Friday, May 23, 2014

The Implications Of A Heart Healthy Diet

By James Spann


The current generation is so much affected by lifestyle diseases. Many people nowadays have a poor eating habit. To make it worse, exercise has become a rare phenomenon. It is important to remember that a healthy heart begins with a heart healthy diet.

Healthy eating starts from the portion of food eaten. The amount of food you eat is as equally worrying as the type of food you are eating. You should always control the servings you eat and maintain a desirable and constant serving size. Having control over your food portion is important as it checks the amount of cholesterol and fat consumed. Also, make a habit of eating more foods with low calorie content, but rich in nutrients and minimize on refined and processed fast foods, with high sodium and calorie content. Vegetables and fruits are good examples of low calorie but nutrient rich foods.

A good diet also entails eating more vegetables and fruits. They are not only good sources of vitamins but also minerals. In addition, they have a low amount of calories and are rich in fiber. Vegetables and fruits have plant substances which may be helpful in preventing cardiovascular disease. Keep a habit of eating more vegetables and fruits as this reduces your chances of eating high fat foods including meat, snack foods and cheese.

It is significantly simple and appealing to included fruits and vegetables in ones diet. Always keep them readily available in your living room or kitchen. For vegetables, ensure to wash and cut them before storing them in the refrigerator. Ripe and ready fruits should be positioned conspicuously and attractively to elicit appetite. The vegetables and fruits can also be chopped into small pieces or smashed and used as ingredients in food recipes.

As a word of caution, always remember that not all fruits and vegetables are ideal. Choose fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. When it comes to canned products, opt for low-sodium vegetables. For fruits, go for the ones packed in juice. Avoid coconut and vegetables having creamy sauces. Fried and breaded vegetables are not good. You should also shy away from canned fruit in heavy syrup and frozen fruits having sugar as additives.

Enhance your diet by adding whole grains. They are rich in dietary fiber among other nutrients that are vital in controlling blood pressure and enhancing heart healthy. The amount of whole grains can be enhanced in a diet by substituting refined grain products. You can also adventure in such whole grains as quinoa, whole-grain couscous and barley.

Whole grains can also be incorporated in terms of ground flaxseeds. These are the small brown seeds with high content of omega 3 fatty acids and fiber. They immensely lower blood cholesterol. The seeds are often grounded and used in yoghurt and hot cereal.

Whatever you eat, keep the aggregate fat intake 30%. For saturated fatty acids, maintain the intake at less than 10% of the daily calories. The same amount applies to polyunsaturated fatty acids while the recommended maximum limit for cholesterol and sodium is 3000 milligrams in a day. Remember that drinking a lot of water and exercising goes a long way.




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