Healthy Food For A Healthy Heart

One of the main risk factors for heart failure is an unhealthy lifestyle and in particular an unhealthy diet. In this line of thinking, the choice is yours. The good news is that studies show a significant reduction in heart risk (from cardiovascular accidents - heart attacks, strokes, coronary heart disease) by up to 82% only through lifestyle changes. It is never too late to start taking care of our heart. A recent study in people between the ages of 70 and 90 showed a reduction in deaths from heart problems by up to two-thirds.

What does a healthy lifestyle mean?

Daily exercise, quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, which is associated with a healthy and varied diet.

Choose a variety of quality foods. A healthy heart needs a healthy diet

Experts in the field of healthy eating advise:

• Choose a variety of cereals every day. At least half of the cereals must be whole grains;
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables;
• Choose foods that are low in saturated fatty acids, trans fats and cholesterol;
• Avoid foods and beverages that contain added sugar;
• Prepare your food with small amounts of salt. Avoid semi-finished and canned foods that have huge amounts of sodium chloride .;
• Reduce alcohol intake;
• Strive to maintain a healthy body weight;
• Be physically active;
• Try to balance the calories you eat with the calories you burn.

Planning and preparing a healthy menu is not easy, but the results are not late and the effort is worth it. Here are some tips on how to reduce saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol in your diet. This will improve the condition of the heart and help you feel better.

Meat - chicken and fish. Choose lean meats and fish. Remove the fat from the meat - remove the skin and fat of the chicken. Control the size of the portion you eat.

Method of food preparation . Grill, grill, cook, but avoid frying. If you still need to fry, use non-stick coatings that will help you use a minimum amount of fat.

Processed meats. Forget about meatballs, sausages, bacon, salami, sausage, etc. They are a source of large amounts of salt, which is the cause of fluid retention. This in turn makes it harder for the heart to work and raises blood pressure.

Eggs and dairy products.

Avoid high-fat milks. Skim or low-fat milk is recommended. But some authors argue that high-fat products are not so harmful to our health. The same goes for cheese, yellow cheese and yogurt. Replace ice cream with smoothies or chilled fruit with added low-fat yogurt. But still do not overdo these temptations.

Be careful with eggs and yolks in particular. Egg white does not contain fat or cholesterol, which allows you to eat it often. Do not use margarine. This is a processed product that contains trans fats. Prefer vegetable fats, which affect the levels of bad cholesterol.

Grains and cereal products .

Choose foods rich in fiber. Make sure that at least half of the grains you eat are whole grains. Such foods are whole grain bread, pasta, cereals, and the same brown rice. Prepare the main dish with whole grain products - pasta, brown rice. If you use meat, prefer tender, lean meat and do not overdo it. Emphasize fish. Check the labels and make sure the cereal is whole grains.

Sauces, soups and stews.

After preparing the soup or stew, leave it in the refrigerator. After about an hour, remove the grease from the surface. Do this with all kinds of dishes that have more fat than necessary. You can mix sauces that are too greasy with cornstarch or flour.