12 tips to prevent cardiovascular diseases

Insight into Your Health

Having insight into your health enables you to intervene in time at the threat of heart or vascular diseases. By knowing what to watch out for, you may prevent irreversible damage to the heart or brain.
 

How can you measure your health?

You may already have a reasonable idea of your own health. Maybe you can easily run a half marathon. Maybe you often feel tired or very restless and not quite right. Having these (vague) complaints does not mean you have heart or vascular disease, but they can be warning signs.

In addition to recognizing certain signals, as the Dutch Heart Foundation writes (Hartstichting, sd), it helps to regularly check specific elements of your health. 

Below you can read what you can do to measure your health.

Tip 1: Keep Track of Your BMI and Waist Circumference

Your Body Mass Index (BMI) combined with your waist circumference gives an indication of whether you have a healthy weight or not. If you suffer from severe overweight, you have a higher chance of high cholesterol and high blood pressure. The risk of heart and vascular diseases is therefore increased. You are also more likely to develop diabetes.

If your BMI is above 25, you probably have overweight. However, this may not be true for everyone. BMI combined with waist circumference says much more. A lot of fat accumulation in the abdominal cavity increases the risk of heart and vascular diseases.

For women, there is a slightly increased risk of heart and vascular diseases with a BMI above 25 combined with a waist circumference above 80 cm. For men, this risk is increased with a BMI above 25 combined with a waist circumference above 94 cm. 

Note: BMI can mislead
Be aware that the BMI formula does not take into account fat and muscle mass. Someone with a lot of muscle mass can be heavier and in the BMI table come out with overweight, although that may not be fair. It is also less suitable for pregnant women and people with a different body build than the average European. No one is the same! It is a guideline and may not apply to you 100%.

Tip 2: Monitor Your Blood Levels and Cholesterol

You can have blood drawn via (or with) the general practitioner. This provides a picture of various blood levels, such as the cholesterol level. In the case of an elevated cholesterol level, your body produces too much cholesterol. An elevated cholesterol level can lead to arteriosclerosis.

When is your cholesterol too high?
Keep in mind that it is always a snapshot, and the value can fluctuate significantly. If your value is above 5, your cholesterol is elevated. An elevated cholesterol level is not noticeable. That is why it is wise to regularly have a blood examination to know how you stand. Fortunately, there are enough measures you can take yourself to ensure your cholesterol goes down. Read the tips on lowering cholesterol in this article.

The Effect of High Cholesterol
If you have too much cholesterol in your body for a long time, it can adhere to your blood vessels. In other words, your blood vessels become narrower. Therefore, your heart has to work much harder to pump enough blood around your body. Your arteries can even become clogged. Do you want to know how your blood levels and cholesterol are? Then a laboratory examination by Prescan may be a solution. Inquire without obligation about the possibilities.

Tip 3: Monitor Your Blood Pressure

You can measure your blood pressure yourself with a blood pressure monitor, but also via or with a specialist such as the general practitioner. Measure at fixed times in the morning, afternoon, and evening every day for a week and record the values. If your blood pressure is on average 120 over 90, you have a normal value. The target value is below 140/90 mmHg. If you reach 135/90 with your home measurement, your blood pressure is likely too high. A home measurement is generally slightly lower than a measurement with the specialist.

Pay Attention to Your Diet
Once you know how your health stands, it is important to look at your dietary habits. Do you eat healthily? Are you getting the right nutrients? Wrong eating habits increase the risk of heart or vascular diseases.
 

Tip 4: Avoid eating too much salt

Eating a lot of salt increases blood pressure. A side effect is that your heart is working harder to pump blood around. Check product packaging to find out how much salt is in it and compare different products (brands) with each other. Of course, choose the product with the least amount of salt! It's certainly wise to avoid ready-made meals, sauces, and snacks as much as possible. These kinds of products generally contain a lot of added salt.

Tip 5: Vary your diet

If you eat a varied diet, you're much more likely to consume more unsaturated fats than saturated fats. And what about the fibers you need? These ensure that your digestion remains in order and cholesterol levels are kept in check. These kinds of fibers can be found in whole grain products and legumes, for instance.

What you are used to eating
You often form certain eating habits. Try to see if you can break them. For example, eat fish one day, meat another day, and then vegetarian the next. Have a bowl of (homemade) muesli with low-fat yogurt for breakfast one day, oatmeal another, and two wholegrain sandwiches with cheese another time.

Tip 6: Choose unsaturated fats

As noted, a varied diet increases the chance that you'll consume more unsaturated than saturated fats. If your menu consists of too much saturated fat, the risk of cardiovascular diseases increases. Choose a handful of unsalted nuts over a bag of chips more often. Opt for low-fat and semi-skimmed dairy products rather than full-fat ones. Cook more frequently with oil. As for meat, it's better to use ground beef more often than mixed ground meat.

