Heart Disease remains the number one cause of death in the U.S. among both men and women. Part of the problem is it is truly a silent killer. There are few warning signs of a heart attack and the signs that are there don’t necessarily make us feel bad. The good news is there are many lifestyle changes you can make to significantly decrease your risk of heart disease. Here are 9 simple steps to make over your diet for heart health.
1.Use the right fats: The good fats are found to preserve HDL (protective cholesterol) and lower LDL (Bad Cholesterol) levels. The good fats are found in foods such as olive canola and peanut oils as well as nuts avocados and olives.
2.Decrease the Saturated Fats: These fats tend to increase the cholesterol made by your body. They can increase your total and LDL (Bad) cholesterol levels. Saturated fats are found in animal products such as dairy poultry (especially the skin) meats butter and cream based sauces and dressings. It is not necessary to omit these foods just choose leaner options and have the higher fat foods once in awhile.
3.Remove all Trans Fats from your pantry! : Trans Fats are oils that have been hardened by the hydrogenation process such as stick margarine and shortening used to make commercial baked goods chips and fast foods. Like saturated fats these fats increase total blood cholesterol and LDL (Bad) cholesterol levels and may even lower HDL (Good) cholesterol levels. Food labels will be required to list the amount of Trans fats in a food product by 2006. Until then if the ingredient list on the food label includes the term hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated it contains Trans Fats. Avoid these products!
4.Increase Your Fiber! : Soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol levels in the blood by binding to cholesterol in the intestine so it cannot be absorbed by the body. Good food sources of soluble fiber include beans and legumes oranges apples prunes broccoli carrots oat bran oatmeal and some cereals. Use whole grain products in place of their white counterparts. Eat at least 20-40 grams of fiber a day. (Most Americans only eat around 12 grams of fiber a day.)
5.Omega-3 Fatty Acids every day: Omega-3 Fatty Acids are essential fatty acids meaning we have to get them from our diet. These fatty acids may reduce the risk of blood clotting decrease inflammation lower triglyceride levels normalize heart rhythms and improve the immune system. Consumption of Omega-3 fatty acids daily may reduce the incidence of sudden cardiac death by 50-70%. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in: fatty fish such as salmon mackerel lake trout halibut and sardines. Other sources include ground flax seeds soybeans canola oil and walnuts.
6.Five To Eight Fruits and Vegetables a day: Eating fruits and vegetables can help to decrease your risk of heart disease cancer cataracts and can help to lower blood pressure. Fruits and Vegetables are loaded in vitamins minerals and phytochemicals. The more fruits and veggies you eat the more antioxidant activity in your body.
How do antioxidants work? Every day we are exposed to free radicals from our diets sun chemical exposure pollution etc. These free radicals promote the plaque build up in our arteries leading us to increased risk of heart disease. Antioxidants work by neutralizing these free radicals before they can cause damage to our bodies.
7.Folic Acid: High levels of an amino acid called homocysteine in the blood have been associated with damage to the blood-vessel walls increased blood clotting and overall increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Folate is a B vitamin which has been shown to decrease these homocysteine levels in the blood. Good food sources of Folate include green leafy vegetables such as kale spinach beet greens and chard as well as legumes asparagus broccoli oranges orange juice whole and fortified grains walnuts and peanuts. ...
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