5 Delicious Foods For A Healthy Heart

At a Glance:

We have all heard that controlling weight and regularly exercising can help in keeping your heart in shape, diet is equally important to maintain a healthy heart. Making changes in your food choices can be tough but once you know what’s good for your heart you can include them in your diet.

What is a heart-healthy diet?

A Heart-healthy diet is also known as a “cardiac diet”. It is a healthy diet plan which means consuming a balanced diet and plenty of nutrition-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, lean poultry,and fish. It also involves avoiding packaged meals, sugary snacks, and processed food items.

Who should follow a heart-healthy diet?

It is better for everyone to switch to a heart-healthy diet as it reduces the risk of heart disease. A heart-healthy diet is highly recommended to someone who has high blood pressure, cholesterol or a family history of heart disease.

Does what you eat affect your heart?

Yes,food that you eat is responsible for providing nutrients to your body. These nutrients affect your weight, hormones, and health of your organs including your heart. Eating a healthy diet can help reduce the risks of heart problems. Healthy food choices start from cutting excessive salt, added sugars and unhealthy fat intake.Heart patients should focus on eating healthy and strictly follow the DASH diet and include more antioxidants. DASH diet is designed focused on portion size, salt intake and variety of nutrients. According to a study published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine, DASH diet ​significantly lowers risk of heart failure compared to those who do not follow the DASH diet.​ DASH diet is recommended for patients with heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and osteoporosis.

Cardiac diet should include food rich in antioxidants to reduce risk of heart diseases namely vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and beta-carotene.

5 delicious food for a healthy heart:

Making small changes by adding these foods to your meal can have large impacts on the health of your heart and overall well-being.

• Green leafy ​vegetables​ and ​fruits​ like oranges and papaya can never go wrong in any meal. Choose the correct veggies that will provide Vitamins C and E, potassium, folate, calcium, beta-carotene and fiber.
• Beans​ and ​lentils​ such as kidney beans and black beans are rich in fiber, B-vitamins and minerals. Cook them with fresh veggies for a heart healthy lunch.
• Omega 3 fatty acids in ​Fish​ are good for your heart and help reduce the risk of heart diseases.
• The nutrient powerhouse of all foods are ​oats​. Try adding oats to top yogurt, in salads, and mostly to your everyday meals. Oats contain beta-glucan fiber and may lower the risks of health diseases by reducing LDL cholesterol.
• Healthy ​nuts​ such as almonds and walnuts are great munchies and will help your heart.

Some of the most important changes you can make in your diet are:

• Start your day with fiber-rich food like whole grains, vegetables, and fruits.
• Make it your weekly target to at least have 4 servings of nuts, seeds, lentils, and beans.
• Switch to healthier fats like peanut oils. Avoid hydrogenated fat such as dalda. It is also important to keep alternating your cooking oils.
• Keep your proteins in check. A valuable amount of protein should be added to your meals.

The heart is responsible for circulating blood throughout your body. It is one of the most vital organs keeping us alive. Alongside exercise, by making few changes in your diet can make a huge difference for your heart’s health.

Reference

• Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet Concordance and Incident Heart Failure:The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Claudia L, et al. ​American Journal ofPreventive Medicine. ​Volume 56, Issue 6​, ​Accessed on 24th March 2020​.2.
• “12 heart healthy food to work into your diet”​, ClevelandClinic,​https://health.clevelandclinic.org/12-heart-healthy-foods-to-work-into-your-diet/​​Accessed on 24th March 2020​.3.
• 5 Heart-Healthy food, WebMD,https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/features/5-heart-healthy-foods​ Accessedon 24th March 20204.
• Heart Healthy diet: 8 steps to prevent heart diseases, Mayoclinichttps://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-healthy-diet/art-200477025.
• Top 11 Heart Healthy Foods, WebD,https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/11-top-heart-healthy-foodsAccessed on 24th March 2020.