Hampshire Hospitals’ cardiologist, Dr Laura Corsinovi, is urging people not to start a new year health kick with food bans; instead, she advises that better heart health can be more successfully achieved with long-term lifestyle changes that include treats rather than strict diet plans.
According to Dr Corsinovi, individuals are likely to have more success with realistic goals rather than taking drastic steps that are difficult to maintain: “if people would like a piece of cake, especially over the festive period, have a piece; as long as it isn’t the whole cake or a piece every day.”
It is well-known that lifestyle factors are key to protecting heart health, and while there are some foods and drinks that she would prefer people avoid altogether - such as highly processed or high sugar foods and fizzy drinks.
Dr Corsinovi advocates balance when approaching indulgence so that negative impacts are minimised, suggesting people factor in a walk after a treat.
Speaking about structuring a lifestyle change rather than starting the new year with a list of banned food, she says: “it is better to cook from scratch and to incorporate as many whole grains, fruit, and vegetables as possible. A glass of wine is fine as long as it doesn’t become three glasses.”
As well as being a cardiac specialist, Dr Corsinovi is a consultant in General Medicine leading her to take a holistic approach to healthcare. She specialises in the use of high-tech imaging in cardiac care; and works across our hospital sites, including the specialist Cardiac Catheter Laboratory (Cath Lab) known as the “Heart Centre” which opened at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital in 2022.
Dr Corsinovi performs cardiac MRI, cardiac CT and echocardiography (transthoracic, stress and transoesophageal echocardiography).
In terms of her own preferences, Dr Corsinovi maintains a relatively low carbohydrate diet which is rich in beans and pulses; for a treat she enjoys dark chocolate!
