A common question I am asked is whether bone broth good for my heart health. It might seem strange to think that something you eat could be good for your heart, but in fact, everything you eat affects your heart in some way. We will take a look at the article, “Is Bone Broth Good for My Heart Health?”
Heart conditions
Some heart conditions are hereditary such as Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which is the thickening of the heart tissue causing blockages [1]. However, only 1% of the UK population suffer from a hereditary heart condition and 7.4 million people are living with a heart condition [3], which means that over 6 million people are suffering from poor heart health and could do/have done something about it. In the UK, heart diseases are the main cause of death among males, so taking care of heart health is hugely important.
Some of the heart conditions you may know about are high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. Cholesterol can build up around the heart, blocking the arteries and causing an obstruction. It’s important to see a doctor if you believe you have a heart condition. A doctor will be able to prescribe medication to help you manage the condition. However, drugs are not a cure. They should be an interim solution whilst you work on natural ways to improve your heart health.
Causes of heart disease
Some of the most common causes of heart disease are being overweight, smoking, drinking too much alcohol, and having a poor diet. As previously mentioned, other causes can relate to genes, but for a majority of people who have heart problems it is caused by diet and lifestyle.
Symptoms of heart disease
Common symptoms of heart disease are:
- Chest pain, chest tightness, chest pressure and chest discomfort (angina)
- Shortness of breath
- Pain, numbness, weakness or coldness in your legs or arms if the blood vessels in those parts of your body are narrowed
- Pain in the neck, jaw, throat, upper abdomen or back
Please be mindful that there are many different types of heart disease, so symptoms could vary. Therefore, it’s very important to contact a doctor if you are concerned about your heart.
Improve heart health
Working with health professionals, you could potentially regain your full health by making some simple changes to your lifestyle.
Your heart is a muscle. This means that you can improve the strength of your heart with exercise. Even a little light exercise a day can make a big difference, but even exercise can be tough and unappealing especially if you are overweight, which is why diet is something that you can change immediately.
Switching to a whole-food diet is extremely important. The goodness of natural foods will help to ensure your body is getting a range of nutrients and minerals it needs. There’s a good chance you are suffering from chronic inflammation too, so including broth in your diet could help reduce inflammation, particularly of the gut. It is widely believed that bone broth contains anti-inflammatory proteins. Inflammation in the gut inhibits the function of enzymes, which means that the breakdown of some foods becomes harder causing intolerances. Furthermore, gut problems also present themselves with an imbalance of the gut microbiome, so taking an approach to healing the gut and then boosting your gut flora could be beneficial.
Here is a list of foods that could help improve your heart and gut health:
- Increase your HDL fat foods. High-density lipoproteins are the good fats that you should include in your diet. These foods help to reduce cholesterol levels in your body. It’s important to include more of these foods to help balance out your cholesterol levels.
- avocados, olives, nuts, fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, rainbow trout and sardines. You can also include other local fish such as cod and haddock, but try to include others too, as they are more oily. [4]
- Leafy greens
Leafy greens are rich in vitamin K, an important vitamin needed to help protect your arteries. [5]
- Prebiotic foods
Prebiotics are the food for your gut bugs. You need to feed them to help them colonise and grow. Chicory root, onions, garlic, and leeks… are just some of them! [6]
- Natural probiotics
At Boil and Broth, we produce our very own natural probiotic drinks. Each one of our drinks contains billions of natural probiotics, fermented from vegetables and fruits. Probiotics are important because they help retain the balance of the gut flora. When too many probiotic strains are depleted, you could experience gut health problems that present themselves as other health conditions.
- Whole Grains
Whole grains are important for heart health, because they too play a role in keeping the heart healthy, including lowering your blood pressure. [7]
- Poultry
Switching to a whole foods diet should also include poultry and some protein. As your heart is a muscle, you need to make sure that you are eating protein to repair and build muscles. The best form of protein is from meat and meat-based products. Poultry includes chicken and eggs. Cut back on red meat for 12 weeks and then reintroduce to having once or twice every couple of weeks.
- Bone Broth
Drinking broth daily can help to reduce inflammation in the gut. It is also believed it can help with respiratory problems, as well as joint care, cell damage and more. An ancient form of cooking, a good broth has been around for years, but it’s only now that we are starting to discover broth’s powerful modalities. Check out our broth here.
- Water
One of the biggest changes we forget to discuss and that’s water. You must drink plenty of water in a day. Up to around 8 glasses. Why not carry a drink water bottle with you?
- Red wine.
You might be surprised to know that red wine in small amounts is good for you. If you like to drink alcohol a couple of times a week, then red wine should be your alcohol choice. Red wine is a great antioxidant, and contains beneficial bacteria which is good for your gut flora, and studies have shown red wine to lower cholesterol.
When changing your diet it’s important to take your time and find what works for you. You might find the change too much to start with, so try adding in new foods first and cutting back on some of the following foods:
- Alcohol
- Sugar and sugary treats
- White bread, pasta, pizza, white rice
- Crisps, cakes, biscuits
- Fizzy drinks.