Your heart health is highly related to what you eat.
That is why a healthy diet is one of the best methods to prevent heart disease.
But even though people already know about this, they still stick on high-fat, high-salt, high-calorie, and high-sugar foods.
These foods can increase the risk of high blood pressure, obesity and type 2 diabetes, which in turn hurt their heart greatly.
Currently, in the US, heart disease is the number 1 killer in adults.
To change the situation and have a strong, healthy heart, you need to make heart-healthy food choices.
First and foremost, you should eat at least 2 cups of fruit and 2½ to 3 cups of vegetables every day.
Vegetables and fruits are full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other essential nutrients the body needs.
They are also free of saturated fat and cholesterol, which can increase your heart disease risk.
Cut back on high-fat foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, trans fat, and saturated fat.
Use liquid vegetable oils in place of soft or hard margarine or shortening. Limit cheese, butter, ice cream and fatty meats, cakes, cookies, pastries, muffins, chips, pies, and doughnuts.
Eat more seafood and eat fish at least two times a week. Research for American Heart Association shows that eating fatty fish like salmon, trout, and herring can be good for you.
This is because these fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. They may help lower your risk for coronary artery disease.
Read and compare food labels. To make sure you have heart-healthy food, always remind yourself to read food labels.
When looking at food labels, you should first check how many servings the package contains.
Then you need to check the calories and fat per serving. Don’t forget to multiply the calories and fat by the number of servings you’re going to eat.
Cut back on foods that are high in cholesterol. Some of these foods are egg yolk, red meat, and liver.
Limit sugary beverages like soda and juice with added sugar. Remember that soda with artificial sweeteners may harm your heart too.
Research has shown that artificial sweeteners may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, which is a big risk factor for heart disease.
If you drink alcohol, limit the amount. Researchers have found that alcohol abuse can increase heart disease risk as much as other risk factors.
In addition, alcohol is high in calories. Limit intake to 1 drink per day for women and 2 for men.
Prepare foods with little or no added salt.
If you want to cook meals at home, make sure you prepare nutritious foods in a healthy manner. For example, grill fish and chicken instead of frying them.
Finally, when you eat your meal, pay attention to the food portion size.
A too large portion will provide excessive calories that make you overweight, which is a risk for heart health.
Copyright © 2018 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
