Heart and
circulatory diseases are extremely prevalent diseases
compared to others. If you're looking to keep your heart in great shape, here
are 10 things you can do:
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Cut down on salt
If you have a diet high in salt, your blood pressure could
likely be high too — which means you have an increased risk of suffering from
heart disease or stroke.
The recommended maximum daily salt intake is 6g for adults
and 3g for children (2.5g of salt is the equivalent of 1g of sodium). You can
cut down by not having any salt at the table when you're eating and reducing
how much you use in cooking.
Also, keep an eye on food labels to check how much salt you're
eating in processed foods.
Foods with more than 1.5g salt or 0.6g sodium per
100g are considered high, so avoid them wherever possible.
Eat less sugar
Too much sugar in your
diet could lead to weight gain, which
can raise your blood pressure and lead to diabetes and heart disease. If you have
a sweet tooth or you're unable to give up sugar altogether, try integrating
fresh fruit with yogurt into your diet instead of sweetened puddings and cakes.
Limit saturated fat
Eating too much saturated fat — which is found in butter,
ghee, margarine, fatty meats, dairy fats, and processed foods like pies,
pastries, and cakes — is believed to increase cholesterol levels.
Switching to semi-skimmed milk and low-fat dairy foods
instead of full-fat ones and choosing lean cuts of meats and steam or grill
instead of frying can help you limit your saturated fat intake.
Fill up on fruits and
vegetables
Increasing the amount of potassium in your diet by eating at
least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day as potassium can help to
lower your blood pressure. The nutrients in fruit and vegetables — including
vitamins, minerals, and fiber — may also help to keep your heart healthy.
Some fruits and vegetables are rich in soluble fiber and can
help lower your cholesterol; these include citrus fruits, sweet potato, eggplant,
mango, and most beans.
Go for more fish
Oily fish such as pilchards, sardines, mackerel, salmon, and
fresh tuna, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are thought to be
particularly beneficial for your heart because they improve your cholesterol
levels.
You can get
omega-3 fats from spinach, wheat germ, walnuts,
flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, soya and canola oil, and pumpkin seeds if you're a
vegetarian.
Quit smoking
Smoking is one of the main causes of cardiovascular disease,
and smokers are almost twice as likely to have a heart attack than those who
have never smoked. Smoking not only damages the lining of your arteries but also
reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood and raises your blood pressure.
Cut back on alcohol
Alcohol can affect your heart by causing high blood pressure,
abnormal heart rhythms, and damage to the heart muscle. But you don't have to
give it up completely. Just stick to current guidelines for moderate alcohol
drinking, which are two to three units a day for women and three to four for
men.
Get more exercise
Studies show that people who aren't very active are more
likely to suffer a heart attack than those who are. Aim to get at least 150
minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week to lower your risk of developing
coronary
heart disease.
You can split up the 150 minutes any way you like. For
instance, have a brisk 30-minute walk during your lunchtime throughout the
week.
Keep your weight down
If you weigh more than you should, you can be at a higher risk
of having
high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. Eating
less sugar and saturated fats while cutting back on alcohol, eating more fruit
and
vegetables, and getting more exercise can help you lose excess weight and
keep you in a healthy weight range in the long term.
Keep stress under
control
If you're under a lot of stress, you may be more likely to
smoke, have little or no exercise, and drink more than a moderate amount of
alcohol — all of which are linked with heart problems, which is why it is
important to keep your weight under control.
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