Heart diseases are prevalent and can happen to people of all ages and gender. A range of disorders can affect your heart, and heart diseases are one of them. Cardiovascular disorders include – coronary artery disease, problems with the heart’s beat (arrhythmias), being born with cardiac abnormalities (congenital heart defects), heart valves issue and cardiac muscle arrest. Heart diseases caused the most significant Malaysian deaths in 2019. We must change the way we live by practicing a healthy lifestyle to prevent heart diseases.
An Effective Heart Diseases Prevention Diet
Avoid heart diseases at an early age. How? Watch out for what you eat.
A healthy eating plate comprises water, healthy oils, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and healthy protein. The best diet to prevent heart disease is well-balanced. Listed below are the foods that can help in preventing heart diseases:
- Leafy green vegetables as they’re a great source of vitamin which helps protect your arteries and promote proper blood clotting. They’re also high in dietary nitrates, which have been shown to reduce blood pressure and decrease arterial stiffness.
Whole grains are one of the foods that should be included in your diet to prevent heart diseases. Whole grains are rich in fiber, which can be a great source to reduce bad cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease. Furthermore, whole grains also improve your heart health.
Berries are among the best foods for heart disease patients as they are rich in antioxidants, which are known for anti-inflammatory properties and can prevent heart disease.
Walnuts are rich in omega-three fatty acids and are considered as one of the important food sources for reducing cholesterol and blood pressure. They have micronutrients like magnesium, copper, and manganese. The presence of fiber in walnuts make walnuts a healthy food and can be consumed in a reasonable amount.
Other foods that prevent heart disease includes:
- Fresh vegetables and fruits.
- You can get fiber from whole grains as they play a vital role in heart health. They help regulate blood pressure for those already at risk of heart disease. Grain products like whole-wheat flour, whole-grain bread, high-fiber cereal, barley, brown rice, oatmeals, and whole-grain pasta are effective sources of fiber.
Limit, or at the very worst, avoid too many high-fat snack crackers, white refined flour, cornbread doughnuts, quick bread, biscuits, cakes, egg noodles, buttered popcorn, and the likes of them.
Which foods are a big NO?
Avoid eating:
- Butter
- Gravy
- Non-dairy creamers
- Fried foods
- Processed meats
All of this food can increase your cholesterol and blood pressure. Too much saturated fat can be a prime mover to build up cholesterol in your arteries (blood vessels). Saturated fats top up your (bad) cholesterol. High cholesterol inflates your risk for heart disease and stroke. You start to gain weight which can surge your obesity problems and lead to digestive problems which produce discomfort in your body. You can also face difficulty in breathing.
Exercise And Heart Disease Prevention Are Correlated
The connection between exercise and heart disease prevention cannot be denied since time immemorial. Being physically active has long been proven to prevent heart disease and stroke. A healthy diet, coupled with the right amount of exercise, lowers your risk for these diseases. It helps raise “good” HDL cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, control sugar, and also enables you to maintain a healthy weight.
Exercises should be done regularly. You can do exercises as simple as being active for 30 minutes a day, five times a week. Simple physical movements like walking, cycling, dancing, running, or even cleaning– any activity that raises your heart rate can contribute to heart health.
You can opt to do this 25 minutes a day, three days a week, for more vigorous activities. Still, these activities include hard to extreme heart-racing activities like jogging, fast cycling, skiing, or getting your gym workouts.
There are some conditions that a heart disease patient needs to follow before starting to exercise:
- It is suggested to do the exercise in the morning or evening in hot weather.
It is better to start with a brisk walk rather than immediately running on the track.
Your clothes should be comfortable and airy for exercise.
It is always a good idea to warm up your body to tone up your muscles for stretching.
Avoid being seated for too long at a time: The recent study shows that patients who ensconce themselves for too long result in a greater increase in cardiovascular events. Furthermore, sitting for a long time can raise the risk of blood clots.
Why not try aerobic exercises, dancing, or yoga?
Some people detest doing tedious and strenuous physical activities. Dancing and yoga for heart disease prevention are common among people of all ages, especially those in the older ranges. Not only are they healthy, but they’re fun to do as well.
Doing yoga for heart disease prevention is effective as well. Through yoga, you off-load stress in your system, which eventually contributes to lowering blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and glucose levels in the blood.
Some of the most well-known poses in yoga for heart disease prevention are:
- Standing forward bend
- Extended triangle pose
- Bridge pose
- Chair pose
- Head to knee pose
- Easy pose
- Supine spinal twist
- Child’s pose
- Legs up the wall
- Corpse pose
NOTE:
All of us are at risk of getting heart diseases. A healthy diet, physical activity, and peace of mind must naturally co-exist as a lifestyle to reduce your chances of developing heart diseases regardless of your age.
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MS