Heart disease may be leading killer of men and women. Be careful about what you eat – and you don’t eat. Improving your diet is an important step for preventing heart diseases. Control cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels and maintain a healthy heart. No single food can make you magically healthy, so varieties of healthy foods cooked in healthy ways in your diet and make these habits in your lifestyle.)
Heart healthy diet tips – 
1) Avoid saturated or trans fats – Food containing high levels of trans fats (potato chips, baked goods and saturated fats (fat meat, dairy products including beef ,pork ,poultry, beef fat ,cream butter ,cheese, fried foods contain palm oil , coconut oil) – can increase the cholesterol levels. Trans fat lowers the levels of HDL (good – cholesterol which can increase cardiovascular risk. Fat such as monosaturated fat and omega -3s promote healthy heart.
2) Avoid diet which rich in Cholesterol – Cholesterol is a waxy fat like substance made in liver and cells of animals. It is found in animal products (meat, poultry, diary and eggs).A high intake of dietary cholesterol contribute to heart disease. Take less than 300 milligrams each day. Fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts are cholesterol regulators. The best foods for lowering cholesterol are oatmeal, fish, walnut, olive oil. Vegetables and fruits are good sources of vitamins and minerals. They are low in calories and rich in dietary fiber. Eating more fruits and vegetables help you eat less the high fat food such as meat, cheese and snack foods.
3) Intake of fish – Take fish like salmon or herring, tuna twice a week in your diet which can lower the cholesterol and leads to less risk for heart attack. Fish containing omega -3 fatty acids work as superheroes which is good for heart.
4) Avoid salty and high sodium foods – Eating a lot of salt contribute to high blood pressure which is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is one of the big part of healthy heart diet. Don’t take more than a teaspoon of salt a day for an adult. Take sodium diet not more than 1,500 milligrams per day.
5) Reduce canned or processed foods – The canned or processed foods like soups, poultry or other meat having added salt for preservation.
6) Sugar – It plays very important role in heart diseases. The person who ate sugar had lower levels of HDL “good” cholesterol and having higher triglycerides which are the markers of increased heart disease risk. American Heart Association (AHA)recommends that women should not consume more than 6 teaspoons of sugars (100 calories)per day.
7) Avoid Smoking – Smoking reduces life expectancy. The smokers are twice likely to have a heart attack than a non-smoker.
8) Exercise regularly – Walk briskly for 45 minutes a day and reduce the risk of heart disease.
9) Improve Circulation – Heart is a muscle and exercise helps to make it stronger. A strong heart pumps blood more efficiently and delivers more oxygen and nutrients to every inch of your body. This improvement in circulation increase energy levels.
10) Reduce stress – Exercise triggers biochemical changes in brain that temper feelings of anxiety and depression has been linked to heart disease.
11) Weight loss – Sweating force the body to burn calories.
12) Sound sleep – Activity improves the quality of sleep as well as helps you fall asleep faster.
13) Appetite control – Working help to curb your appetite which can make it easier to lose and control your weight.
14) Switch your chocolate choic e- Switch from milk chocolate to dark chocolate. When eaten in moderation, dark chocolate is good for heart.
Points to Remember
• Monitor your Blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol level – which gives you an alarm that you need medical checkup.
• Check your family history.
• Less intake of vitamin C increased heart disease risks. So take citrus fruits which is rich in Vitamin C like lemon, orange, amla etc.
• Kiwi is one of the essential fruit which help in reducing the heart disease.
• Fats which is found in nuts, olive, soybean, canola oils, fish and seafood is good for healthy heart.
• Eating breakfast in time lowers heart disease risk by more than 25%.
• Those who take walnuts reduce risk of dying from heart disease by 50%.
• Flaxseeds are high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids which lower the blood cholesterol.
• Take balanced diet and eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and starch foods such as wholegrain cereals, legumes, bread and rice.
• Appetite control make easier to lose your weight.
• Manage the stress level by doing Yoga / Meditation.
• Job related stress is a significant risk factor in the development of heart disease.
• Music helps patient to recover from heart disease, and can even strengthen the hearts of healthy people.
• Research proves that bad eating behaviors in children can leads to heart disease later in life.
• Banana is rich in potassium which helps to lower the blood pressure.
• Livings actively help you to improve the quality of sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation leads to heart disease.
• If you have already heart disease, exercise may decrease symptoms of angina (chest discomfort)and heart failure.
• Manage your weight because overweight can increase the risk of heart disease.
• Give up smoking. Smoking is one of the major causes of heart disease.
• Any moderate –intensity exercise like swimming, jogging and yoga is good for heart disease.
• Laughter is the best therapy. It is an instant way to unleash the pressure and make you feel light.
