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4 welloneconnection w w w. h u r o n r e g i o n a l . o r g Take Control of Your Heart Health Maybe you like eating beef five nights a week. Or perhaps all those extra hours you log at work have kept you away from your workout for years. As a result, you're carrying around a little more weight than you used to. And you worry whether you will follow in the footsteps of family members who have experienced a heart attack or a stroke. If some – or all – of these scenarios sound familiar, you may be at higher risk for heart disease, a condition that claims the lives of roughly 600,000 people in the United States every year. The good news is, you can take steps to protect your cardiovascular health. "People need to remember that moderate lifestyle changes – like following healthier diet and exercise plans and taking medications as recommended – can greatly reduce your risk of future heart disease," says Travis Lehman, DO, internal medicine physician with the HRMC Physicians Clinic. "I see a huge quality of life difference between patients who adopt healthier habits and those who do not." Making these changes doesn't have to be a chore. Establishing better habits may be as simple as reducing salt consumption, eating more fruits and veggies, and taking walks with family or friends a few days every week. Have fun with it! Your heart will thank you. For more information about managing heart health or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Lehman, call the HRMC Physicians Clinic at (605) 353-7660. Through diet, exercise and regular consultations with your healthcare provider, you can make great strides in reducing your risk of heart disease or managing an existing condition. The Healing Power of Eating Eating a diet rich in certain red fruits can help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study conducted by Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease. Specifically, these three red fruits are recommended: • Apples – Eating one apple every day may reduce your low-density lipoproteins, otherwise known as "bad cholesterol." • Cranberries – Drinking about three cups of cranberry juice every day may raise your levels of high-density lipoprotein, or "good cholesterol," by about 10 percent and lower your likelihood of developing heart disease by 40 percent. • Tomatoes – Regularly consuming foods that are rich in lycopene, such as cooked tomatoes, may lower your chance of heart disease by as much as 26 percent. "Many studies have shown that a diet rich in these foods can reduce the risk of heart disease," says Travis Lehman, DO, internal medicine physician with the HRMC Physicians Clinic."Being active and eating right can protect you not only from heart disease but also from many other diseases." Travis Leh ma n, DO<