No matter what area of Community Cardiology you are involved in, healthy eating is a good way to ensure your overall health and wellbeing.
The team may look into what your daily food intake looks like and offer some tailored dietary advice. Please be reassured that the dietary measures we discuss will be personal to you and so will take into account any allergies, coeliac or cultural diet considerations.
The main dietary aim is for a well-balanced diet. Often, using dietary aids and strict diet programmes don't result in sustained weight loss as they can be so difficult to maintain. These diets often don't have all the recommended nutrients either. So rather than encouraging you to cut out certain foods or focussing on specifics, the team will likely give you broad advice on how to eat a healthy varied diet so your body receives the right amount of everything it needs.
The important thing is getting the balance right. It can be very convenient to eat foods which are high in saturated fats, sugar and salt. When really we need to be eating more fruit and vegetables. Some small changes to your diet, such as having an orange rather than a biscuit for a snack can result in long term positive changes.
During initial consultations, exercise/education classes and regular reviews, nurses may ask you how you are progressing with healthy eating. We can offer additional advice such as the eat well guide and even sign post you to websites with recipes to try!
[Eat well plate picture]
Nurses may also discuss weight management; for some patients it is important to be weighed daily to monitor their heart condition. For other patients, weight loss may be important to them. For individuals with a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30, we can also support weight loss through referrals to specialists.