World Heart Day and Functional Wellness with Dr. Royce Bargas
The goal of World Heart Day, which falls on September 29th, is to educate communities and individuals around the world on the dangers and warning signs of heart disease and how to seek and manage care. As the leading cause of death worldwide, with numbers topping 18 million a year, heart health is a focus of global leaders who have set a goal to reduce cardiovascular disease by 25% by the year 2025. Help spread heart health awareness this World Heart Day! Read more from the World Heart Federation.
What does this have to do with bison meat? High cholesterol and high blood pressure are both key factors in heart disease and diet specifically plays a large role in managing those factors. With lower fat, calories, and cholesterol than beef, pork, and chicken; bison meat holds the potential to provide positive health benefits when substituted into one’s diet.
Functional wellness and heart health - battling heart disease from the ground up. Dr. Royce Bargas is board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease and Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology and a certified practitioner with the Institute of Functional Medicine. Connecting her roots as an osteopath with the fundamentals of functional medicine, Dr. Bargas focuses on the root cause of disease with her patients and uses the evidence-based practice to assist individuals and families to adopt and sustain behaviors that can improve health and quality of life. Learn more from the Edmond Oklahoma based Dr. Royce Bargas at Bargas Wellness and continue reading below for her article on the inclusion of high quality meats as part of a heart-healthy diet.
Don't forget to include high quality meats as part of a heart-healthy diet. In fact, a diet that includes quality meat from pasture-raised animals is fundamental to good health. Here in Oklahoma, we have a plethora of natural, responsibly farmed meats from which to choose. The one I recommend most often to my patients is bison, which is a healthy option that is relatively low in inflammatory fats and calories and contains essential nutrients like iron, vitamin B-12, and protein! Additionally, it’s an excellent source of selenium and zinc, all of which are important to a heart-healthy diet.
For my patients looking to control high cholesterol, one of the leading indicators for heart disease, I recommend a diet that includes bison since it’s even lower in cholesterol than chicken and salmon.The typical American diet is lacking in many important nutrients, including Omega-3s, which have been shown to help fight depression and anxiety, improve eye health, and reduce the risk of heart disease. While salmon is a well-known source of Omega-3s, bison actually contains the same amount.
As if these weren’t reasons enough to start making bison a regular part of your diet, there’s even better news—it’s delicious! My family and I enjoy everything from grilled bison steaks, bison tacos, bison burgers and more. For those looking for a healthy meat as part of a balanced and nutritious heart-healthy diet, I highly recommend natural, Oklahoma pasture-raised bison!
Help spread awareness for heart disease and world heart day 2021 by using hashtags #UseHeart and #WorldHeartDay
Lots of bison love,
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