29th September is World Heart Day. The idea of this day is simple: spread awareness about keeping the heart healthy.

Education on heart health is important. Nowadays, kids are getting cardiac arrests, and hence, the right information about eating habits, food, and activity is important.

In fact, while researching for this post, I noticed something interesting: instead of learning about heart health, people are searching more about heart disease and heart attack.

Hence, with this post, I will try to mention a few things you need to remember for a good heart health.

Eat with wisdom

This post is not yet another post with a list of things you can do and avoid. I will try to include a few important things for you to have better control over your heart health.

First thing in that is eating with wisdom.

This means you need to understand your food, what you are eating, and how it’s affecting your health and heart health overall.

A good practice is reading the food label so that you can understand what the ingredients are in the food item you are buying. For example, many food items are high in sugar and sodium. They have fewer real ingredients and are loaded with chemicals and artificial colors.

Such things are bad for heart health.

Eating with wisdom may also mean you learn what is going on your plate in general. On World Heart Day, you can learn more about real foods.
Foods even your grandmother can recognize.

Like it or not, your heart doesn’t care about food that Instagram may like; it cares about freshness, real flavors, and food in portions.

You should learn how to eat mindfully, how to portion control, and how to know when you are actually full.

You can include-

Whole grains help lower cholesterol.
Food rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Fruits and veggies that supply antioxidants like vitamin C, flavonoids, and carotenoids that protect blood vessels from oxidative damage.
Nuts, seeds, and oils that deliver monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Movement that your heart may need

Movement is like a tonic for the heart. Like any muscle, the heart also loves regular training, and movement is like that training the heart may need. However, the modern lifestyle includes more sedentary habits and less movement.

It’s not just a problem with people going to the office who have to sit the whole day. In general, people have become lazy. They move less and later spend money on gadgets that help them track their steps.

People at a young age are having cardiac arrests because they are eating the wrong food, with no movement in general.

Extended sitting slows blood circulation, increases insulin resistance, and may even increase the risk of heart attacks and diseases.

Even small movements lead to major changes in heart health. Studies suggest that even 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week improves heart health.

Even walking after meals is considered great for heart health. Ayurveda even recommends that 100 steps after a meal matter.

On World Heart Day, you can start practicing small and intentional movements after a meal, during extended sitting periods, or even while on a call.

Change your eating habits from World Heart Day

We’ve already shared how you need to be mindful of what you eat and how reading food labels can help you. But eating habits matter too, and they may need a fix.

Food that includes trans fats, junk food, ultra-processed foods, and sugar-sweetened beverages not only adds more calories but also puts heart health at risk.

They inflame arteries, promote LDL, and can even lead to the development of visceral fat (which we will discuss shortly).

Nowadays, people consume food for the feed. This means they go to fancy cafés and order food to show their lavish lifestyle, but in reality, they are inviting heart disease. And then, people wonder how someone can get a heart attack.

In the modern world, heart disease is not limited to adults; young kids are getting it too because of a lack of activity and replacing actual food with junk food.

Maintaining a healthy weight

Healthy weight is not just about looks. It’s about so many factors. For example, visceral fat, the kind that wraps around your organs, is far more dangerous than the pinchable fat under your skin. It suffocates the organs. Even a healthy and fit-looking person can have it.

Visceral fat can cause inflammation, raise blood pressure, and put constant pressure on the heart and liver.

The good news is, maintaining a healthy weight and losing even 5–10% of body weight can help reduce cholesterol and lower the risk of diabetes.

Beyond cardio or walking, strength training plays a great role. It helps build lean muscle, which boosts metabolism and keeps fat in check.

Regular resistance workouts, combined with balanced eating, not only burn calories but also improve insulin sensitivity and protect against weight regain.

Heart health checkup

Info is the key! We should not assume we are healthy because we don’t feel anything.

I’ve seen people think their free heart health checkup is that they are doing cardio, not getting tired, and all. But still, we should not assume things on the basis of that.

We need regular heart health checkups even when things look fine

Conclusion

I don’t like the concept of celebrating anything on a single day. This World Heart Day, don’t take care of your heart for just a single day.

Include food that you can understand, and stick to home-based food. Stay active, take short walk breaks. Focus on your sleep and maintain a healthy weight.

It may sound like too much at once, but for your heart, it should be doable and enjoyable.

What one heart habit are you proud of? Share in the comments.