I first met Shawn Tompkins in 2008 through mutual contacts in the MMA world. Having much in common we became friends quickly. One of the first conversations we had involved him poking fun at me for being a nerdy Star Trek fan even though hew as such a fan of the original series. For his birthday this year I gave him an Enterprise shaped pizza cutter to encourage him to make his own healthy pizza, of course he got quite a kick out of it.
Shawn passed away this week due to a heart attack. He had a family history of heart disease. It was just this year that he became a client of mine and we began crafting a diet to help him meet his weight loss and long-term healthy eating goals. When it comes to heart disease, it's not just about maintaining an active lifestyle. A healthy diet is a powerful tool that can help fight genetic predispositions to cardiovascular disease.
While sports nutrition is a passion of mine, my other specialty is medical nutrition therapy for a variety of conditions. For clients of mine with a family history of heart disease, here are some strategies that and yearly blood tests that I suggest. (Even without being genetically predisposed to heart disease, the following tests should be conducted annually as part of routine preventative medicine.)
Have yearly tests for the following
LDL Cholesterol
HDL Cholesterol
HDL lipoprotein fractions
Triglycerides
Total Cholesterol
Homocysteine
C-Reactive Protein
Blood pressure
Even if your levels are out of the normal range, many of these factors can be changed through diet and lifestyle often without medication depending on the severity of the test results.
Big Picture Strategy
<ul type="disc"> Balance calorie intake with physical activity to maintain a healthy weight
Consume a diet rich in vegetables and fruits
Choose whole-grain, high-fiber foods
There are a variety of different kinds of fibers like soluble, insoluble and functional. The epidemiological support is strongest for fiber from grains protecting against heart disease. Adding oatmeal to your diet is a smart move! Consume fish, especially oily fish like salmon, sardines and anchovies, at least twice a week. (If you hate fish, you may take a daily omega-3 fish oil supplement)
Limit your intake of saturated fat to < 7% of energy, trans fat to < 1% of energy, and cholesterol to