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What to eat to keep heart diseases away
From a nutritionist’s perspective, the average urban Indian’s diet is not healthy, despite the explosion of ‘healthy’ fad diets and the fitness revolution of the last few years. We are prone to eating too much food, or eating too frequently. Over half of our calories come from carbohydrates and fats.
Not just that, we do little to burn those calories, and this has caused an early onset of type II diabetes and heart problems. It is common to hear about young people getting high blood pressure, diabetes, and angina. The latter is a type of chest pain, caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle.
Angina typically occurs as squeezing, heaviness, tightness or constricting pain in the chest. The most important factor that protects your heart is the way your blood clots. The viscosity of the blood, its stickiness and its tendency to form clots is what you need to guard against. Here are a few ways to keep your heart healthy.
ANTI-ANGINA JUICE
250gm chopped fresh n pineapple
1tbsp flaxseed (alsi seeds) n powder
1tsp lemon juice n
1tbsp fresh ginger n Rock salt to taste n
Procedure:
1. Blend the pineapple pieces and ginger in a mixture to get fresh pineapple juice. 2. Now, strain it to remove any residues, add rock salt, lime juice and flax seed powder. Serve fresh and chilled, topped with ice cubes.
PINEAPPLE
The fruit has a high amount of Bromelain, which is one of the most powerful protein digesting enzymes. It has anticlotting action that may help to prevent stroke and heart attacks. It has antiinflammatory properties, too. This is one reason why herbalists and researchers see pineapple as more of a herb than a food. The bromelain present in the pineapple helps to increase blood flow. This fruit also contains fibre, vitamin C, and is rich in potassium and low in sodium, and is great for people prone to hypertension.
GINGER
Ginger is another herb with anti-clotting properties. The active constituent of ginger called zingiberene has blood thinning and cholesterollowering properties, making it effective in treating heart diseases.