Heart-Healthy Diet: What You Need to Know
Heart disease is among the leading causes of death for both men and women in the United States. While certain lifestyle factors, such as maintaining a stable weight and regular exercise, are important to maintaining a healthy heart, the foods we choose to eat are just as important. A healthy diet is one of your best weapons in the battle against heart disease and feeling as healthy as possible. In fact, choosing to follow a heart-healthy diet can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 80% (helpguide.org).
When you don’t know where to start, choosing to make simple changes to your eating habits and nutrition is a good place to start. To help keep things straight and understand the reasoning behind the various nutritional recommendations, consider some of the tips below.
Pay attention to the type of fats you eat
Fat is essential to your diet; in other words, you need it! However, there are types of fat that can negatively affect your heart health; specifically, trans fat and saturated fat are the two types of fat of greatest concern. These two types of fats can affect blood cholesterol levels by lowering the level of HDL cholesterol (also known as: good cholesterol) while raising LDL cholesterol (also known as: bad cholesterol) in your blood. When HDL and LDL cholesterol levels are not within the normal range or are out of proportion, this can cause excess cholesterol to build up on the walls of blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Foods that contain saturated fat include fatty beef, bacon, sausage, lamb, lard, cheese, and other dairy products made with whole or two percent milk.
Trans fats occur naturally and artificially. Many fried foods and packaged products also contain high levels of trans fat.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that adults limit their saturated fat intake to five to six percent of their total calories. Trans fat intake should be less than one percent of total caloric intake.
say no to salt
Like fat, sodium is an essential mineral for life. Sodium is necessary for many bodily functions, including fluid volume, acid-base balance, and signaling for muscle function. However, too much sodium can pose risks. When sodium is elevated in the bloodstream, this can increase water retention in the blood vessels and cause elevated blood pressure. Over time, if elevated blood pressure doesn’t resolve, it can put a lot of strain on your heart, contribute to plaque buildup, and ultimately increase your risk of heart attack or stroke.
Sodium is a tricky ingredient and requires a little more effort and attention to detail when it comes to reducing it. A good starting point when trying to reduce sodium intake is to check the Nutrition Facts labels on products. Companies are required by law to list the amount of sodium, as well as other ingredients, in their products. As mentioned above, sodium can be tricky and can be added to foods in large amounts without you realizing it.
One place sodium likes to hide is in the food and dishes you order at a restaurant. In fact, more than 75% of sodium intake comes directly from processed foods and restaurants (wow!). So, to help reduce sodium intake when choosing to eat out or order takeout, don’t ask for added salt on your dishes.
Although these tips may seem demanding, your sodium intake will be significantly reduced and your heart will be happy. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, which is about the size of a teaspoon of salt (the recommendation is even lower, 1,500 milligrams, for people with chronic illnesses and those over age 50). ! Implementing these tips will not only help you meet this recommendation, but will also reduce your risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, kidney disease, and more.
Don’t skip the vegetables (or fruit)
As many of us know, the consumption of fruits and vegetables is an important part of a healthy diet. A reduced consumption of agricultural products is related to poor health and an increased risk of serious diseases. In fact, it was estimated that 3.9 million deaths worldwide are attributed to inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables (2017). Therefore, including fruits and vegetables as part of your daily diet is something that cannot be ruled out.
Incorporating fruits and vegetables is very easy! Whether frozen, canned, or fresh, each will be nutritious enough. If getting fruits and vegetables into your diet has been difficult, start slowly. Try gradually increasing your servings of fruits or vegetables throughout the day. If you now eat only 1 serving of vegetables or fruit at a meal, add one serving at lunch and one serving at dinner. Gradually introducing more and more fruits and vegetables onto your plate will make this tip seem less overwhelming.
The good thing about eating fruits and vegetables: they are all good! The AHA recommends filling at least half your plate with fruits and vegetables to meet the recommended 4 ½ cups of fruits and vegetables per day. Although this recommendation may seem impossible, remember: all items count, which means canned, fresh, or frozen varieties can help you reach your goals, improve your diet, and improve your health.
Whole Grains, Refined Grains, and Dietary Fiber: Whoops!
Let’s first understand whole grain, refined grain, and fiber. Whole grains contain the entire kernel, which includes 3 parts, the bran, germ, and endosperm, which provide all kinds of important nutrients like B vitamins, folate, fiber, iron, and magnesium. On the other hand, refined grains have been milled and processed, which strips the grain of the aforementioned nutrients.
Dietary fiber comes in two forms: insoluble and soluble. Increased fiber intake is associated with reduced levels of “bad” cholesterol (remember: LDL cholesterol) and decreased risk of heart disease. Another plus is that high-fiber foods can help you feel full longer and are lower in calories. High-fiber foods are usually whole grains, too! So increasing your intake of whole grains means you’re also increasing your fiber intake. Why not kill two birds with one stone and switch to more whole grains?
Incorporating whole grains can help improve blood cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. The AHA recommends that at least half of the grains you eat be whole grains, and that you eat 28 grams of dietary fiber per day. This includes foods like whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole oats, whole barley, and more.
Be picky about protein
For many of us, meat is a primary source of protein. However, popular meat sources such as hamburgers, steaks, and bacon, while high in protein, are significant sources of saturated fat (reminder: the “bad” fat). A high intake of these types of proteins can lead to increased risk of many health complications such as obesity, high cholesterol, plaque buildup, and of course heart disease and stroke. Switching to heart-healthy protein sources can help significantly reduce these risks and help maintain a heart-healthy diet.
Making changes to “meat eating” habits can be difficult, however it doesn’t have to be impossible. An easy tip for managing protein and meat intake is to treat meat as besides of food, instead of Main event. Try to limit meat to 6 ounces a day, which is 2 servings (innuendo: single serving of meat = size of deck of cards).
As for heart-healthy protein sources, the AHA recommends including fish, shellfish, skinless poultry, and lean trimmed meats, such as various cuts of pork. Starting to incorporate these alternative sources of protein into your diet will help you get on the right track with your heart health.
Remember, it’s all about taking simple steps to protect your heart and overall health.
A heart-healthy diet will be your greatest protection against heart disease and stroke. Get started today using these heart-healthy tips and continually assess your nutrition. Don’t let heart disease rule your world, make the changes that best fit your lifestyle and health goals.
Which of the above suggestions fits with the health goals you have in mind?