Nutrition and Lifestyle Related Disease

At Whole Life Nutrition I offer support to help you minimise the severity of lifestyle related diseases. Our bodies require the right nutrients, vitamins and minerals for optimal wellbeing. In todays Western world however, we are fighting against temptation at every turn – to fill our bodies with foods that do more detriment than good.

Supermarkets and petrol station counters lined with every type of chocolate imaginable. Golden arches and takeout signs call out, offering covenience foods high in saturated and trans fat, sodium, sugar and MSG. Busy lives demand constant rushing and stress producing activities, making preparing nutritious meals and regular exercise a challenge.

Eventually these lifestyle choices catch up with our bodies, and can display themselves in diseases that often can be avoided. We can’t alter our genetics, but a lifestyle that incorporates good nutrition, adequate daily physical activity and smoking cessation, can be protective against disease. Lets look at one of the leading causes of lifestyle related death in NZ and the role nutrition plays.

Heart Disease

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is linked to poor nutrition, lifestyle risk factors and genetics. CVD is most often caused by atherosclerosis – a build up of plaque in the walls of heart arteries. One of the main causes of these plaque build ups is a diet high in saturated fat. Atherosclerosis produces an inflammatory response in order to oxidise LDL (bad) cholesterol, sometimes leading to aneurysms which can be fatal. Atherosclerosis can also cause hypertension (high blood pressure), further damaging artery walls and increasing the risk of blood clots and life threatning embolisms. Once blood flow to the heart becomes severly restricted and the heart becomes deprived of oxygen, Coronary Heart Disease can develop.

Some of the major risk factors for Coronary Heart Disease that we can modify through our diet and lifestyle are: obesity (abdominal), high blood pressure (hypertension), high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, diabetes and a diet high in saturated fat & trans fat (but low in fruit, veges, wholegrains, nuts & seeds).

Do you have risk factors for CVD/CHD or a diagnosis? If the answer is yes, I would love to help.

I can create personalised recommendations to help you implement a heart healthy diet that is sustainable long term. Having support to make changes to diet and lifestyle in increments, makes lasting change acheivable.

What does a heart healthy diet look like? Plenty of colourful and leafy green vegetables – providing fibre, antioxidants and phytochemicals which are shown to be protective against disease. Focusing on eating wholefoods – veges, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, wholegrains, lean meat and seafood, to help minimise the risk of disease. And reducing your intake of foods high in saturated and trans fat, salt, and refined sugar.

Adopting a new way of eating may seem daunting, but with a few shifts in mindset, some good planning, simple food swaps, and ongoing support, a heart healthy lifestyle is very achievable!