Heart disease claims the lives of more Bermudians than any other medical condition. It is the leading cause of death for men and women on the Island.The disease is largely the result of unhealthy lifestyles. Advice and awareness campaigns stress the importance of diet and exercise in order to keep the disease at bay.Cardiologist Lori Mosca, who has lectured here for the Bermuda Heart Foundation a number of times, last week revealed a study she conducted in the US that showed African-American women were less informed about the risk of heart disease than their white counterparts.There’s no evidence that the same is true in Bermuda, but I feel compelled to do my part to spread these important tips that can help us all protect our hearts:* Eat whole foods.* Don’t eat processed food. This includes packaged, fast foods and much of the foods you get when you dine out. Stick with fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Plant oils, seeds and nuts, especially walnuts can help improve cholesterol levels.* Fish should be eaten a few times a week as a source of protein.* It’s best to eat very little red meat and full-fat dairy products. Cutting these out of your diet altogether is even better. According to celebrity physician Mehmet Oz, it’s important to minimise eating red meat because it’s high in saturated fat. Saturated fat boosts inflammation which can damage DNA and trigger the start of cancer particularly colon cancer.* Dietary supplements will not lower your risk. According to Dr Mosca, many women are not really aware of what the evidenced-based approaches are to reducing heart disease. She said despite there being no supportive evidence, many women still believe that supplements will protect them.* Salt is very important in heart health. Lowering salt intake helps keep your blood pressure in the healthy range. High blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease.* What about alcohol? Isn’t a glass of red wine good for the heart? Not all scientists agree with this but it’s widely accepted that if you are going to have a drink it’s best to just have one a day if you’re a woman and two if a man. This doesn’t work if you refrain for a week but have seven on Friday night. Moderate amounts of alcohol, according to Dr Oz, are good for your cardiovascular system.* Keeping your weight in check is important. The heavier you are the harder your heart has to pump to get blood and oxygen to all the parts of your body. Although weight is important, the size of your waist also plays a key role in heart disease. Women need to keep their waists fewer than 37 inches. Women with waists already in excess of this need to reduce. Men need to keep below 40 inches. Deep abdominal fat boosts inflammation throughout the body. It’s actually the inflammation that increases the risk of cancer and heart disease.Exercise* Be physically active every day. Walk, run, play, skip, hop, jump or dance it doesn’t matter what you do but you do have to be physically active.Personally I don’t enjoy playing or even watching most sports, but I’ll walk miles or swim to get around where others might drive. I get up, rather than using a remote control, and I do housework every day.* In her research Dr Mosca found that social support in exercising was important for women. She advises women to work out together, with an hour a day sufficient to maintain or reduce weight for most.* Never smoke, and if you do, stop now.