Improving your diet reduces the risk of heart disease in many ways, like helping to lower high blood pressure, cholesterol, insulin levels and blood sugar. It also remarkably helps in preventing obesity as well as improving the functioning of the blood vessels and heart.
To maintain a healthy heart and keep it away from potential diseases, you should try to exclude certain foods from your everyday meal. If you can completely cut them out of your meals, your heart will be a lot healthier than it was ever before.
Processed Meat
Processed meat is salted, cured, fermented or smoked to increase its shelf life as well as to improve the taste. While it is convenient and quick, the chemicals and salt used in processed meat are harmful to our hearts, especially when eaten in huge portions. Some of the processed meat full of saturated fats is bacon, ham, hot dogs, and sausages.
Red Meat
Red meat is full of saturated fats, cholesterol, and salt, according to experts. Doctors advise their patients to limit consumption of red meat to once a month. Moreover, if you do eat red meat, prefer eating leaner cuts like sirloin tips, the eye of round roast, top roast, and top sirloin. Also, replace cream, hollandaise sauce, and butter with spices and herbs.
Highly Refined, Processed Grains and Carbohydrates
Refined and processed food is harmful to the heart because the high levels of processing tend to remove most of the healthy components in whole grains, such as minerals, dietary fiber, fatty acids, and phytochemicals. Moreover, high levels of processing also destroy the food’s natural structure, leading to health issues.
Soft Drinks and Other Sugary Drinks
Sugary drinks have as many ill effects on the heart as highly refined, and processed carbohydrates have. According to the research, a diet that is high in sugar may increase your risk of heart diseases even if you aren’t obese. A study has also proved that drinking sugar-sweetened drinks can increase blood pressure. A sugar-laden diet may also stimulate the liver to dump more injurious fats into the bloodstream. All of these factors are known to boost heart disease risk.
Table Salt
Higher intake of salt leads to problems with blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause the arteries to narrow and harden, resulting in a greater chance of heart disease. If you’re struggling with high blood pressure, all you need to do is replace the salt in your food with some flavorful spices like cinnamon, cumin, garlic, curry, and rosemary, etc. Doing this could remarkably lower your high blood pressure.
White Bread
Doctors advise avoiding harmful starches such as white bread, pasta, and white rice. You should minimise the intake of white starches in your meals because these carbohydrates tend to turn into sugar. Instead, start taking whole grain pasta and bread, which not only contain more fiber than white bread but also get digested slowly to help regulate blood sugar levels. The fiber present in them also helps you feel full for a longer duration. Intake of fibrous meals ensures that you’re less likely to indulge in binge eating unhealthy snacks between meals.
All these healthy habits and a nutritious diet can support your efficient and fast recovery. If you want to get a check-up done at a heart hospital, hospitals like Max Healthcare can be the perfect option. You can consult some of the best nutrition specialists to create a healthy eating-schedule that not only keeps heart diseases at bay but also suits your eating habits.
