardiologist, primary care doctor, and nutritionist can monitor your progress and overall health. Your healthcare team will work together to evaluate how well your preventive cardiology plan is working and make adjustments as needed. You can also ask questions and get support so you don’t feel like you’re undertaking this journey alone. At your check-ups, your providers will check your blood pressure, cholesterol, and other heart health indicators.

Schedule a Consultation With Our Cardiac Specialists

If you’re concerned about your heart health or are at risk for cardiovascular disease, our team at Reddy Cardiac Wellness and Diabetes Reversal Center can help. We offer comprehensive education, tools, support, and treatment and management options to help you lower or even reverse your heart disease risk. Call us now to schedule a new patient appointment with Dr. Reddy or Dr. Khan, or schedule an appointment online.