Food Podcast: American Heart Month focuses on heart-healthy dietary, lifestyle habits

Each year, American Heart Month shines a light on the importance of good cardiovascular health. Over the last 40 years of Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s operations, the focus on sourcing and distributing healthy foods has greatly increased. Many of these foods are heart-healthy, meant to prevent or reduce the effects of diet-related diseases.

Erin Spangler is the Partner Excellence Academy Educator for Nutrition and Wellness at the food bank. Through her work, she creates resources for food pantry coordinators, health care providers and other community partners about how to keep health and wellness at the forefront of their work.

“The Food Bank reaches more than 350,000 people a year and unfortunately, we know that people experiencing food insecurity are likely to struggle with diet-related diseases, like high blood pressure or heart disease,” she said. “They may have had to change their eating behaviors, or they may have to make compromises on nutritional quality of the food they purchase at the grocery store.”

High blood pressure is one of the most common health issues that Americans face, Spangler said.

“When we asked the people we serve about their health, we found that 68 percent reported that someone in their household struggles with high blood pressure, which is people we see through our food pantries, drive-up food distributions and other ways we engage with the community,” Spangler explained.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is one of the best ways to prevent or manage high blood pressure.

“A healthy diet includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy,” Spangler said.

The Food Bank works with its member agencies and the families it serves to educate them about healthy habits with items like recipe cards, newsletters, THRIVE Boxes for healthcare providers and the Healthy Pantry Initiative with Feeding Pennsylvania.

For more information on the Food Bank’s health and wellness resources, click here.

Listen: Erin Spangler of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank talks about American Heart Month.