If you’re raising children, it’s a good idea to minimize their risk for heart disease. The following are effective heart health tips for children.
While genetic factors have some impact on heart disease and other illnesses, research suggests that diet may have an even bigger impact. According to experts, practicing healthy eating habits from an early age can lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other serious diseases.
Heart Disease Risk Factors
The leading cause of death in both the U.S. and most industrialized countries is heart disease. For this reason, it’s important that you start taking care of your heart health as early as possible.
There are several risk factors that significantly increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Some of these risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity, and family health history. However, by following a heart-healthy diet, you can make big improvements when it comes to your heart health and that of your kids.
Healthy Diets and Children’s Health
When compared to young people in most other developed countries, American kids have higher cholesterol and eat more saturated fat on average. Moreover, heart disease rates tend to match rising cholesterol levels. In fact, one study shows that there were early signs of atherosclerosis in 7% of children ages 10 to 15 and in 14% of kids ages 15 to 20.
Fortunately, these risks can be mitigated if kids follow a heart-healthy diet from an early age. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), by eating healthily early on, kids can lower their cholesterol as well as their risk of coronary artery disease in adulthood.
If you have children, make sure that they follow a heart-healthy diet from when they turn 2 years old and on. Their diet should include low-fat dairy products. If your children are between 12 months and 2 years old and there is a family history of obesity, abnormal blood fats, or heart disease, you should consider using reduced-fat milk.
Family History
In addition to their diet, it’s also important for your doctor to know if there is a family history of heart disease as well as its risk factors (hypertension, obesity, etc.). If at any point the child’s grandparents experience heart disease, make sure you let your pediatrician know the next time you take your kid for a checkup.
However, sometimes family health history is hard to pin down if your child is adopted. One thing you can do is periodically take your adopted child for screenings during their childhood to check for blood lipid (fat) levels.
In addition to taking care of your children, it’s also important that you take care of yourself. You can do this by also eating a healthy diet as well as exercising regularly and taking supplements like HeartBeet Complete. Its ingredients promote circulation, blood pressure, energy levels, and more. Give your kids the support they need by providing them with a healthy diet and get your support by doing the same and taking HeartBeet Complete.
