Nutrition for Your Heart

Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally, but the foods you eat, how you move, and the habits you build every day can make a meaningful difference. In this free nutritional education webinar presented in honor of Heart Month, Megan Ellison, RDN, CDCES – a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist with Sound Dietitians, LLC – walks through evidence-based strategies for lowering blood pressure and supporting long-term cardiovascular health. Sponsored by Stilly Valley Health Connections, this class is part of our free class recordings on nutrition and health.

What’s covered in this class:

• Cardiovascular disease and blood pressure basics – current blood pressure guidelines by stage, why hypertension is called a “silent killer,” how to monitor at home, and how lifestyle changes can reduce or even lower the need for medication
• Physical activity for heart health – why even 1-2 minutes of movement counts, the 150 min/week cardio goal and how to break it up, resistance training for heart and bone health, and practical “habit stacking” strategies for sneaking exercise into your day
• The DASH diet – a plant-forward eating approach developed specifically to lower blood pressure, covering fruits and vegetables, whole grains (and how to spot them on a label), lean proteins, heart-healthy fats, and limiting sodium and added sugars
• The Mediterranean diet – how it compares to DASH, why it has strong cardiovascular evidence, and what it looks like day to day
• Sodium reduction – why 70% of dietary sodium comes from packaged and prepared foods, how to read labels, and how spices, herbs, and citrus can replace the salt shaker without sacrificing flavor
• Alcohol and heart health – what a standard serving actually looks like, why alcohol’s calorie density surprises most people, and how moderating intake affects blood pressure
• Behavior change that sticks – why combined lifestyle changes can match the impact of medication, including the “motivation + ability + prompt” formula and habit stacking principles from books like Atomic Habits