While heart disease continues to be the number one killer of women, less than half of the women in the United States have seen a general practitioner or internist within the past year. This coupled with the stress of the pandemic is why we have two doctors on the AM Buffalo today to share easy ways to help women reclaim their rhythm with tea talks
Dr. Joy Dubost, registered dietitian from Lipton, says the pandemic has really had a profound impact on our cardiovascular health and our brain health. She says one in five people report being less physically well and importantly, one in three say they are less mentally well. She goes on to say during this pandemic with all the stress that has been piled on us, we aren’t exercising as well, we are not eating a healthy diet, we are drinking more, we are smoking more and all these things are leading to more cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Dr. Dubost says there is a strong connection between our mental health and our physical health which is why we are here to talk about all the positive benefits of taking care of our mental health and those social connections that help kind of help lubricate our mental health.
Dr. Donna Arnett, past-president, American Heart Association, says tea talks is all about reclaiming your rhythm. What that means is really engaging in meaningful and open dialogue with your friends and family and even potentially your doctor about your health priorities, your health needs particularly now focused on heart health. Dr. Arnett says it’s really about having that conversation over a cup of unsweetened tea. She says the beauty of this is that it goes beyond just the conversation, but also that unsweetened green or black tea, caffeinated, decaffeinated, hot or iced tea, 2 to 3 cups a day can support the healthy heart because it is because it is hydrating, contains zero calories and zero sugar and naturally contains compounds called flavonoids which have been associated with heart health benefits. She says the key point here is that it is unsweetened because we want to remove sugar-sweetened beverages from the diet because that can actually that can actually increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Dubost says we really asking women during heart month (February) to reclaim your health, lets reclaim our rhythm, lets get back to prioritizing are own self-care and our own mental and physical health. It also includes visiting your primary care provider and embrace not only the physical aspects of a healthy lifestyle but those social and mental aspects that really enable us to be able to live our best lives.
For more information go to lifeiswhy.org
For more information on tea talks go to lipton.com
