It is important to change your eating habits to get a positive effect on your health. You should include more plant based food than meat etc non veg foods. Studies suggests that vegetable food has more antioxidants, vitamins and good fat than non vegetarian food.
It is tough to change your eating habits due to busy lifestyle and lack of determination. But unhealthy eating can put your health on risk so it is wise to eat good for a better health and living.
Your cardiovascular health greatly depends on your exercise routine and food you are eating. Your healthy heart needs your focus to remain healthy and fit. Good eating habits will provide essential nutrients to your body and regular exercise makes you fit.
There are some steps you can apply in your daily routine to prevent heart disease.
CONTROL YOUR EATING AND PORTION SIZE
Watch what you put on your plate! Study reveals that the portion sizes have grown so much over the past 20 years. This portion size may include food for 2 or 3 people. This is called portion distortion.
A portion is the amount of food or drink you choose to eat for any given meal or snack.
Proper and mindful eating is important. Experts suggests that you should eat only 80 percent of your stomach capacity. Overeating regularly can make you obese and over weight. Extra calories will never benefits you.
Take small portion of food in your plate. You can also eat larger portion of food which contains low calories but high nutrients. Eat smaller portion of food which contains high calories and low nutrients. This method helps you to maintain your body weight and cholesterol level which ultimately helps your heart.
Healthy portion sizes are likely a lot smaller than what you are used to putting on your plate.
Control your portion size, it is not an easy task but learning and practice are all you need.
MORE VEGETABLES AND FRUIT IN YOUR DIET !
A low calorie diet with high quantity of dietary fiber and minerals are good for your heart health. Plant based food like fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants which helps to prevent heart diseases.
Including fruits in your diet helps you to cut high calorie foods intake. It is easy to adapt vegetable diet and decrease the non veg foods from your diet for better heart health. The best way to eat fruits is to eat fruit salad or snacks.
Keep fruits and vegetables in your kitchen. Seasonal fruits are the best choice to eat and you can enjoy most of the fruits with their vitamins and minerals. This will help you to prevent heart diseases.
EAT WHOLE GRAIN FOOD
Whole grains contain the entire grain, the bran, germ and endosperm. Examples include whole wheat, oats/oatmeal, rye, barley, corn, popcorn, brown rice, wild rice, buckwheat, triticale, bulgur (cracked wheat), millet, quinoa, and sorghum.Whole grain foods are an excellent sources of dietary fiber.
Dietary fiber from whole grains, as part of an overall healthy diet, may help improve blood cholesterol levels, and lower risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Dietary fiber in whole grain food can make you feel full, so you may eat fewer calories. Including whole grains in your diet plan may help you reach or manage a healthy weight. Healthy body weight helps your heart to remain healthy.
According to American Heart Association, following count as 1 ounce-equivalent (or 1 serving) of whole grains-
Saturated and trans fats increase blood cholesterol and heart attack rates. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats lower the risk of heart attacks.
Avoid eating food with higher cholesterol level. Cholesterol is a fat that is crucial to many metabolic functions and is an essential part of all the body’s cell membranes. Cholesterol is produced in the body from the food we eat and is produced in the liver.
Saturated and trans fats in the diet tend to increase LDL cholesterol in the blood. Common sources of saturated fats include animal products (butter, meat fat, beef, lamb, chicken skin and full cream dairy foods), and processed foods like pastries and biscuits. High cholesterol level in your body leads to buildup plaques in your arteries which put pressure on your heart.
Choosing good fat in your diet helps to maintain your waist line and weight. Avoid red meat and other items to avoid fat intake.
Eggs, lean meat and some dairy products are good source of protein. Fat, whether from plant or animal sources, contains more than twice the number of calories of an equal amount of carbohydrate or protein.
Dietary fiber in whole grain food can make you feel full, so you may eat fewer calories. Including whole grains in your diet plan may help you reach or manage a healthy weight. Healthy body weight helps your heart to remain healthy.
