You will reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis – blocked blood vessels cause heart disease – with a health diet. If the artery were blocked, you could slow its progress.
Feed your heart healthy
Feeding your heart well is the best way to reduce or eliminate some risk factors. Obey a healthy diet for heart may reduce LDL cholesterol level, lower blood pressure, blood sugars and weight loss. While most of diet only recommend what you don’t eat, the best dietary will help you focus what foods you should eat.
Here are the things you should do to reduce heart disease’s risk.
Eat more fish: Fish is rich of protein and other nutrients. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. American Heart Associates recommends at least 2 servings a week of omega-3 rich fish like salmon.
Eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans. These natural delicious foods are the nutritional source to fight against heart disease.
Choose smart fat. Keep in mind these goals:
- Limit total fat intake.
- Eat a small transfat and saturated fats ( for example: fats in butter, margarine, salad dressing, fried foods, snacks, sweets and desserts).
- Eat unsaturated fats ( such as fats in canola, olive and peanut oil).
Eat a variety with a right amount of protein foods. Eating high protein foods (meat, milk products) is one of reasons increasing the risk of heart. Reduce this risk factor by balancing protein found in meat, fish and vegetables and choosing the leanest source.
Limit cholesterol level: Eating less cholesterol has an additional benefit: you will reduce saturated fat, as cholesterol and saturated fats found in the same foods. Eating more foods contain complex carbohydrates (whole-wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, whole grain breads) and limit single carbohydrates (soft drinks, sugar, sweets). If you had normal cholesterol level, you could eat one egg a day. To reduce cholesterol levels in blood, limiting saturated fats is more important than cholesterol level intake. The cholesterol amount is recommended is about 300 mg a day.
Lower salt intake: to control your blood pressure.
Exercise: Regular exercise strengthens heart muscle, improves blood circulation, lowers blood pressure, increases the good cholesterol-HDL and controls blood sugars and body weight.
Drink a lot of water.
Enjoy what you eat. When you enjoy what you eat, you will be more comfortable. You eat less foods which you like, you will control your body weight and cholesterol level.
How much is for a serving?
When you are trying to adapt health diet for heart, it is much better if you know how much of a certain foods is considered a “serving”. Here are the sample table:
| Food/amount | Serving/exchange | The size of |
| 1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta | 1 starch | tennis ball |
| 1 slice bread | 1 starch | compact disc case |
| 1 cup raw vegetables or fruit | 1 fruit or vegetable | baseball |
| 1/2 cup cooked vegetables or fruit | 1 fruit or vegetable | fist |
| 1 ounce cheese | 1 high-fat protein | pair of dice |
| 1 teaspoon olive oil | 1 fat** | half dollar |
| 3 ounces cooked meat | 3 protein | cassette tape |
| 3 ounces tofu | 1 protein | cassette tape |
(**) Remember to count fat servings that is added during cooking such as oil, butter or shortening.
Reference:
