Getting heart healthy at the London Mela!

Statistics suggest that the South Asian community are 50% more likely to die from heart disease than those in the general population. But heart disease is often preventable and healthy eating, regular exercise and giving up smoking all have an important role to play. That’s why the BHF is visiting Melas across the UK and encouraging people to get more heart healthy.

Qaim Zaidi, Ethnic Strategy Co-ordinator at the BHF said:

“We can support people in making real differences to their lifestyle that are easy to maintain. Small changes now can have a big effect on future heart health. The BHF here to help, so just pop in and see us at any of the Melas we’re attending”

The BHF team had a great day at the busy London Mayor’s Mela yesterday with a range of visitors attending the stand. Multi-lingual BHF staff were on hand to give health advice and there are a host of fun contests and activities to take part in. Visitors were also encouraged join a range of free BHF clubs at the mela including the Artie Beat club for children between seven and eleven and the Heart Matters service for adults.

The BHF stand will be visiting the following events over the next few weeks:

• 14th August The Southwark Mix Burgess Park, Chumleigh Street,London SE5 0RJ

• 12th -15th August Bristol International Balloon Fiesta Ashton Court, Long Ashton, Bristol BS41 9JN

• 29th - 30th August Sandwell Show Sandwell Valley Country Park, West Bromwich, Sandwell B71 4‎

• 19th September Birmingham Eid Mela Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B13 8RD

To find out more about our resources for the Asian community please visit our website.

Helping you care for your heart

Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust (PCT) has commissioned a new website called Caring for your Heart, which we think will be really useful for everyone.

It's been specially designed to help people of Muslim faith understand how to look after their hearts better. There are helpful videos in English, Urdu and Punjabi and a wealth of advice on how to eat better and exercise more.

Not many people know that South Asian people living in the UK have a higher risk of heart disease than the rest of the UK population. The web is full of exercise and diet ideas, but tips that apply to Western readers might not always be suitable.

Caring for your Heart is full of ideas on how to tackle heart disease. They recommend little ways to change your diet:

"Foods recommended in the Qur'an include fruit, vegetables, lentils, fish, dates, olives, figs, garlic and ginger. Try using olive oil or rapeseed oil instead of ghee and using wholemeal atta for chapatis. Having smaller portions on your plate will help you lose weight. Try to have rice or chapatis and not both at the same time."

They also have some very sensible tips on how to make exercise easy.

You can share your experiences too, and help other people start exercising and eating better!

The British Heart Foundation has a good range of heart health leaflets and magazines available in English, Bengali, Gujarati, Urdu and Punjabi. So if your family is affected by heart disease or you just want to start cooking healthier recipes, we can help.

Got a story to tell? ....

....then we want to hear from you!

Whether you have experienced a heart condition yourself, or been affected by the experiences of a close friend or family member, your story could help change and save lives.

At the moment we're keen to hear from women, men under 50 and young people all of South Asian or African origin with experience of heart disease.

To share your story, you can complete an online form on our main website or email yourstory@bhf.org.uk for more info.