Heart Health: Nutritional Tips For Improved Circulation, Energy, and Stress

Heart disease is prevalent in North America being one of the top 2 leading causes of death in Canada and the USA. Whether you are in Toronto, or the surrounding GTA, there is a general hustle mentality, or this need to prove your value to the world. As a result, you might have decided to increase caffeine intake, work extra long hours, all on top of your 6 day workout routine.  By being in a constant state of fight-or-flight, this can raise your blood pressure, exhaust your heart, and cause circulation issues which lead to heart disease. “So, what do I do?” you wonder… Here I’m going to share my top health tips on how to improve your heart health naturally.

One of the first tell-tale signs I notice with my patients that are experiencing poor heart health, is chronic fatigue. Feeling like, no matter how little they do, or how many breaks they take they still feel exhausted. Slowing down is a great place to start, in addition to including relaxation exercises like yoga, tai chi, or going for a walk. However, sometimes you might find that your body still feels tired regardless of how little you do. This could be due to your circulation being poor.

So, you decide to work out instead. However, everytime you workout, you feel like you can’t catch your breath. These symptoms result from the heart becoming overheated due to high blood pressure, chronic stress, and not eating a balanced diet. Speaking of diet, here is my first tip:

1. Cut Down Coffee

Coffee can significantly increase your blood pressure temporarily. During this time, you feel good, with more mental clarity, but your heart is also having to work harder. If this goes on all day, without a time for rest, it can exhaust the heart. So my first tip is take a break from coffee for at least 3 days.

2. Green tea, Watermelon, Strawberries & Tomatoes

Basically all the foods you think of when it’s summer - Caprese salad to start, and watermelon and strawberries for dessert. Let’s find out why.  

Watermelon and tomatoes are cooling and refreshing on the heart, while strawberries help nourish fluids in the heart. These fruits/vegetables help keep your system cooled down and functioning optimally. This can help with trouble staying asleep at night (insomnia), night sweats, heart palpitations, plus the fatigue/shortness of breath.

Although green tea has caffeine, it’s also cooling, and can help cool your body down when you feel overheated/overwhelmed. Coffee is much more acidic, which can cause a lot of heat in the body to build up. So if you find you still need a bump of caffeine in the mornings, try green tea instead. Its cooling properties can help balance you out when you’ve been having coffee for too long.

3. Vasodillators: Spinach & Bacon

There is much out there about nitrates being bad for you. However, did you know that your saliva converts nitrates into nitric oxide? This chemical is a natural vasodillator. In other words, it helps open your vessels to improve your circulation. What a great idea for those who suffer from high blood pressure, heart disease, or chronic stress. Two foods I would recommend for increasing your nitric oxide is spinach and bacon. Careful not to have too much bacon as it can lead to heart burn. You should instantly notice that your breathing is lighter and easier. Try this before your next workout.

4. Light Exercise

Switch from the heavy weights to something a little lighter. If you have difficulty catching your breath while doing cardio, start with something even lighter like tai chi, yoga, or going for a brisk walk. If you feel your fatigue lifting, you can start to include things like jogging, biking, or swimming.

You sometimes can’t feel it when you’re under immense stress, as some people just begin to normalize it. If you notice you feel lighter after trying these tips, this is a sign that you likely needed these foods/tips in order to feel more balanced. Another thing that can help greatly is coming in for acupuncture. Acupuncture is known for regulating stress hormones, improving circulation, and working on specific issues in your health - insomnia, heart palpitations, chronic fatigue, or shortness of breath. Book your tune up today with one of our practitioners:

What Gluten Intolerance And Stress Have In Common

From bloating, to diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain - gluten intolerance can be a pain to live with. Trying to avoid gluten can be a mission in itself. But did you know that gluten intolerance, and stress have a common link? And that by controlling one you may be able to control the other?

Gluten intolerance is essentially a form of inflammation – the body’s hyperactive response to a protein(gluten) found in wheat[1]. What if I told you that stress also creates an environment in your body, which makes you more prone to inflammatory conditions like gluten intolerance, IBS, and celiac disease[2]? And what if that minor clue, was in itself, the solution and cure.

Here I’m going to discuss how you can get gluten intolerance under control by managing your stress levels and inflammation with acupuncture & food therapy.

Many clients of ACUSOUL who suffer from IBS, celiac disease, or gluten intolerance – have noticed that it gets worse in times of stress. More importantly, the illness itself may have began during a time of high stress.

For example, when you entered the workforce your stress levels may have been more elevated than when you were in school[3]. That may also be the time when you noticed the gluten intolerance began. It may not have been flaring up consistently everyday, but that’s because your stress levels also vary day by day. Paying attention to the environment, your lifestyle, and emotionally how you felt when the illness began is critical to addressing it.

What stress does is increase blood pressure, cortisol levels, and your body’s inflammatory response[4]. This increase in cortisol, and blood pressure has an obvious impact on your heart health. At the same time the inflammation being increased makes the gluten intolerance and IBS more pronounced in the intestinal organs.

Thus, with acupuncture we would target the Heart to bring down stress levels and the intestinal organs to control diarrhea and constipation. As a result you may notice better sleep, feeling more relaxed, and less tension in the upper back and jaw, as well as less bouts of diarrhea or constipation, and less bloating. If you’re not familiar, feel free to read our article on "How acupuncture works”.

From a food standpoint, here are some foods that help reduce inflammation, regulate the heart, and may help with symptoms of gluten intolerance:

1. Turmeric – with high anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, digestive regulating properties, this spice is great for inflammatory conditions like gluten intolerance, IBS, or celiac disease.

2. Beets - Calm the heart, lubricates the intestines to help with constipation.

3. Watermelon – Clears heat from the heart, stomach, and bladder. Alleviates thirst, and induces diuresis. Essentially promoting the body’s ability to clear inflammation, and rehydrate.

 If you’re interested in seeing what acupuncture & food therapy can do for you – book a session here. We’re an acupuncture clinic located in the heart of downtown Toronto, and Vaughan. We’ll discuss your health concerns in detail, come up with a treatment plan, and provide food recommendations customized to your body’s intricate needs.

1. https://nyulangone.org/conditions/celiac-disease-gluten-sensitivity-in-adults/diagnosis

2. https://www.rn.com/featured-stories/stress-inflammation-immunity/

3. https://www.forbes.com/sites/karlynborysenko/2018/11/01/generation-z-is-coming-to-work-and-their-stress-is-already-high/#40e00704273b

4. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/signs-you-are-gluten-intolerant

5. http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/1999/06/04/27924.htm