Foods for a Healthy Heart

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and around the world. However, research shows a plant-based diet doesn’t just prevent heart disease, but it can manage and sometimes even reverse it. Pioneering studies by Dean Ornish, MD, Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., MD, and others have shown a low-fat, plant-based diet, combined with walking or other moderate exercise and a healthful overall lifestyle, can prevent, delay, and even reverse heart disease and other cardiovascular events.

Healthy plant-based diets benefit heart health because they contain no dietary cholesterol, very little saturated fat, and abundant fiber. Meat, cheese, and eggs, on the other hand, are packed with cholesterol and saturated fat, which cause plaque buildup in the arteries, eventually leading to heart disease. A plant-based diet can also help improve major risk factors for heart disease including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre-diabetes and diabetes, atherosclerosis and inflammation.

This two-hour class features introductions, a video, a discussion, and the opportunity to taste plant-based dishes following a cooking demonstration. It provides an excellent overview of plant-based foods for cardiovascular health.

Your instructor is Dr Nora E. Hanke, a retired physician and certified Food for Life instructor. She will point attendees to resources for adopting a low-fat, plant-based diet, and describe the 5-week Kickstart Your Health class series that starts January 31st.