How to Have a Heart-Healthy Christmas
The festive period is a time for relaxing at home, speaking with friends and eating delicious Christmas treats. Here are some tips to keep your heart healthy, without putting a damper on your Christmas spirit.
For many of us, Christmas will be far from normal this year – lockdowns, social distancing and other yuletide rules mean we'll be spending more time indoors and less time with friends. Here are some tips for keeping heart-healthy at Christmas.
Food, family and friends are the backbones of Christmas, but many of us would add booze to the list as well. In the pub and at home, most of us will indulge in heavier-than-usual drinking over Christmas. Brits drink an average of 14 units daily during the six-day holiday – that's equivalent to more than six pints of beer and exceeds the advised weekly limit of 14 units set by the NHS1. Drinking frequently and to excess is known to raise blood pressure and could put your heart under serious strain. To take care of your heart this Christmas, try to limit your alcohol intake to below 3 units each day2. That's equivalent to two cups of mulled wine or four small glasses of eggnog.
The number of people having heart attacks rises by 15% over the festive period, with Christmas Eve being dubbed "coronary Christmas" by some leading academics3. Emotional stress, anxiety and loneliness are all implicated in causing heart attacks. Take care of your mental health this Christmas and avoid stressful situations if you have an underlying heart condition.
It isn't Christmas day without a roast dinner. It's a delicious tradition but the humble roast could affect your heart health. Keep an eye on your salt intake – anything more than 6g of salt a day is excessive and increases a person's risk of developing high blood pressure and heart disease4. You might not think you're anywhere near the 6g limit but roast nuts and crisps, roast dinners and even chocolates can contain unhealthy levels of salt.
As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, it can be tempting to spend more time indoors than usual. The coronavirus pandemic has forced us inside, making it even more difficult to stay physically active. Aim to exercise every day – this might mean going for a walk instead of driving to the shops or doing simple exercises like stretching. Keeping your heart active and busy helps to keep it healthy and functioning normally.
It's important to take a break from our busy lives and relax from time to time. We believe you can stay heart-healthy and still have a great Christmas this year. By keeping track of your food intake and staying active, you can still enjoy roast dinners, mince pies and mulled wine. From all of us here at Kwai, we wish you a merry, heart-healthy Christmas.
Kwai Heartcare+ with Japanese Black Garlic has been formulated to support normal heart function. Each tablet contains 450mg of Black Garlic, 2,700μg of Allicin and Vitamin B1. Its unique formulation helps to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and resist temporary oxidative stress. We use cutting-edge techniques, strict quality controls and GMO-free garlic to produce this daily dietary supplement, yielding a wide range of micronutrients, polyphenols and flavonoids. Kwai Heartcare+ with Japanese Black Garlic is available in packs of 30 and 100 tablets and is intended to support a healthy diet and active lifestyle.
2 https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-support/calculating-alcohol-units/
3 https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/higher-risk-of-heart-attack-on-christmas-eve/