Most people know February as the month of love, but students at The University of Memphis learned Tuesday that February is also American Heart Month.
Heart disease is the number one cause of death, claiming the lives of about 39 percent of more than 2.4 million Americans each year, according to the American Heart Association.
Students, faculty and staff at The University of Memphis received information on heart disease and healthy living from Samantha Schuenke, one of the clinical nutritionists on staff at the Hudson Health Center located on campus.
"It's our goal to raise awareness for healthy heart and healthy living," Schuenke said.
Brochures given out by the nutritionists include information about strokes and heart facts from the American Stroke Association and the American Heart Association. A diagram of how the heart works was also included among the brochures. A fact sheet detailing 'red numbers' encourages its readers to learn their individual numbers for cholesterol levels (good and bad), blood pressure, body mass index, fasting blood sugar and triglycerides.
Schuenke suggests students visit a doctor to find out what your 'red numbers' are on a regular basis. Students can make appointments at Hudson Health Center to see one of the clinical nutritionists. There is no cost for the appointments but students are encouraged to schedule their appointments at least two days in advance. Nutritionists are available from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday.The nutritionists also provided information on healthy lifestyles as part of their mission to get people more involved with healthy heart month.
What constitutes a healthy lifestyle varies from person to person. Freshman Ronnie Dutcher knows that lifestyle changes can keep him from following in the footsteps of family members.
"I run and stay away from fatty foods," said Dutcher, a business administration student. "High cholesterol runs in the family and I lost my grandfather to heart disease."
Health experts agree that a healthy lifestyle change can be as simple as reducing alcohol intake, taking the stairs instead of the elevator and changing your eating habits. For those who want to make a major lifestyle change, adding an exercise program can do the trick."I maintain a healthy heart by walking a lot, trying to live stress free and eating a balanced diet," said Pat Atkins, window clerk at Mail Services.
A healthy diet includes eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, grains and legumes, lean meats and fish.
"Diets such as the Atkins Diet are not appropriate for a healthy heart because while it limits a person's intake of carbohydrates, it increases the intake of fats and saturated fat," said Kristin Finamore, the other clinical nutritionist on staff at Hudson Health Center.
"A good example of a heart healthy diet is the South Beach diet. A cardiologist developed this diet and it places an emphasis on complex carbohydrates and fiber, like foods made with whole grains, both of which are good for the heart," she said.
