Dietary guidelines for healthy heart
Do you know that over half of the deaths that occur every year in the US are caused by clogged arteries leading to heart attacks and strokes?
Food has a lot to do with the health of your heart and its arteries.
Eating the right foods can stop and heal the heart disease.
American Heart Association (AHA) has formulated dietary guidelines to help you reduce blood cholesterol and control your blood pressure.
Here they are:
- Eat a wide variety of foods to get a balance of nutrients
- Prevent obesity by doing exercise to balance food intake
- Choose a diet low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol
- Choose a diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains
- Choose a diet moderate in salt, sodium and sugar
- Drink alcohol in moderation, if you drink at all
Why we should eat more vegetables and fruits
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in the
The DASH study found that eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods with reduced saturated and total fats significantly lowers blood pressure. DASH diet recommends 8 to 10 serving of vegetables and fruits daily which is twice current recommendation set forth in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid.
The result of the vegetable-fruit charged diet is a drop in blood pressure equal to that seen with medications.
So try more zucchini, spinach, kale and other fruits/vegetables now as part of your diet.
The tropical magic called guava
Imagine a glass of iced pink guava juice on a hot sticky day!
Very tempting for sure ...
But there is a lot more about it.
Guava comes laden with vitamin C, fiber and potassium, the three players to help combat heart disease and hypertension.
A medium size guava offers a staggering 275% of our vitamin C needs, 20% of our fiber needs, a load of potassium all in an only 45 calories.
In a 12-week study, a group of participants were asked to eat 4-7 guavas a day.
The result was stunning!
Cholesterol level dropped an immense 10% translating to 20% reduction in heart disease. HDL went up while the blood pressure fell.
Is there any better combination you can ask for a glass of guava juice?
Why drinking is a bad idea
While the alcohol in red wine can help protect your heart, the benefit must
be fairly weighted with its associated risks. Here are the top five risk due to
alcohol:
- Heavy drinking can cause liver disease and eventually liver damage
- Regular drinking can impair mental function and memory
- Drinking increases the risk of breast cancer for women
- Heavy alcohol consumption causes hypertension increasing the risk for
stroke and kidney failure - Drinking increases the risk of injuries and accidents on roadways and
workplace
If you want to combine red wine to balance your fatty menu, just remember
that moderation is always the key.
Egg versus high cholesterol
So, do not cut out eggs in your diet!
