In today’s busy life everyone wishes to get a healthy heart. But what we are doing?? We only wish but are not doing anything for this. Not only in our surroundings but in our home, we can see the people having obesity, diabetes, blood pressure problem. We don’t take care of these problems which lead to other problems like heart diseases. In present days, heart disease is the leading cause of death in all over countries and rates are constantly growing. We should look on our life style and our dietary habits, and then we will come to know that we are not following healthy life style and dietary pattern. We can make healthy lifestyle choices that will help to restore our good health and reduce those heart attack risks.

Weight control and exercise are the first steps to a healthy heart, but there are additional ways to boost the body’s immunity to heart disease. We should take a closer look at how specific food choices impact our ability to help manage or prevent heart disease and high blood pressure - two of the biggest health challenges we face today.

One should adopt healthy dietary choices which are suggested below may help to improve health and reduce risk factors for heart disease.
                   
Obese people are more likely to have heart disease. So if you are over weight, loose weight by cutting down calories in your diet and including more of physical activity. This will help to maintain a healthy weight.

Select Healthy Carbohydrate Sources

• Healthy carbohydrates include whole grain breads, whole grain pastas, brown rice, and lots of colorful fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Sugary foods like candy, cookies, cakes, and pastries should not be consumed. A high sugar diet will increase your triglycerides and won't help your heart disease risk at all.
• Fruits and vegetables should become the main part of your diet. Not only are fruits and vegetables sources of good carbohydrates, they also contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and other phytochemicals that help to improve your health.

Select Healthy Protein Sources

• One should select diet with healthy proteins which helps to keep your heart healthy. Therefore one should go for plant protein e.g. legumes, nuts, and seeds everyday
• Lean meats and fish are good options among animal proteins.
• Soy protein has been shown to protect heart disease and soy makes an excellent protein substitute for red meat, which will reduce saturated fat intake. Tofu can be included in diet which is low in fat as well.

Select healthy fats and oils

• One should look for foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol. Most of the fats we eat should come from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, such as those found in fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.
• Eat a diet low in fat, particularly animal fat (ghee and butter) and oils high in saturated fats and cholesterol like coconut and palm oil. For cooking, use small amounts of heart friendly oils like olive, corn, safflower, soybean, peanut, sesame and canola oils.
• Olive oil is a great choice for cooking, or for use as a dressing or dipping sauce. Olive oil, monounsaturated fat reduces your risk of heart disease by lowering your LDL cholesterol levels.
• Foods high in omega-3 can reduce the risk of heart attacks. Foods high in omega-3 are oily fish like salmon, mackerel, and herring and for vegetarians, walnuts, flax seeds and sun flower seeds. Be sure to include at least one source of omega-3 in daily diet.
• Toned or skim milk is a better choice instead of whole milk and two egg whites can be taken instead of whole egg.
• Lean meat and fish can be included in diet in place of red meats which is a source of unhealthy saturated fats.
• Almonds and other nuts contain healthy oils, vitamin E and other substances that will help keep cholesterol levels in check. Almonds are also a good source of protein and fiber.

Include more fibres in diet

• Whole grains, vegetables and fruits that are rich in fibre should be included in diet. Foods high in fibre like brown rice, whole wheat/multi-grain breads and cereals, whole wheat flour, etc can be chosen instead of those products made with refined flour like maida, etc. Fiber found in whole-grain products will help to control sugar absorption, will help to keep one feeling full, and will keep digestive system healthy.
• Oats and oatmeal, having soluble fiber which helps to control cholesterol level, should be included in the diet. Whole grain meal, nuts, breakfast cereals e.g. oats, bran products, brown rice, more of whole meal bread should be included in the diet. For example, cold cereals made with oats are great with low-fat milk or soy milk plus slices of fresh fruit and provide good amount of fibre as well.

Reducing the amount of sodium in diet

• A diet with too much sodium may elevate your blood pressure, and there is also a connection with inflammation and heart disease. Therefore, a low sodium diet will help keep the blood pressure in check and hence can help in reducing the incidence of heart attacks. Hence, avoid foods high in salt like pickles, papads, ketchups, smoked/cured foods and other foods preserved in brine.
• Reduce the amount of salt used for cooking; use herbs for enhancing the flavor of the cooked food and using salt-substitutes help in reducing the dependence on table salt.

Drink plenty of water at least 8- 10 glass of water daily.

Adopt healthy cooking methods e.g. steaming, boiling, baking, grilling, or broiling instead of frying or sautéing. Dishes can also be cooked in microwave which is one of the best methods of cooking.

Try to engage in regular physical activity to keep the running of heart well. Walk is the best exercise one should start doing which is shown to increase the good cholesterol (HDL).Other exercises can also be included in a daily routine (one should consult the health instructor before starting exercise)

Quit smoke and drinking

• If some one is diagnosed to have heart disease, he should quit smoking at first.
• Drinking too much alcohol can damage heart and raise blood pressure. Wine contains a powerful antioxidant called resveratrol. Resveratrol has been shown to be good for heart. If you drink it should be taken in moderation

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