Tip 7: Eat vegetables and fruits

For some, this may be difficult… After all, that chocolate cake and chips taste much better than steamed broccoli. Yet, if you want to prevent cardiovascular diseases as much as possible, it is very important to eat vegetables and fruits. Vegetables contain essential fibers, vitamins, and minerals that your body needs to stay healthy.

How much vegetables and fruit?

The rule of thumb is at least 250 grams of vegetables per day and 2 pieces of fruit. The latter corresponds to about 200 grams. Not a fan of vegetables? Don’t compensate by eating more fruit. You may end up consuming too much sugar and not enough nutrients not found in fruit.

How to increase intake?

Make a salad for your lunch. Buy grapes or a small pot of snack vegetables like cherry tomatoes as a snack. These are tasty and healthy snacks for in the car or at your workplace. Perhaps vegetable smoothies are a good alternative for you?

Tip 8: Drink enough every day

Drinking enough keeps your body in good condition. It's important for the functioning of your intestines. The rule of thumb is at least 1.5 liters per day. This includes water, tea, milk, and coffee. Take note of whether you reach that amount. It doesn't mean you should drink soft drinks, sports drinks, or energy drinks all day long. Drink these as little as possible.

Tip 9: Be careful with alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol is harmful to health. Keep it to a maximum of one glass of alcohol per day. Excessive alcohol consumption leads to a higher risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, but also other conditions in the long run.

Tip 10: Prevent (long-term) stress

Being under continuous stress can, among other things, lead to increased blood pressure. But not only work pressure plays a role in this. Feelings of anxiety, extreme need for control, and situations where you lose grip also lead to an increased stress level. And what about the hectic life we often lead today? The kids, the household, staying up-to-date on social media, a party here, a networking drink there.

Increased risk
The risk of heart problems, a heart attack, or arrhythmias is increased if you encounter a severe stress situation, such as the death of a loved one.

Lower your stress level
Try to lower your stress level. Relaxation exercises, breathing exercises, yoga, and movement (tip 11) can help you with that. Choose a healthy lifestyle and try to maintain a regular daily routine. Go outside and take time for the things that energize you. Consider seeking professional help if necessary, or follow therapy sessions, whether individual or group.

Stress symptoms
Stress symptoms differ from person to person. They can include:- A rapid heartbeat- An irregular breathing pattern- Feeling tired and lacking energy- Having little appetite- Headaches- Some also experience muscle pain, excessive sweating, sleep disorders, and dizziness.

Tip 11: Ensure sufficient physical activity

Good physical condition benefits your overall health. It reduces the risk of various conditions. If you exercise enough, you lower your blood pressure and keep your heart and blood vessels in good condition. The chance of strokes and cardiovascular diseases is therefore much lower.

How much should you exercise?
Try to exercise moderately for at least half an hour each day. This varies for each person. At any rate, you should get your heart working and breathe a bit heavier (without becoming out of breath). So, it depends on your condition when this is applicable to you. For someone with poor physical condition, even cycling at a low speed may be intensive. You don’t necessarily need to exercise for half an hour consecutively. Twice for fifteen minutes or three times for ten minutes is also fine.

To sport or not?
Exercising helps lower your stress level and maintain your body weight. You achieve better condition, which has a positive effect on your heart and blood vessels. Choose a sport that suits you and that you enjoy. This way, you avoid giving up and not getting off the couch. Do you have physical complaints such as heart problems, high blood pressure, or a lot of excess weight? Seek advice from a specialist before starting any sports activity.

Advice on the Dutch Standard for Healthy Exercise (NNGB)
The Dutch Standard for Healthy Exercise (NNGB) indicates the minimum amount of exercise required to stay healthy. Assuming normal health, this is: From 18 years: 30 minutes of moderate exercise. Below 18 years: 1 hour of moderate exercise per day. This should be at least 5 days a week (preferably 7).

Tip 12: Quit smoking

Even if you're over 50 and have smoked every day: it's always worthwhile to quit. Try to avoid secondhand smoke as much as possible too. You probably already know that smoking is harmful to your health. It's a fact that smoking increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke. People who are exposed to secondhand smoke also have a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases.

What does smoking do to your body?
Nicotine increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Various particles from tobacco damage the blood vessel walls. Additionally, certain substances cause blood to clot more easily. You also need to realize that the toxic substance carbon monoxide enters your body. It replaces oxygen in your blood. Quitting smoking greatly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Did you know, for example, that a year after quitting smoking, the risk of heart disease caused by atherosclerosis (such as a heart attack or angina pectoris) is halved?