Beat Heart Disease: Ways to Keep Weight and Blood Pressure in Check

February 1, 2026

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February is all about Valentine’s and hearts, healthy hearts. For musicians who have worked through a season of festivals, bringing cheer to others, it’s time to show some love for your own heart.

Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death across all racial and ethnic groups in the US, accounting for approximately one in five deaths. However, research shows that simple lifestyle changes can prevent nearly 80% of these deaths.

We know our bodies better than doctors. Some say that patients end up describing their own diagnosis. If you constantly feel something isn’t “right” or something feels “off”—not how you’re used to feeling—talk to your doctor, whether it’s fatigue or becoming winded too easily. Surprisingly, the classic chest pain is not the biggest symptom. One concern is when pain radiates to the jaw and neck from the chest. Women in particular often describe discomfort or symptoms like nausea or vomiting before they feel chest pain. These missed cues can lead to delayed critical cardiac care.

A balanced diet plays a crucial role in maintaining cardiovascular health. The goal is to consume nutrient-dense foods that support heart function, following the time-honored advice from the American Heart Association of limiting saturated fats, which tend to raise LDL—the bad cholesterol.

When your heart cannot pump properly, less blood flows to your lungs and muscles. Shortness of breath and fatigue when doing everyday activities, such as climbing stairs or walking across a parking lot, are red flags.

A Colorful Palate

Create meals with multicolored vegetables and fruits, whole grains, beans and legumes, nuts, plant-based proteins, and lean animal proteins, like skinless poultry, fish, and other types of seafood.

Avoid tropical oils such as palm oil, and even coconut oil, the latter of which contains more than 90% saturated fat, the type considered unhealthy. Note, though coconut oil has many benefits, heart healthy may not be one of them; recent scientific studies are inconclusive. A 2020 review found that although virgin coconut oil modestly increased HDL and lowered LDL, compared with oils from animal sources, “further research is needed to ascertain the appropriate role for coconut oil in cardiovascular health.”

Post-holiday diet reform could be as simple as regrouping from rich food, sweets, and alcohol. Limit or eliminate sweetened beverages, sodium, red and processed meats, refined carbohydrates, full-fat dairy products, and ultra-processed foods (refined, commercially baked goods, fried foods) that contain trans fats and partially hydrogenated oils. Ultra-processed foods are so ubiquitous in the American diet that they have an acronym, UPFs. According to health experts, 75% of the groceries on the shelves are UPFs. More than half of the calories that the average American adult consumes come from UPFs; in children, that number is more than 60%. But not all UPFs are equally concerning. Some fall under the more nuanced and easily to identify label, “junk food.”

Know Your Blood Pressure

Maintain a healthy weight. The higher your body mass index (BMI), the greater your odds of developing high blood pressure. Invest in a blood pressure monitor and bring a log of your readings to the doctor. Generally, the time to start doing this is if you’re over age 40, overweight, sedentary, or have a family history of heart disease or high blood pressure.

A blood pressure reading has two numbers: systolic is the upper number in a reading and diastolic is the bottom number. Systolic pressure is the force of the blood against the artery walls when the heart contracts to pump blood. Systolic pressure is always the higher number. Diastolic pressure is the pressure against the arteries between heartbeats, as the heart relaxes. The unit of measurement is in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).

Normal blood pressure, defined by the American Heart Association in 2025, falls below 120/80 mm Hg. Limit sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day, moving toward an ideal limit of 1,500 mg per day by checking food labels. Most adults in the US get their sodium from eating packaged and restaurant foods, not necessarily the salt shaker. Ideally, consuming no alcohol is good for your health; for those who choose to drink, consuming no more than two drinks per day for men and no more than one drink per day for women is recommended.

The long and short of smoking is that it’s a bad idea because it damages blood vessels. Don’t do it or make a commitment to quit. Studies show that even short periods of physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, reduce the urge to smoke. Aerobic exercise makes you sweat, increases breathing, and gets your heart beating faster. It strengthens your heart and lungs. Walking, swimming, running, dancing, and cycling are a few examples of aerobic exercise. Other stress-reducing activities include yoga, tai chi, and meditation.

Generally, a diagnosis of high blood pressure results when you have high readings on three different occasions during a single week. Some people’s blood pressure is changeable, or they may experience “white coat hypertension”—high readings that result from feeling stressed in a doctor’s office. You may be asked to wear a portable blood pressure monitor to get accurate readings.

In most cases, high blood pressure shows no symptoms, but with dangerously high blood pressure, a person may experience ringing in the ears, dizziness, headaches, nosebleeds, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, drowsiness, or confusion.

See your doctor regularly. Along with your primary care physician, decide when it’s time to enlist a cardiologist who can guide you through the process of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, optimal prevention of heart disease, and treatment, if necessary.

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