Dr. Unjali Malhotra, Medical Officer, Women's Health

In honour of Heart Month 2019, I want to take a moment to talk about the connections between diet, wellness and our heart health. As a women's health physician, I see firsthand the effects that good nutrition can have on women's hearts, and that includes eating traditional foods that have kept Indigenous women healthy since time immemorial.

According to the Heart & Stroke Foundation's report on women's heart health, heart disease is responsible for significantly more deaths in Indigenous women compared to non-Indigenous women. Indigenous women have also been shown to die from heart disease at a younger age compared to non-Indigenous women. The good news is that 80% of heart disease cases are preventable, and good diet is a crucial preventative factor!

Eating Healthy

In 2019, Canada's Food Guide was updated. Important additions to the new edition were eating together and cooking more often. These are wonderful additions, because they focus on culture and community—values that align closely with the teachings that many First Nations share about food.

Since time immemorial, gathering, harvesting, hunting, preparing, preserving and sharing food together have been important practices for First Nations people. Traditionally, foods harvested from the land helped to support healthy and well lifestyles, and women often played important roles within their communities regarding harvesting and preparation. Today, too, a good heart-health diet includes traditional foods, when available. 

Some of you may live in situations where it's difficult to access traditional foods (urban environments) or, alternatively, where it's a challenge to access fresh healthy foods like fruit and vegetables (remote communities). Regardless of where you live, here are some quick tips on the best foods for women to eat to protect their cardiovascular health.

Best and Worst Foods for Healthy Hearts

Be sure to eat plenty of the following types of food to protect your cardiovascular health:

• Proteins (e.g., from plants, fish, game and other meats and nuts)

o Did you know? Among other nutrients, cold water, oily fish, such as herring, eulachon, salmon, trout, halibut and cod, are rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids. These traditional foods are some of the best for your heart health, because Omega-3 Fatty Acids help protect against strokes and heart disease!

• Vegetables and fruit (e.g., seaweed, roots and berries, and fresh / frozen / canned produce)

o Did you know? As FNHA's Traditional Food Fact Sheet shares, in many communities in BC, women were (and often still are) the primary seaweed harvesters. Traditionally, seaweed would be pulled up from the rocks and into canoes, before being processed through drying on the beach and then on cedar frames.

o Seaweed is an excellent source of protein, iron, Vitamins A and C, Riboflavin and Niacin. Many berries and other fruits are also great sources of Vitamins C and A. Eating fruit and vegetables is the best way to get the nutrients you need to stay heart healthy! If you don't have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen and canned are also good options.

• Whole grains (e.g., barley, brown rice, corn, whole wheat breads)

• And remember to drink lots of water!

For the best heart health, you should avoid:

• Sugar

• Sodium / salt

• Saturated fat

• Processed foods (e.g., chips, microwave dinners, packaged ready-to-eat snacks and meals)

Heart healthy foods are in line with the Canada Food Guide 2019. Even small dietary changes can positively impact heart health, from lowering your cholesterol, blood pressure and weight, to managing your waist circumference and blood sugar.  

I love cooking and sharing meals with friends and family. I hope food brings you joy too!

In wellness,

Dr. Unjali Malhotra

Resources:

Canada Food Guide: https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/

Traditional Food Fact Sheets: 

http://www.fnha.ca/documents/traditional_food_fact_sheets.pdf