Heart disease is one of the leading killers of both men and women in the United States. Although some lifestyle factors such as maintaining a stable weight and regular exercise are important for maintaining a healthy heart, the foods we choose consume the same amount of substances. A healthy diet is one of the best weapons you can use to fight heart disease and make you feel healthy. In fact, choosing a heart-healthy diet can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 80% (helpguide.org).
When you don’t know where to start, making simple changes to your eating habits and nutrition is a great place to start. To help keep it straight and understand the arguments behind the various nutrition recommendations, consider the following tips. .
Pay attention to the type of fat you eat
.Fat is essential to your diet. In other words you need it! However, there are some types of fats that can have a negative effect on your heart health. In particular, trans fats and saturated fats are the two types of fats that cause the most concern.
These two types of fats can affect the level of cholesterol in the blood by raising the level of LDL cholesterol (aka: bad cholesterol) in your blood and lowering the level of HDL cholesterol (aka: good cholesterol). When HDL and LDL cholesterol levels are not within the normal range or are disproportionate, this can lead to the accumulation of excess cholesterol in the walls of blood vessels, leading to the risk of heart disease and stroke. Increases.
Saturated fats include fatty beef, bacon, sausage, lamb, pork, cheese and other dairy products made from whole or two percent milk.Trans fats are produced naturally and are made artificially. Many fried foods and packaged products also have high levels of trans fat.The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that adults limit their intake of saturated fat to five to six percent of their total calories.
Trans fat intake should be less than one percent of total calorie
say good bye to salt
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Like fat, sodium is a mineral that is essential for life. Sodium is required for many bodily functions, including fluid volume, acid-base balance, and the transmission of signals for muscle function. However, too much sodium can be dangerous. When sodium rises in the bloodstream, it can increase the retention of water in the blood vessels, which in turn raises blood pressure. Over time, if high blood pressure is not resolved, it can put a lot of pressure on your heart, contribute to plaque formation, and ultimately increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Is.
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Sodium is a difficult ingredient and requires a little more effort and attention to detail when trying to cut it. One of the best places to start when trying to reduce sodium is to check the nutrition fact labels on the product. By law, companies are require to include a list of sodium as well as other ingredients in their products. As mentioned earlier, sodium can be timid and can be added to large amounts of food without your knowledge.One place to hide sodium is in the food and dishes you order from restaurants.
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In fact, more than 75% of sodium comes directly from processed and restaurant meals (wow!) Therefore, when choosing to eat out to help reduce sodium intake or take it out Please do not add salt to your dishes.While these tips may seem desirable, your sodium intake will drop significantly, and your heart will be happier. The American Heart Association (AHA) does not recommend more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, which is equivalent to one teaspoon of salt (less is recommended, 1500 milligrams, chronic and For people over 50)! Implementing these tips will not only help you meet this recommendation, but will also reduce your risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, kidney disease, and more.
Don’t skip vegetables (or fruits)
As many of us know, eating fruits and vegetables is an important part of a healthy diet. Low production consumption is associate with poor health and an increased risk of major diseases. In fact, it was estimated that 3.9 million deaths worldwide were due to inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables (2017). Therefore, including fruits and vegetables in your daily diet is something that cannot be able to rule out.Adding fruits and vegetables is so easy! Whether frozen, canned or fresh – each will be rich in nutrients. If it is difficult to include fruits and vegetables in your diet, start slowly. Try to gradually increase your serving of fruits or vegetables throughout the day.
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If you now eat only 1 serving of vegetables or fruits in one meal, add one serving to lunch and another to dinner. Gradually introducing more and more fruits and vegetables into your plate will make this tip seem less heavy.Good thing about eating fruits and vegetables – they’re all good! The AHA recommends filling at least half of your plate with fruits and vegetables to meet the recommended 4½ cups of fruits and vegetables daily. Although this suggestion may seem impossible
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which offer all kinds of important nutrients such as B vitamins, folic acid, fiber, iron and magnesium. On the other hand, refine grains are processable together, which eliminates grains from the nutrients mentioned earlier.Dietary fiber comes in two forms: insoluble and soluble. Increase the fiber consumption is associate with lower levels of “bad” cholesterol (remember: LDL cholesterol) and reduced risk of heart disease. Another bonus is that high-fiber foods help you fill your stomach longer and burn fewer calories. Fiber-rich foods are usually whole grains! Therefore, increasing your whole grain intake means that you are also increasing your fiber intake.
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Why not kill two birds with one stone and switch to more whole grains!Incorporating whole grains can help improve blood cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity and type 2 diabetes. The AHA recommends that at least half of the grains you eat are whole grains and consume 28 grams of dietary fiber daily. These include whole grain breads, brown rice, whole oats, whole grain barley and more.
.4 Be playful with protein
For many of us, meat is the main source of protein. However, popular sources of meat such as burgers, steaks and bacon, although high in protein, are great sources of saturated fat (reminder: “bad” fat). Excessive consumption of this type of protein can increase the risk of many health complications such as obesity, high cholesterol, plaque formation and of course heart disease and stroke. Switching sources of heart-healthy protein can significantly reduce these risks and help maintain a heart-healthy diet.Changing “meat eating” habits can be difficult, but not impossible.
An easy tip to manage protein and meat consumption is to consider meat as a part of your diet rather than an important function. Try to limit meat to 6 ounces a day, which is 2 servings (hint: single serving of meat = card deck size).As far as heart-healthy protein sources are concerned, the AHA recommends a variety of cuts of fish, such as fish, shellfish, skinless chicken, and lean meats. Starting to include these alternative sources of protein in your diet will help you stay on track with your heart health.Remember, it’s about taking simple steps to protect your heart and overall health.A healthy heart diet will be your greatest protection against heart disease and stroke.
Conclusion
Get start today by applying heart-healthy tips and constantly reviewing your nutrition. Don’t let heart disease rule your world, make the changes that best fit your lifestyle and health goals.Which of the above suggestions are in line with the health goals you have in mind?Bonnie R. Giller is a Registered and Certified Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Teacher and Certified Intuitive Food Consultant. She helps people with chronic abstinence, emotional disorders, and medical conditions such as diabetes, breaking the spell of the diet that is on them and reclaiming the Whole Body Trust so that they can live their lives to the fullest. To pass through She devises a suitable solution that combines the three pillars of Whole Body Trust: Mind Trust, Hunger Trust and Food Trust.