A heart healthy diet offers numerous health benefits. When you keep your heart healthy, you reduce the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high blood sugars, and increased body weight. There are a good number of health tips both nutritional, like reduction of salt intake and non-nutritional, like regular exercise that one can adopt to promote heart health.
Reforming one’s eating habits is not an easy task. It is, however, well worth the effort. Nowadays, it is not uncommon for a single meal to contain well over half of the daily recommended intake of fats and cholesterol. Our focus on convenient foods that are ready right away has placed nutritional value at the bottom of our list of priorities when selecting food.
Getting Started
When getting started on a heart healthy diet it is important to learn how to read labels. We have all seen the healthy labels stamped on some packaged foods these days. Everyone seems to be trying to lure people to buy their products by tagging it with labels like “low-fat” or “Heart Smart”. This doesn’t mean it is heart healthy or a good choice. The product may be low in one thing but high in something else like sugar or sodium.
When reading a label be sure to look at the serving size. You may see that a product only has 2 grams of saturated fat but when you look at the serving size that 2 grams is based on a serving size of 1 ounce, hence if it’s a 20-ounce package, the 2 grams of saturated fat just became 40 grams. You also want to pay attention to the amount of sodium, sugar, the number of calories, the nutritional content, etc.
Heart healthy foods
A healthy lifestyle that helps promote good heart health includes a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, fiber, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products as well as low-fat sources of protein. Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acid which aids. in reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
You should also remember to choose your fat calories wisely and to limit your total fat intake. While this may be difficult for some people, eliminating saturated fats and trans-fats from your diet can go a long way in ensuring you have a healthy heart. Foods such as butter, salad dressing, fried foods, snack foods, and sweets put a big strain on the heart. They are loaded with unnecessary fats which clog the arteries and cause numerous heart problems. Whenever you choose to use added fat while cooking, try using monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats, such as canola, olive, and peanut oil.
When it comes to protein, try not to rely solely on fat dairy and meat products. Although these items may be rich in protein, they are also rich in unhealthy fats. Ensure to get most of your protein from more natural food sources, such as nuts, fish, and soy. Also remember to watch your cholesterol intake. Many foods are extremely high in cholesterol, and they increase the chance of developing numerous heart diseases. Check your cholesterol levels regularly and discuss proper cholesterol intake with your doctor.
Another important food choice to make is to eat lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, plus eating foods that are low in salts. If you’ve spent most of your life eating food high in saturated fats like fried foods, it may be very difficult for you at first, however, you don’t need to switch to a heart healthy diet overnight. You can do it slowly and gradually until you are used to it. Even small changes in your diet overtime can lower your risk of heart disease or heart attack.
Now let’s look at four critical steps you need to take in terms of making food choices that are heart healthy.
- Watch your portions
Ensure not to eat more than the recommended serving. It is important that you read the labels on the food items you buy to determine what would pass as one serving. You’ll find that one serving for a meal could be about the size of a deck of cards instead of a full plate. You should try to measure each serving in the beginning and eventually you’ll be able to figure it out by sight.
One way to avoid eating too much is to eat very small portions throughout the day. By eating many smaller portions, you’ll not only feel more satisfied, you’ll also have more energy throughout the day.
- Limit your intake of salt and sodium
Reducing salt and sodium in your diet helps to lower blood pressure, which in turn, will reduce the stress on the heart. As much as possible, use little salt or no salt at all when preparing your meals. While your food will taste bland in the beginning, your taste buds will eventually adjust to accommodate the food tastes. Also pay attention to the Sodium content of the packaged foods that you pick and try to avoid snacking too much on chips or fast food. Learn to stay away from processed meats and canned foods as well.
- Limit your intake of saturated fats
Eating foods that are high in saturated fats is a big contributor to one having high cholesterol. You should make every effort to cut down the amount of saturated fat you eat. You can reduce fat when you cook by grilling, steaming, baking, or broiling. If you need to fry your dish, use olive oil or canola oil. Removing fat from beef or pork and removing the skin from poultry can also reduce the amount of fat in it.
- Limit alcohol intake
Having some alcohol with a meal has shown some health benefits, however, drinking more than the recommended amount can cause all sorts of health issues besides heart disease like liver damage.
- Drink Water
The human body contains 70% water. Regular intake of good, clean, and pure water flushes toxins from your system and purifies your blood. Healthy blood means a healthy heart. It is often recommended that we drink at least ½ a gallon of fresh water a day to stay hydrated and healthy
By simply watching and monitoring what you eat and how much you eat will have an impact on your health. If you do everything in moderation, you will make great strides in reducing your risk of heart disease or heart attack. Remember to:
Let’s quickly run through the five heart health dieting tips we just mentioned above; Remember
- Watch your portions
- Avoid salt
- Avoid saturated fats
- Avoid alcohol and
- Drink lots of water
By simply eating healthier foods and working with your physician, you can expect to have a long and healthy life.
With Love and gratitude as always, Xo!
There are several lifestyle adjustments you can use to start this new year to get you started and moving towards a happier and heart healthier you. If you’re interested in learning more about different recipe choices, and diet types you can adopt to help you through this journey, then you should get a copy of my eBook. “How to Start from Zero”. and discover so many other ideas you can adopt to help you reach your heart health destination.
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Disclaimer: Please note that I am not your doctor while I am a health coach by profession. This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice nor does it establish any kind of medical relationship between you and me. I will not be held liable for any damage resulting from or related to your use of this information.