Caitlin Whyte (Host): Welcome to Hally HealthCast, the wellness podcast from Hally Health, your partner in helping you live your healthiest life. Every episode on our podcast addresses a new topic important to your health and wellbeing; bringing in doctors and other health experts who offer advice and answer your most pressing questions. Today's episode is all about heart health.

February is American Heart Month. So it's the perfect time to learn more about this important topic. Here with us is Bradley Grissom. He's a Cardiology Nurse Practitioner at Carle at the Riverfront in Danville, Illinois. Welcome Mr. Grissom, and thank you so much for being with us today and sharing your knowledge.

Well, let's begin with a question that's dear to the hearts and stomachs of many of us. We all know the importance of a healthy diet to maintaining a healthy heart, but we sure could use a reminder.

Mr. Grissom, what are the best foods to include in our daily diet to keep ourselves heart healthy?

Bradley Grissom, APN, CNP: Well, first of all, I'd like to say it's a pleasure to be here and thank you for the opportunity to come on the podcast. Let's get started. So obviously food is something we are exposed to every day. And when you are exposed to something every day, the choices we make matter. If you watch TV or have any connection to social media, you know there are many schools of thought on what foods you should and shouldn't eat. It really gets confusing and a lot of times can be overwhelming. And I don't think there's a perfect answer. Eating healthy can take time and also be more expensive. But we have to think of food as medicine and a good investment for our future.

I want to look at some basic principles. I like basic principles because it allows you to build your own healthy eating plan.

Rigid or popular fad type diets may not be sustainable for most people, but if you have the basics, you can begin today. The American College of Cardiology first recommends an emphasis on fruits and vegetables and legumes. Examples of those include beans, chickpeas, peanuts, and lentils. Also includes nuts, whole grains, and fish.

Plant based and Mediterranean diets contain a lot of these basic principles. Mediterranean diets focus on plant based foods and healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil, fish, now not fried, but fish, and less red meat. Another dietary principle that has some heart healthy benefits is sodium reduction. In my practice, sodium consumption is a huge problem.

We take in way more sodium than we think we do. And I'm not just talking about using the salt shaker at the table, but what is already contained in the food. It's everywhere. Aim for at least less than 2,000 milligrams a day, but that may need to be lower if you have some sort of conditions like high blood pressure or heart failure.

One of the best examples I can think of was a local restaurant where we had ordered, salmon and broccoli and a biscuit and some rice, even though that sounds like a really healthy choice from a fat and cholesterol standpoint. It still contained at least 2,000 milligrams of sodium, and that was just in one meal.

 One other basic principle that I'd like to talk about is to try to stick to more whole foods. You want to minimize the intake of processed meats, refined carbohydrates, sweetened beverages. The refined carbohydrates and sweetened beverages are just wasted calories and provide little to no nutritional value.

These again are just some of the basics, and we could talk for hours on this subject, and there's never enough time in an office visit even, to talk about all the dietary needs. But there's also a lot of resources on the internet as well as written publications that you can obtain from your provider. And I would just encourage you to do your own research.

Host: Well, what a super shopping list, Mr. Grissom, and some wonderful advice as well. Thank you. Obviously, our level of activity and the amount of exercise we get on a regular basis are key factors in heart health too.

But how regular is healthy enough? And how much is too much? What do you recommend to your patients regarding the amount and frequency of physical activity that's actually good for their hearts?

Bradley Grissom, APN, CNP: It's no surprise that exercise is beneficial to the heart. I think this is another area where we tend to overcomplicate things. We can get a big exercise idea in our mind, and it is so complex, we never get it off the ground. And it's good to talk about this in February because we've had to somewhat of a chance already for our New Year's resolutions to maybe sort of run their course. And in addition, everyone on social media has a program that's just right for you, and the TV is selling all sorts of exercise equipment. So again, let's get back to the basics. The American College of Cardiology recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity, aerobic physical activity. Now you can divide this up however you want, but it's still going to be beneficial for you to get those amounts. However, less than that is still beneficial.

Let's talk about moderate intensity exercise and what that means. This would include brisk walking, biking less than 10 mile an hour, ballroom dancing, active yoga, or recreational swimming. And lying on your pool floatie doesn't really count here. You need to be moving around in the pool and doing a little swimming. Vigorous activity includes jogging or running, biking more than about 10 miles per hour, singles tennis, and even swimming laps. I would also throw in there to do some strength or resistance training as well.

That may help also. Now it's great to know the information above, but the first thing we need to do is get started. Find some type of physical activity you enjoy and build on it. If you can't walk for a straight 30 minutes, then break it up into smaller portions. If you have trouble walking, then maybe a stationary bike or a recumbent bike might be more comfortable.

They even make little foot pedal machines that you can do while you're sitting in your chair. There are home walking programs for your living room on platforms like YouTube. And you can even go old school with DVD or VHS, 'cause I know some of those are still out there. But still the first thing is to get out of that easy chair and get moving, doing something. Anything is still better than nothing.

Host: Thank you, Mr. Grissom. That sounds totally doable and possibly even fun in the process, which brings us to a topic that's probably not as much fun, though.; that being how best to maintain a healthy weight. Now, what do you recommend for your heart patients who struggle with their weight? Are there any tips you have beyond the usual diet and exercise for keeping our weight under control on a regular basis?

Bradley Grissom, APN, CNP: Maintaining a healthy weight is another important factor for heart health. To get started, you need to know where you're at and where you need to go. Knowing your BMI is a good start. Now, the BMI calculator has a formula that combines a height and weight. This number will give you an idea what your healthy weight should be.

