Healthy eating: An effective way to prevent heart disease
Are you at risk of developing heart disease? In a recent study revealed that only one out of every ten Americans met the standard of ideal heart health as defined by the American Heart Association (AHA). The ideal heart health seven-item checklist consists of steps of being physically active, not smoking, healthy eating and healthy weight, as well as staying below certain thresholds for cholesterol, blood pressure and managing of blood sugar levels. Do you know if you do not meet any one of those goals you might be at a greater risk of developing heart disease, which is the world’s leading cause of death?
There are about 5.7 million people in the United States have heart failure, and it results in about 400,000 deaths each year. The number of people who have heart failure is growing each day.
Heart failure is more common for the following groups of people:
• People who are 55 years old or older. The older we are, the more susceptible we are to heart disease. For women, the effects of menopause – particularly the loss of natural oestrogen – appear to increase their risks of coronary heart disease and stroke. Men are 3 to 5 times more likely to have coronary heart disease than women. However, studies have shown that the risk for women increases after menopause. By about 5 to 10 years following menopause, the risk for coronary heart disease for women increases to almost the same level as men.
• African Americans. African-Americans are more likely than people of other races to have heart failure.
• People who are overweight with excess body fat, especially located around the waist, are more prone to developing heart disease and stroke, even if they have no other risk factors.
• Children who have congenital heart defects also can develop heart failure.
• Smokers have higher risk than non-smokers of sudden cardiac death.
High cholesterol and high blood pressure are major risk factors for heart disease. Being overweight, obese, smoking or physically inactive all these increases our risk. Still, it is very important for us to recognise the risk factors that are within our control and estimate our susceptibility to coronary heart disease. By knowing and actively managing these risk factors, we can substantially lower our risk of developing heart disease.
The key to preventing heart disease is by leading a healthy lifestyle. This includes a healthy eating diet, at least 30 minutes of exercise almost every day of the week, not smoking, moderate alcohol consumption, and controlling high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Should your doctor say that you have high cholesterol or hypercholesterolemia, then you better change your diet and lifestyle to lower your cholesterol level in mitigating your risk of heart disease. Even if you have a healthy heart, you can take action to prevent heart disease and heart failure from happening. To reduce your risk of heart disease, here are some simple tips that can help you keep your cholesterol levels in balance:
Healthy eating with good and bad cholesterol – our body needs a small amount of cholesterol to function properly. Good healthy eating habits should start by lowering saturated fat and cholesterol in our diet – both raise the levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol, which can cause plague to build up and cloak up in the arteries, leading to heart disease. HDL “good” cholesterol, on the other hand, helps clear bad cholesterol from your blood. Foods high in saturated fat should be limited to include red meats and most dairy products, as well as butter, lard, cream source, palm and other tropical oils. As for coconut oil, it contains saturated fat but not Trans fat and it is rich in lauric acid which is known for its antiviral and antibacterial properties. Some medical doctors recommend coconut oil as healthy food oil that helps to prevent heart disease, speed up metabolism, and it helps to burn fat.
Healthy eating with portion control – To cut down weight gain and high cholesterol, you have to practice portion control for your meal. Can you imagine the size of your heart? It is roughly the size of your fist, and we do not want to stress our heart by going beyond the size of our fist for each serving of food. Use your hand – one serving of fish is about what fits in the palm of your hand. One serving of fresh fruit or cooked vegetable is about the size of your fist.
Healthy eating with load of fruits and vegetables – by eating more fresh fruits and cooked veggies, you are helping yourself in lowering your blood pressure, lesser of fatty foods and is one of the best ways to lower LDL “bad” cholesterol from your diet and thus maintain a healthy weight. If you experience hunger at any time, do not be afraid to add one or two more serving of fruits and vegetables in your meal plan to nourish your body sufficiently.
Healthy eating with quality fish oil – by consuming at least two to three servings daily of quality omega-3 fats from fish oil, you are slowing the growth of plague in your arteries. Go for fatty fish, such as mackerel, cod, salmon, tuna, sea bass, sardines and trout.
Healthy eating with nuts in your diet – nuts are high in monounsaturated fat, which lowers LDL “bad” cholesterol while leaving HDL “good” cholesterol intact. Although eating an ounce of nuts a day can help in lowering the risk of heart disease. Nuts are high in fat and calories, so only consume a handful each time. Avoid roasted nuts as roasting process causes the fats and oils to go rancid, and rancid oils increase free-radical damage to our body or premature skin aging. And make sure those nuts that you are consuming are not covered in sugar, salt or chocolate.
Healthy eating with more legumes and lesser carbohydrates – all sorts of beans and legumes, like broad beans, peas, kidney beans, red beans, black beans, lentils and soybeans. Beans and legumes are also believed to have protective effects against heart disease. Carbohydrates, like those found in white bread, white potatoes, white rice and pastries can boost blood sugar levels more quickly, leading you to feel hungry faster, and may increase your tendency of overeating.
Healthy eating with 30 minutes of physical activity each day – starting a fitness program may be one of the best things you can do to help your heart to stay in good condition and also fight against heart disease. Even 30 minutes of physical activity such as brisk walking, jogging and swimming for five days a week can help lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. If you are exercise less than 150 minutes per week, you really need to increase your activity level to guarantee yourself a healthier heart.
When losing weight means winning in a big way for you in fighting against the deadly heart disease. Please do not hesitate to find out more about the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle from this website, Isabel’s diet solution.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/healthy-eating-an-effective-way-to-prevent-heart-disease-5167628.html
Tags: healthy eating, heart disease, weight loss