CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs held a Heart of Hot Springs Health Fair Friday, providing free blood pressure and blood sugar checks, as well as encouraging tips to eat a heart-healthy diet.

The standard American diet does damage to the heart of almost every single person who eats it, dietitian Haley Hampton said.

“We have known for decades that a single fast-food meal can stiffen your arteries within hours and cause inflammation. This will go away after a few hours unless it’s followed by another high-fat meal, then your body will stay in a chronic low-grade inflammation,” Hampton said.

Heart disease and stroke kill about one-third of Americans, combined. However, she said that just like people who stop smoking can eventually reduce the risk of lung disease down to that of a nonsmoker, individuals who stop eating an unhealthy diet can reduce the risk of heart disease.

Hampton introduced the USDA ChooseMyPlate method that shows a plate eaten should include fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy; highly encouraging keeping it plant-based, even in protein.

“If we’re following a more plant-based diet, that protein can come from plant sources, and then the dairy can also be a plant-based yogurt or milk,” she said.

When it comes to putting fruits and vegetables on a plate, she said to make sure to use more vegetables than fruit.

“Even if you really like fruits, and you’re eating four or five fruits a day, that’s great, just make sure you’re eating more vegetables, so you’re eating five or six vegetables a day,” she said.

“There is no question that people who eat diets high in vegetables have a lower risk of heart disease,” Hampton said. “Vegetables have the highest ratio of nutrients to calories, so they are very, very nutritious.”

She added that fruits also have “many valuable nutrients” that protect against heart disease.

“You may have heard an apple a day keeps the doctor away. If you’re trying to keep the cardiologist away, you might want to do blueberries,” she said. “An apple has 60 units of antioxidants; one cup of blueberries has 650 units of antioxidants.”

When it comes to frozen versus fresh fruit, Hampton said there may be some value in consuming frozen fruits.

“They were picked and then frozen to preserve the nutrition. When we buy fresh fruit, which is also an excellent choice, they’re picked, and they sit on a truck and then sit in the store for a little bit longer,” she said.

When it comes to grains, Hampton said they are especially important for heart health because they provide a good source of fiber, which can help lower cholesterol.

She said it’s always best to choose unprocessed grains like oats or rice, but anyone who chooses a bread, cereal, tortillas or crackers should look for products with 5 grams of fiber or more.

Protein is an important part of the diet, Hampton said, because it helps to maintain muscle, and the heart is a muscle.

“Most Americans’ protein intake comes primarily from animal products, and this can lead to excessive amounts of saturated fat,” she said. “Diets high in saturated fats are correlated with increased risk for heart disease. So choose animal products less often and incorporate more plant protein.”

Hampton said when choosing animal products, just remember this rule of thumb: “The fewer the feet, the leaner the meat.”

“So fish, they don’t have any feet, they’re the leanest, chicken and turkey have two, they’re next on the list, and then beef and pork have four,” she said. “In Arkansas, I think I need to mention deer is actually a really good, lean choice of meat, natural and organic, so that’s something that could be incorporated.”

Hampton said plant-based proteins include beans, lentils, nuts and seeds.

Hampton’s presentation was followed by a panel of six CHI St. Vincent cardiologists.

In a Feb. 1 article in The Sentinel-Record, participating interventional cardiologist Dr. Srinivas Vengala said the topic of heart health is relevant because a heart attack, on average, happens approximately every 40 seconds.

Heart attacks typically occur in people 45 years and older, but Vengala said he has seen heart attacks occur in patients as young as 32.

He said arterial blockages are commonly affected by genetics, but things like having high blood pressure, diabetes, being overweight, not exercising and smoking are also main contributors.

“Preventive care like eating a plant-based diet and exercising regularly can help to reduce a heart attack from happening,” Vengala said.

Local on 02/15/2020