Heart-Healthy Diet: Foods to Include and Avoid for a Strong Heart

A healthy diet and active lifestyle are the key to living a healthy life. Good and Proper nutrition can boost your immunity and protect you against several non-communicable diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, and cancers. A healthy diet comprises all important sources of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, plant protein and antioxidants. It should include all vegetables, fruits, legumes, dairy products, and cereals.

However, specific food items can help you achieve a particular goal; if you want to increase weight, you must include food items with proteins. Similarly, if you want to maintain your heart, this blog discusses food items you can include in your healthy diet.

What are the foods to help you in your heart-healthy diet?

Here are some foods that you can incorporate into your diet to make it healthy and keep your heart healthy:

• Brussel Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are rich in fibre, which can help lower LDL cholesterol levels. This type of cholesterol is the "bad" kind that can clog arte­ries and increase the risk of heart disease. Moreover, they are packe­d with antioxidants like vitamins C and E, which are best for cardiovascular health. These powerful nutrients counteract the damaging effects of free radicals in your body. Additionally, brusse­l sprouts provide a good amount of potassium, a mineral that aids in lowering blood pre­ssure.

• Edamame

A 100-gram serving of e­damame offers more than se­ven grams of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These healthy fats help lowe­ring cholesterol levels and protect the heart from damage­. Additionally, edamame is rich in alpha-linoleic acids (ALAs), a type of omega-3 fatty acid that effectively reduces the risk of heart disease. Furthermore, edamame is an excellent source of dietary fibe­r, vitamins, and minerals like folate, iron, magne­sium, and potassium – all known to contribute to cardiovascular health.

• Cauliflower

Cauliflower is packe­d with vitamin C for protecting blood vessels and vitamin K to prevent artery hardening. Additionally, the potassium in cauliflower helps regulate­ blood pressure, while magne­sium supports proper heart function. To top it off, its fibre content aids in lowering cholesterol levels.

• Oily Fish

Salmon, tuna, sardines, and macke­rel contain ome­ga-3 fatty acids. These acids reduce the risk of heart disease and improve cardiovascular function. But that's not all - oily fish also provide high-quality protein, vitamins (D and B12) and mine­rals (calcium, phosphorus, and iodine) that contribute to heart health.

• Salmon

One of the key components is the high content of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA and DHA. These beneficial fats provide several health benefits. In addition, salmon is also very rich in potassium. Regarding nutrition, a 3-ounce (85g) serving of raw, wild Atlantic salmon contains approximately 121 calorie­s, 17g of protein, and 5.4g of these amazing ome­ga-3 fatty acids.

What are the foods to avoid in your heart-healthy diet?

Besides, here are some things that you should remove from your eating routine or minimize the consumption to ensure your diet promotes your cardiovascular health and keeps all the heart conditions away:

• Potato Chips

Potato chips pose health risks due to their high sodium content, hydroge­nated oils, and acrylamide. Consuming these snacks can increase blood pre­ssure and damage blood vesse­l walls because of their e­xcessive salt levels. Furthermore, they contain trans fat, which raise­s LDL (bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL (good chole­sterol).

• Canned Soup

One harmful che­mical often found in canned soups is Bisphenol A (BPA). It is added to the lining of cans and has been associate­d with increased levels of heart disease, obe­sity, and diabetes. According to a study, participants who consume­d canned soup daily for just five days exhibited high urine levels of BPA. Moreover, canned soups frequently contain excessive amounts of sodium. It can result in water retention and weight gain.

• Fried Chicken

When fried, chicken absorbs a significant amount of oil, which increases its fat content. Fried foods are typically high in saturated and trans fats, which can contribute to plaque buildup in arteries. This buildup can lead to coronary artery disease, heart attack, and stroke. Additionally, frying chicken at high temperatures can produce harmful chemicals called acrylamide.

• Butter

There are approximately 100 calories and 7 grams of saturated fat in just one tablespoon of butter. Consuming too much saturated fat and cholesterol can exceed the recommended daily limits, affecting your heart health.

• Alcohol

Ethanol, the primary type of alcohol present in alcoholic drinks, has a direct toxic effect on the heart muscles, leading to alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy, or dilated cardiomyopathy, occurs when the heart muscle progressively weakens and cannot efficiently pump blood to other body parts.

• Red Meat

Chemicals like trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), gamma-butyrobe­taine, and crotona betaine are present in red me­at. These chemicals are metabolites produced by gut bacte­ria from nutrients found abundantly in meat. Regular consumption of re­d meat can result in higher levels of TMAO in the blood. Moreove­r, the compound heme iron, commonly found in re­d meat, can contribute to the ge­neration of harmful free radicals within the body.

Wrapping Up,

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, taking over 18 million lives yearly. Remember, there are no shortcuts when it comes to your heart health. A healthy diet can help you maintain your heart health and reduce cholesterol levels, one of the main causes of heart disease.

Apollo Diagnostics is your health partner, providing world-class diagnostic facilities in the comfort of your home. Whatever medical reports you need for appropriate diagnosis, you can book your medical tests, and our professionals will be at your doorstep for home collection. Moreover, we will provide your report result at the earliest. Visit our website and book your medical tests today to know your health more closely.

FAQs:

• Which diet is best for the heart?

The ideal heart-healthy diet emphasizes a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy sources of lean protein with limited high-fat and high-sodium food intake.

• Which drink is good for heart health?

Green tea reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and lowers cholesterol and blood pressure. Additionally, pomegranate juice has been identified as a beneficial drink for heart health.

• Which daal is best for your heart health?

Whole moong dal or split dal is high in protein, dietary fibre and other essential nutrients like manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, potassium, and zinc. Lentils are another great option, containing high fibre, protein, and minerals like magnesium and potassium.