According to American Heart Association, following count as 1 ounce-equivalent (or 1 serving) of whole grains-
- 1 slice whole-grain bread (such as 100% whole-wheat bread)
- 1 cup ready-to-eat, whole-grain cereal
- 1⁄2 cup cooked whole-grain cereal, brown rice, or whole-wheat pasta
- 5 whole-grain crackers
- 3 cups unsalted, air-popped popcorn
- 1 6-inch whole-wheat tortilla
AVOID UNHEALTHY FAT IN YOUR FOOD
Saturated and trans fats increase blood cholesterol and heart attack rates. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats lower the risk of heart attacks.
Avoid eating food with higher cholesterol level. Cholesterol is a fat that is crucial to many metabolic functions and is an essential part of all the body’s cell membranes. Cholesterol is produced in the body from the food we eat and is produced in the liver.
Saturated and trans fats in the diet tend to increase LDL cholesterol in the blood. Common sources of saturated fats include animal products (butter, meat fat, beef, lamb, chicken skin and full cream dairy foods), and processed foods like pastries and biscuits. High cholesterol level in your body leads to buildup plaques in your arteries which put pressure on your heart.
Choosing good fat in your diet helps to maintain your waist line and weight. Avoid red meat and other items to avoid fat intake.
EAT LOW FAT PROTEIN RICH FOOD
Eggs, lean meat and some dairy products are good source of protein. Fat, whether from plant or animal sources, contains more than twice the number of calories of an equal amount of carbohydrate or protein.
Choose a diet that provides no more than 30 percent of total calories from fat. The upper limit on the grams of fat in your diet will depend on the calories you need.
Cutting back on fat can help you consume fewer calories. For example, at 2,000 calories per day, the suggested upper limit of calories from fat is about 600 calories.
Avoid fast food.
Fish is another good source of protein. Some of the fish have omega-3 fatty acid which helps to lower blood fat. Other sources are flax seed, walnuts, soybeans and canola oil.
Eat plant based low fat diet for better heart health.
Most people eat more sodium than they need. Eating foods high in sodium may cause high blood pressure, also called hypertension. Hypertension is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Avoid fast food.
Fish is another good source of protein. Some of the fish have omega-3 fatty acid which helps to lower blood fat. Other sources are flax seed, walnuts, soybeans and canola oil.
Eat plant based low fat diet for better heart health.
REDUCE SODIUM INTAKE
Most people eat more sodium than they need. Eating foods high in sodium may cause high blood pressure, also called hypertension. Hypertension is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
You should limit the amount of sodium you eat each day to less than 2,300 milligrams (about 1 teaspoon of salt), including the sodium found in packaged foods that you cannot see.
To reduce sodium in your diet you can -
- Eat fewer processed food because processed food may contain large salt.
- Check sodium content level in food by checking label affixed on them.
- Eating seasonal fresh foods which includes fruits and vegetables.
MANAGE YOUR DAILY DIET
Now you know which food is good for your heart and which one is not. You should note down these good food and start your good eating habits with good portion size you need.
Your food should include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain food with low bad fat and cholesterol.
Include food with higher protein and low fat. Prepare daily menu for your diet plan.
REGULAR EXERCISE
Regular exercise is as important as good eating habit. 20 minutes run on treadmill burn your fat faster. Your metabolism becomes active and your heart health improve.
When done regularly, moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity strengthens your heart muscle. This improves your heart's ability to pump blood to your lungs and throughout your body. As a result, more blood flows to your muscles, and oxygen levels in your blood rise.
Capillaries, tiny blood vessels in your body, also widen. This allows them to deliver more oxygen to your body and carry away waste products.
Drink plenty of water which helps to remove excess fat from your body and maintain healthy weight.
Drink plenty of water which helps to remove excess fat from your body and maintain healthy weight.
The above steps makes your heart healthy. Just follow the above points and adapt in your daily life. A happy heart makes you live longer and healthy.
READ MORE...
Resources:
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/eat-right/distortion.htm
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/downloads/tip-portion-size.pdf
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Resources:
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/eat-right/distortion.htm
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/downloads/tip-portion-size.pdf
