February 8, 2009
Eat And Be Heart Healthy
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If you have a family history of heart disease or are 30 lbs. or more overweight, you are at risk for heart disease. What can you do? The first step... |
If you have a family history of heart disease or are 30 lbs. or more overweight, you are at risk for heart disease. What can you do? The first step is to see your physician so that you can have a physical check up and find out what your healthy weight is. Your doctor can give you some guidelines on a safe and nutritional eating plan. A plan that will have you losing weight without compromising muscle and also be heart healthy for you. Your physician may guide you to a licensed nutritionist. If you are lucky your insurance will help pay for part or the entire fee to see this nutritionist, if you are not lucky, you will end up paying for most if not all of the cost of the visit(s). There are a number of Websites that can steer you to what foods is heart healthy in the meantime. There are also some foods that you can add to your meal plans now to make some immediate heart healthy changes.
Heart healthy food choices:
Stay away from a diet that consists mainly of red meats, they can raise your cholesterol levels.
A diet that is high in saturated fats will also raise your cholesterol level. High cholesterol levels will put your heart at risk.
Salt lovers should either cut way back on using salt or find salt substitutes. There are many herbs that flavor food without the sodium content that will raise your heart disease risk.
Fresh fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and these omeg-3 fatty acids help to reduce inflammation and can reduce your cholesterol level.
We all love to use oil in cooking and baking, when shopping reach for the healthier oils sitting on those grocery stores shelves. Not sure which ones are healthier? Olive oil is heart healthy and is good for cooking, as a dressing or for dipping. Canola oil is the best oil to use when sautéing.
Fish isn't the only source of omega-3 fatty acids; walnut, flax seed and canola oils are all good sources too. You can also eat walnut and flax seeds to get the same omega-3 fatty acid benefit.
Fiber is a huge buzzword for keeping healthy and controlling cholesterol. You want to look for "soluble" fiber, the kind found in oats and oatmeal. This is the kind of fiber that helps you control your cholesterol levels. Controlling these levels will keep your heart healthy.
Another good food choice for a healthier heart is when you add soy to your diet. Soy can be added by using soymilk, tofu, and soybeans or even by using soy flour when baking.
Here are some heart healthy Websites where you can find ideas for keeping your ticker in tip top shape:
The American Heart Association Website: http://www.americanheart.org
To find diet and nutrition information, click on "site index" at the top of the page and then click on Healthy Lifestyle or the diet and nutrition health tools link.
If you live in th UK, visit the British Heart Foundation Home at http://bhf.org.uk
Click on "keeping your heart healthy", and then "healthy eating".
Women have some very special heart health needs. You can read all about these needs at: The Heart Healthy Women Website found here – http://www.hearthealthywomen.org
Click on "patients" and then view the menu on the left for lots of topics to help women learn more about ways they can keep their heart healthy including how to recognize when your heart is in trouble.
To stay healthy your heart needs a good diet that includes heart healthy food choices, adequate exercise and sensible lifestyle choices.
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