Nutrition For Healthy Heart

A healthy nutritious diet can make a big difference for our heart to be healthy . A good diet may reduce the risk of developing heart disease.


Benefits of eating a good balanced diet towards maintaining a Healthy Heart

Maintains body weight
Maintains blood cholesterol
Maintains Blood pressure

Few most common causes of heart diseases

Smoking
High Cholesterol Levels
High Blood Pressure
Being Physically inactive
No regular exercising
Drinking too much Alcohol
High Salt intake

Help Improving your Heart

Reduce Cholesterol

Cholesterol Formation is mainly done in Liver and is the building block of many important hormones , but it's increased percentage in blood causes heart disease risk

There are two types of Cholesterol

LDL -- Low Density Lipoprotien -- transports from Liver to Cells -- where the extra amount gets oxidised and is taken to artery  walls by the cells where it starts to accumulate and start making the arteries narrow ..That's the reason why it is called Bad Cholesterol as well.

HDL -- High Density Lipoprotien -- Transports excess cholesterol away from arteries to the liver -- Protects bad cholesterol's accumulation in the arteries.. That's the reason why it is called as Good Cholesterol.


So our nutrition should be such that can help in reducing LDL , on the same side that can increase the levels of HDL.

First and the foremost concentration should be on cutting down the total amount of fat intake i.e. for every 2000 calories intake u should have only 60g of fat per day.


Now it's important to know

Fats are of three types
Saturated	Monounsaturated	Polyunsaturated
Meat Sausages Butter Ghee Creams Cakes Biscuits Pastries	Olive Oil Nuts and Seeds	Pure Vegetable Oil Sunflower Corn Soya Oils Margarine Vegetables

Foods  Containing  Unsaturated Fats help in lowering LDL and help in increasing the HDL .Food chosen should be low-fat  varieties  of  diary products and spreads.

Another type of important Polyunsaturated fat  i.e.  Omega 3 Fat. Omega 3 Fat are important because :-

Maintains Heart Beat

Protects small arteries

They reduce the viscosity of blood and make it less likely to clot.

Helps to lower the levels of Triglycerides, high levels of which may lead to heart diseases

Foods Rich in Omega 3 Fats :-

Fishes like Salmon, tuna, Sardines etc

Walnut oil
Soya oil

The ways of cooking food also increase the content of Fat in diet. So instead of  shallow or deep frying , the methods like steaming , boiling , grilling or microwaving should be considered.

Importance of Fibre in Diet for a Healthy Heart

Fibre rich foods are not only rich in Vitamins and Minerals but are also low in Fat content . Eating a fibre rich diet prevent the risk of heart disease. Some of the food rich in soluble fibres bind with cholesterol and prevent it from being reabsorbed in the blood stream , this lowers the amount of bad Cholesterol in blood. Soluble Fibres also help in maintaining blood sugar levels by increasing the absorption of carbohydrates in intestines.


Foods Rich in Fibre

Whole Meat Bread
Whole Grain Foods
Brown Rice
Oats
Barley
Pulses
Fruits

Importance of Fruits and Vegetables in diet for Healthy Heart

Fruits and Vegetables are low in fats and high in fibres , rich in antioxidants . Vitamins such as Beta Carotene , Vitamin C , Vitamin E  remove harmful free radicals which increase the oxidation of unwanted cholesterol and help in getting in converted to bad cholesterol. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of coronary heart disease

Importance of Less Salt intake for Healthy Heart

Over intake of salt increases the risk of Hypertension i.e. High Blood Pressure  which leads to the increasing the risk of Heart diseases. Foods like Cheese , Bacon pickles  ,yeast , pizza, baked beans  Soya Sauces are high in salt content so should be avoided.

Healthy Heart Nutrition

Garlic -- Acts as a blood thinner , Vitamin C in garlic prevents oxidation of LDL hence reducing it's percentage and increasing HDL
Ginger -- Maintains healthy Cholesterol Levels
Vegetables -- All veges are good for health cos of low fat content
Onions -- Raw onions raises HDL levels
Fish -- Fish oils good to maintain cholesterol levels
Apples -- Lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke
Grapes -- Helps maintain blood vessel tone
Tomatoes -- Rich in Vitamin B, Potassium help reduce the risk of heart diseases
Spinach -- Lowers Blood Pressure
Fenugreek Seeds -- Maintains Blood Pressure
Holy Basil -- Regular Intake of few leaves daily reduces LDL

Cholesterol Busters

Eating More Fibre
Less Fat Intake
Low- Carb Diet
Loose Weight
Quit Smoking
Exercise
Supplements


Natural Ways to Reduce Heart Risks

Ginger Juice + Apple Juice + Lemon + Apple Cider Vinegar --  Mix all 4 in equal quantities and boil it to reduce to 3/4th quantity. Cool it and add equal quantity of Honey to it. One table spoon before breakfast helps in removing vein blockage.

Warm water with Lemon Juice and honey or fresh fruit juice on waking up .

Fresh Fruit slices / whole meal toasts / yogurt / soya milk as breakfast.

Yoga Asans like Shavasna , Vajrasana, Gomukhasna , Pranayams like Shitali , Bhramari are good for heart health