To take care of your heart, there are at least eight easy changes that you can implement in your day to day and that will help you enjoy health and have a better quality of life.
Healthy and simple diet and lifestyle habits in the long term will prevent you from suffering from cardiovascular diseases. The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests, among other things:
1. Increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables
A study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation reveals that participants who ate five servings of fruits and vegetables per day had a 12% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke.
2. Consume whole grains
The Harvard Nutrition Source notes that consumers should opt for whole foods that are high in fiber and have few ingredients other than whole grain.
“In addition, eating whole grains in their whole-grain forms, such as brown rice, barley, oats, corn, and rye, are healthy choices because they contain the nutritional benefits of whole grains without any added ingredients.”
3. Limit red meat
Avoid processed meat such as ham, sausages and any type of sausage, in addition to saturated fat, they have a high sodium content. Limiting the consumption of red meat and prefer poultry, fish or plants is the recommendation of the AHA to avoid saturated fats that red meat contains.
Beans and other legumes, as well as nuts, seeds, whole grains, are sources of plant-based protein.
4. Prepare your food with little or no salt
Salting your food too much could cause you high blood pressure problems. The AHA notes that if you don’t already have high blood pressure, eating less sodium can help mitigate the rise in blood pressure that occurs with age.
5. Limit the consumption of alcoholic beverages
The American Heart Association notes that drinking too much alcohol increases the risk of many health problems, including high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, breast cancer, liver disease, depression, suicide, accidents, alcohol abuse, and alcoholism.
6. Limit added sugars
Sugar-sweetened beverages are the largest source of added sugar in the American diet. Other sources are baked goods (such as cakes, muffins, cookies, and tarts), ice cream, and candy.
The AHA recommends limiting added sugars to no more than 100 calories per day (6 teaspoons) for most women and no more than 150 calories per day (9 teaspoons) for most men.
7. Consume low-fat or skim dairy products
Dairy contains saturated fat. Full-fat or low-fat dairy products can be good sources of protein, calcium, B vitamins, and vitamin D. Harvard suggests sticking with plain, unsweetened yogurt.
8. Fry less and bake more
The co-chair of the Hypertension Task Force of the American College of Cardiology, Beth Abramson, suggests on the Insider portal that instead of consuming food dripping with oil, other, healthier cooking methods should be used: “fry less, roast more, bake more” . Abramson says that eating fried foods is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
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