HeaRT-HeaLTHY FOOdS
A healthy diet can be good for your heart as well as your waistline
The amount of cholesterol in your blood is a major risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease. When you have too much cholesterol in your blood, it begins to build up on the walls of your arteries through the process of atherosclerosis, which causes your arteries to become narrowed or completely blocked. When this happens, a heart attack or stroke can occur. Higher levels of triglycerides, high blood pressure and smoking also may contribute to atherosclerosis.
Eating for a healthy heart means filling your plate with foods like fruits and vegetables, paying attention to fibre, eating healthy fats and limiting unhealthy fats like trans fats, as well as salt. And although no single food is a cure-all, certain foods have been shown to improve your heart health. Here is a look at foods that may help in lowering your risk of heart disease.
oaTs:
Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods and low in saturated fat and cholesterol may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Consuming 3 grammes daily of oat soluble fibre may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Some tips for adding more oats to your diet includes replacing crackers or breadcrumbs in meatballs and meatloaf recipes with oats, using ground oats as a breading for baked fish and chicken, substituting oats for up to one-third of the flour in breads, cakes, cookies, or muffins, making oatmeal pancakes topped with fresh fruit and using oats instead of flour as a thickener in soups and stews.
hoNey:
Researchers have found that consuming honey leads to mild reductions in body weight and body fat, and a greater reduction in cholesterol and can help reduce cardiovascular risk factors. Honey is very simple to consume as well. If you want to begin ingesting 70 grammes daily, it can easily be incorporated into warm water or tea, or spread over a toast. You can also add a pinch of cinnamon for extra health benefits.
NaTural CoCoNuT WaTer:
The demand for coconut water is rising, as it is a refreshing beverage and better than other sugar drinks as it is natural fat and cholesterol free, low in calories and high in potassium than other sports drinks. Apart from this it also has other has anti-ageing and anti-cancer effects on human’s health. The beverage is also rich in electrolytes, which are responsible for signalling of heart, muscles and nervous system.
CaNola oIl:
This oil is rich in two fatty acids that are essential in your diet because your body can’t make them. It is rich in Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential omega-3 fatty acid. It protects against heart attacks and strokes by helping to lower bad cholesterol. It is also rich in Linoleic acid (LA), an essential omega-6 fatty acid. It’s important for the brain and for the growth and development of infants. It also contains very high levels of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, which lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and help control blood glucose. Furthermore, one serving of canola oil each day will deliver about a quarter of all the Vitamin E you need.
NuTs:
Eating nuts as part of a healthy diet may be good for your heart. Nuts contain unsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients. And they’re a great snack food — inexpensive, easy to store and easy to pack when you’re on the go. One drawback to nuts is that they’re high in calories, so it’s important to limit portions. One way nuts may help your heart health is by lowering the low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol levels. LDL plays a major role in the development of plaque that builds up on the blood vessels. Eating more nuts has also been linked to lower levels of inflammation linked to heart disease. Eating nuts may also reduce your risk of developing blood clots that can cause a fatal heart attack. Nuts also appear to improve the health of the lining of your arteries.
Dark ChoColaTe:
Cocoa bean is rich in a class of plant nutrients called flavonoids.
In addition to having antioxidant qualities, research shows that flavanoidss have other potential influences on vascular health, such as lowering blood pressure, improving blood flow to the brain and heart, and making blood platelets less sticky and able to clot. The good news is that most major chocolate manufacturers are looking for ways to keep the flavanols in their processed chocolates. But for now, your best choices are likely dark chocolate over milk chocolate.
Tea:
Drinking tea regularly as part of a healthy lifestyle may help maintain a healthy heart. Numerous population health studies conducted around the world have demonstrated that drinking tea is linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. While much of the strongest research support for tea’s potential to contribute to heart health has focused on black tea, new research has shown that green tea also offers cardiovascular benefits. Furthermore, daily tea consumption has been shown to lower the risk of having a heart attack and to improve the likelihood of surviving after having a heart attack.