You can find this type of a calculator on phone apps or on the internet. But if you don't have access to either one of those, your provider can help you calculate that for you. Maintaining a healthy weight and weight loss plans are going to focus on reducing calories, especially in the areas of sugar and refined carbohydrates, and we've already talked about reducing those.

To start, get rid of the wasted calories and sugary drinks and junk food. Eat breakfast. Breakfast is your body's first fueling of the day and gets the metabolism going. Then, to keep the metabolism going, eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. Personally, I think this was a key factor in my own weight loss journey, as I think it helped to curb my appetite, but still be fueling my body all day long.

I also think fasting after the evening meal till breakfast is a good addition to any healthy weight plan, but skipping meals during the day is going to go against you. You don't want your body thinking it got its last meal and now needs to hold on to those calories. It's going to slow down your metabolism.

Last, drink your water. Your body needs it. It can also curb your appetite. And since that hunger pain may be only a need for water instead.

Host: Excellent, Mr. Grissom. Thank you. That's definitely some heart healthy advice we can all live with. Do you have any more for us today?

Bradley Grissom, APN, CNP: Well, I'd like to talk about tobacco. And tobacco is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death. This is one of the most important risk factors you can eliminate to reduce your risk for many health related events, especially heart attack and stroke. It's also not easy. Quitting tobacco, and I'm talking all types, whether you're smoking it, vaping it, any sort of nicotine products, requires both behavior modification, and you may need some medication help as well. There are several resources out there. Do your research, talk to your provider. You can even call the Illinois Tobacco Quit Line toll free at 1-866-784-8937. It may take several attempts to quit. And you need to keep trying, but the benefit to your health is, in the long run, will be well worth it.

And the great thing about quitting smoking is the benefits start immediately when you finally do it.

Host: Well, clearly that's more marvelous advice that everyone should take to heart, quite literally. But having cleared the air about smoking, something tells me that you're just not finished Mr. Grissom. Is there anything else we can do in our lives to improve our heart health?

Bradley Grissom, APN, CNP: Sleep is another good example. It's something we spend considerable amount of time doing, so it needs to be good, and it needs to be of high quality. Lack of sleep and poor sleep can affect your overall health, especially your heart. There are several sleep disorders out there, but for example, if you have sleep apnea and you don't treat it, your body suffers the consequences every night and affects your health in the long run.

If you snore, wake up tired, doze off while driving, or doze off during the day, or have fatigue, please get that evaluated. Your body will thank you. Treatment for sleep apnea has come a long way, and a lot of people in the beginning are resistant to that treatment. But if you have it and you treat it, I think you're going to feel much better, and your body's going to be a lot better off as well.

Host: Outstanding suggestions, Mr. Grissom, and certainly something worth sleeping on. Any more changes we can make in our individual lifestyles that would benefit our hearts?

Bradley Grissom, APN, CNP: Well, a heart talk wouldn't be a heart talk without talking about stress. Stress can have a negative role in our heart health. Stress is necessary, but how we manage it is what's important. Stress can cause a release of hormones that in the short term may be necessary to carry out a certain task, but left unchecked to go on, it can lead to negative health consequences.

I would encourage patients to be aware of the different stressors in their life and find ways to work through those. Stressors can include financial, family, any type of that stress, health. Speak with your provider, get counseling if you need to. Things that you can deal with on your own with stress include being active, meditation, deep breathing, getting plenty of sleep, volunteering if you enjoy it, listening to music, doing enjoyable activities, learning something new. We all have stress and it is necessary, but it's time to get help when it starts affecting your life and it starts affecting your health.

Host: Wow. Well, those are some terrific tips to try, Mr. Grissom. I feel less stressed already just thinking about it. Okay, my last question for you. If there's one overall message that you'd like everyone to take to heart during American Heart Month this February, what would it be?

Bradley Grissom, APN, CNP: Well, I wish I just had one and while we've talked about a lot of important things with diet and exercise and quitting smoking and stress and sleep, there's just a few more thoughts I'd like to put in everyone's mind as we kind of wrap things up today. I'd like to end by making sure that you see your provider. Learn about your family's risk of heart disease. Know what your numbers are and what they mean. Know what each of those pieces of cholesterol in your lipid panel mean. Understand what your blood pressure means. Know what your healthy weight should be. Take your medicines as prescribed. We run into a lot of this in the office where people aren't taking their medications correctly and it does make it a lot more difficult to manage your health if we don't know what and how you're taking your medications.

I would encourage you to keep your blood pressure, your diabetes, and your cholesterol under control. Come ready for your provider visits. Write down your questions and bring your medication so we can go over them. We are on this journey together, but you also have to have an active role in your own health.

And finally, I would say don't ignore any symptoms. If you're having any sort of symptoms that you're concerned about, you have to let your provider know. I always tell my patients, I can't fix you if I don't know you're broke, so you have to share that information with me. And last but not least, remember, work at this every day.

Host: Absolutely to the point. That's a message we can all take to heart. Mr. Grissom, you've simply been a pleasure to have on our podcast. Thank you so much for joining us, and for all that you do every day at Carle at the Riverfront for so many people and families.

That concludes today's Hally HealthCast. Tune in next time, as we tackle yet another topic important for your health and wellbeing. And remember Hally Health is your partner in helping you live your healthiest life. Visit hally.com. That's H-A-L-L-Y.com for resources, information, tips, and much more. Let us help keep you and your family healthy and well. Thanks for listening. We hope you tune in again.