Heart Healthy Integrative Nutritional Counseling (H2INC)
H2INC is a research-based nutritional counseling guide that is consistent with Chinese medicine principles, meets current nutrition standards, and is acceptable and feasible for Chinese Americans with cardiovascular disease and their healthcare providers. We created H2INC in collaboration with the UCSF’s Mt. Zion DGIM Practice. Get the full guide.
Printable Handouts from the INC Guides
H2INC: Hot/Cold Self-Diagnosis
H2INC: Hot/Cold Food Lists
H2INC: Digestion Self-Assessment
Eating with the Seasons for Heart Health
Heart FAQs
Will H2INC help me lower my blood pressure or cholesterol?
A heart healthy diet and lifestyle can help prevent or manage high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Download the H2INC guide for more specific suggestions for both high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Why is it important to maintain heart health?
Cholesterol can clog arteries. Clogged arteries block blood flow and can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and transient ischemic attacks, which are mini strokes that often go unnoticed. When your blood pressure is constantly high, you can be diagnosed with high blood pressure (also called hypertension). High blood pressure stresses the heart and damages blood vessels. It also increases the risk for heart disease and is a major cause of stroke. Choosing your food wisely, exercising, and reducing stress can help lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and vascular dementia, and is tied to better memory and mood. However, lifestyle alone may not be enough. Your doctor may suggest medications to also manage cholesterol and blood pressure.
What if I’m taking a blood thinner?
Consult your doctor if you consume the following: black wood ear fungus can thin the blood if consumed in large quantities. Green leafy vegetables, including seaweed, can counteract blood thinners. Citrus fruits and juices can interfere with medications.
Should I take Chinese herbal medicine?
Consult both Western and Chinese doctors. Buy from trusted distributors/Chinese medicine providers. Wait one hour in-between eating Chinese and Western medicine.
You can learn more about the H2INC project by reading H2INC related research articles and publications here.
This content is not intended to substitute for medical advice – talk to your doctor.
INC 