A Perfect Diet Plan to Maintain a Healthy Heart

Diet plays a huge role in keeping your heart healthy. It is also considered to be an important risk factor in all kinds of heart diseases, especially coronary heart disease. There are certain foods that influence cholesterol levels, blood pressure, inflammation, and triglycerides. You must avoid such foods to keep your heart healthy and stay away from heart diseases.

Heart disease can get worse if not maintained. Hence, it is very important for every patient suffering from heart disease to maintaining a healthy diet. A plaque build-up in your arteries can block the blood flow to your heart. If you leave your heart disease untreated, it may lead to sudden cardiac arrest, stroke, or heart attack. All these conditions are considered to be life-threatening.

Heart disease occurs when cholesterol, minerals, and fatty molecules develop in the blood vessels and arteries and blocks the blood flow in the heart. There are several risk factors that play a vital role in determining if you are at a risk of developing heart disease. Age and heredity are the most important factors for developing heart disease.

The risk of developing heart disease increases if any of your family members has a history of heart disease or if your age is above 50. Men are more likely to develop heart disease at the age of 45 whereas women at the age of 55. Here are some of the risk factors.

• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Heredity factors
• Stress
• High cholesterol and blood pressure
• Eating an unhealthy diet
• Smoking
• Being physically inactive
• Clinical depression

Changing your food habits is tough. But if you want to prevent yourself from getting heart disease, here are a few steps that can help you to prevent heart disease.

• Avoid overeating and control your portion size.
• Add whole grains as a part of your diet as it is a good source of fiber.
• Choose low-fat protein sources like poultry, lean meat, eggs, and fishes.
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
• Exercise daily as it may help to keep your heart healthy.
• Avoid smoking and reduce the intake of alcohol.
• Having too much salt can lead to high blood pressure. Hence, it is important to reduce the salt in your food. Limiting salt (sodium) is a vital part of a healthy diet.

Having a proper diet is the best way to protect your heart. Foods that are rich in fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fat must be added to your diet. Here is a list of some food items that you must include in your diet to maintain a healthy heart.

• Whole grains
• Green leafy vegetables
• Fruits like avocados and berries
• Nuts like almonds and walnuts
• Fish oil and fatty fish
• Beans
• Tomatoes
• Seeds which includes hemp seeds, flaxseeds, and chia seeds
• Prefer olive oil instead of any other oils
• Edamame (a type of soyabean)
• Garlic
• Green tea

If you include these heart-healthy foods in your diet, it may turn into a well-balanced and nutritious diet which can help to keep your heart healthy and in a good shape.

Have queries or concern ?

Foods that increase blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes must be avoided. If you have coronary heart disease, then your aim should be on reducing your weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol. If you take these measures, your overall health might also improve along with your heart.

In order to maintain a healthy heart, you must avoid sodium-rich foods and high-fat foods. Such foods include-

• Gravy
• Fried foods
• Pastries containing a lot of creams
• Junk foods like cookies, ice creams, pies, and potato chips
• Butter
• Non-dairy creamers
• Certain parts of meat that contains fat
• Processed meat
• Table salt
• Mayonnaise, cheese, or ketchup
• Restaurant menu items
• Packaged meals

Heart disease accounts for around one-third of all deaths worldwide. You may not find any cure for coronary heart disease but if you change your diet as said then it can help to lower your cholesterol level, blood pressure, and also improve your overall health. Therefore, it can reduce your risk of heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest, or stroke.

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