Heart Healthy Diet Guidelines
In a heart healthy diet, main goal is to reduce lipids- fatty molecules and cholesterol building up in arteries by balancing calorie intake and physical activity.
The link between heart health and diet has been the focus of scientific research for more than a century, and dietary advice has changed by the researchers finding out more about the effects of diet on heart disease.
There is no doubt people with unhealthy diets are a lot more likely to develop diabetes and obesity, which are closely linked to heart problems. On the other hand high blood pressure and cholesterol levels that are also linked to heart disease are very much the result of poor dietary choices.
A heart healthy diet reduces your chances of developing heart disease and also protects you from further problems if already diagnosed. Prevention is much better than cure but it is never too late to start eating well.
Healthy eating can reduce your risk of heart disease by:
• Preventing blood clots that can lead to heart attack and stroke.
• Keeping body weight in the healthy range.
• Lowering blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease.
• Increasing good HDL cholesterol that transports fat away from the arteries and back to the liver for processing.
• Reducing levels of bad LDL cholesterol that can form fatty deposits in the arteries and contribute to heart disease.
• A healthy diet can also increase your chances of survival after a heart attack by relieving pressure on your heart and circulation.
Heart Healthy Diet Tips:
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. At least five portions a day can greatly reduce the risk of heart problems: fresh, frozen, dried, raw or cooked. You need to eat different types of fruits and vegetables to make sure you get a variety of vitamins and minerals.
• Choose reduced fat or fat-free products, total fat intake should be less than 30% of your daily calorie intake. According to the FSA: 20g fat per 100g is high fat, 3% qualifies as ‘low fat’, ‘fat free’ should only be used for foods with less than 0.15g fat per 100g.
• Reduce the amount of saturated and trans fats in your diet and replace them with monounsaturated and polysunsaturated fats. Saturated fats are usually found in animal products and trans fats in hydrogenated oils and fast foods.
• Consider going on a glycemic index diet that will help with slower release of energy in your body. Foods that are higher in fiber, good fat and complex carbohydrates tend to be low in glycemic index too. White and processed foods like sugar and white flour create a spike in insulin and blood sugar.
• Reduce your salt intake to help maintain a lower blood pressure, which generally leads to reduced risk of heart complications. Try to have less than 2.3g of sodium- 1 teaspoon of salt a day and older people or those with high blood pressure should have no more than 1.5 g of sodium.
• Cut down on foods and drinks that contain added sugar or those that are high in sugar, which cause a sudden rise in blood glucose levels and then a drop, which can make you want to eat more.
• If you drink alcohol, do so moderately. Drinking too much can raise your blood pressure and damage your heart. Moderate drinking means no more than two drinks for men and one drink for women.
• Stop smoking!
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References:
Heart Healthy Diet , Reviewed By David Slotnick, M.D. Michael Sacher, D.O., FACC, FACP: http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/ heart-healthy-diet.html.
Fortin, Francois, Editorial Director. The Visual Foods Encyclopedia. Macmillan, New York 1996.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-healthy-diet/ NU00196/NSECTIONGROUP=2.
http://www.fi.edu/learn/heart/healthy/ diet.html.
Wood, Rebecca. The Whole Foods Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Prentice-Hall Press; 1988. PMID:15220.
