Five Tips for Changing to a Heart-Healthy Diet

If you’ve been diagnosed with heart failure, you’ve probably been asked to make a number of changes that you’re simply not used to. Often the most daunting change is monitoring and making changes to your diet.

Making a lifestyle change and sticking with it is difficult. Many of us have had good intentions about changing habits — exercise, savings and diet come to mind — only to fall back into our old ways again.

But there are ways to make diet changes less daunting (and even more fun!). Here are five ways we’ve found helpful:

1. Do it for the best reasons.
“My doctor told me to” probably isn’t the best motivation for making healthier choices over the long haul. Millions of people (with or without heart disease) find it easier to stick with healthier food choices because they want to feel better and be around as long as they can be for their loved ones.

2. Make changes slowly.
The greatest reason people abandon New Year’s resolutions and other great intentions is that they set expectations that are too great. “I’m going to get organized” is a classic example. We all know people that run out to buy storage systems, file all their office papers away, achieve a clean office for one or two days, then resort to old habits. The reason they can’t stick with the new system is that it requires too many changes at once. It’s the same with dietary changes. Instead of setting goals like, “I want to eat a vegetarian diet”, consider making a smaller change like, “I want to eat two more vegetables a week” or I want to eat “one vegan meal a week.” It’s easier to stick with your plan if the goals are achievable.

3. Try one new recipe per week.
Breaking out of routines can be fun and adventurous as you want it to be. Maybe it’s a lower sodium version of an old favorite like chili or maybe it’s a something you’ve never tried, like broccoli quinoa salad. The important thing is you’re making the choice to eat healthier foods. Our recipe page is full of terrific heart-healthy meal ideas.

4. Take advantage of daily reminders.
We designed the Cormeum app with twice daily reminders, so you won’t forget to update your daily stats. When the reminder pops up, you may want to remind yourself that it’s a good time to eat a healthy snack, such as a piece of fruit, instead of reaching for a less heart friendly choice.

5. Reward yourself.
Making changes is hard. Setting realistic milestones and reaching them is cause for celebration. Taking the time to acknowledge our achievements is important. Share your successes with friends, family and your health providers. Being joyful is an important part of staying healthy, too!