9 eating tips for a healthy heart-Life Health

Adjust your diet now to prevent and treat heart disease.

According to the Hindustan Times, a heart-healthy diet is an essential component of lifestyle therapies, recommended for the prevention and treatment of heart disease.

Poor food choices can cause more illnesses than physical inactivity, alcohol consumption and smoking combined.

Since a healthy heart is at the heart of overall good health, following a heart-friendly lifestyle will prevent heart diseases, while also including a balanced diet and taking care of the essentials. external factors in keeping the heart healthy.

Certain foods may reduce your risk of heart disease or help manage it, while other foods may increase your risk. Photo: NHAT LINH

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Tilak Suvarna, Senior Interventional Cardiologist at the Asian Heart Institute of Mumbai, listed 9 eating tips for a healthy heart as follows:

Eat more fruits, vegetables and salads, which are rich sources of vitamins and minerals, low in calories and high in fiber.

Eat more whole grains instead of refined grains. Whole grains are a great source of fiber and nutrients essential for heart health. Whole grains, including whole wheat flour, whole wheat bread, high fiber cereals, brown rice, oatmeal.

Avoid foods high in saturated fat or cholesterol. These include deep-fried foods, butter, high-fat dairy foods, processed meats, and red meat. High cholesterol leads to plaque deposition in the arteries of the heart, which is a precursor to heart attacks.

– Reduce calories. Sugary foods like sweets, baked goods, sugary drinks as well as processed or refined foods add unwanted calories which can lead to weight gain, fat accumulation, exacerbation of diabetes sugar, all of which are risk factors for heart disease.

– Reduce salt intake in the diet. Excess salt is the main culprit for high blood pressure, which in turn can damage your arteries and heart.

– Check food labels on items you buy and look for calories, sugar, salt, and fat.

Include healthy nuts in your diet like walnuts and almonds.

A tablespoon of flaxseeds per day helps increase HDL or good cholesterol.

– Control your portion sizes. The amount of food you eat is just as important as the food you eat. Overeating can lead to increased calorie intake. Eat more of low-calorie, high-fiber and high-nutrient foods and smaller portions of processed, high-calorie and high-fat foods.