Maintaining healthy heart habits for the healthy functioning of the heart and other body organs is a must. People can become more aware of sensible health tips suggested by medical experts to ensure good health.
A healthy diet includes nutrient-dense foods belonging to all of the major food groups, including lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats, as well as fruits and vegetables of several colors. Healthy eating habits also include replacing foods that tend to contain trans fats, added salt, and sugar with more nutritious options.
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Why heart-healthy habits?
Heart health
Heart disease is considered to be the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. Several US adults live with some form of cardiovascular disease.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, happens to be a growing concern in the U.S. The condition can indeed lead to a heart attack, heart failure, as well as a stroke.
It is perhaps possible to prevent up to 80% of premature heart disease and stroke diagnoses with lifestyle changes like increasing physical activity and healthy eating.
- The foods people eat can indeed reduce their blood pressure and help keep their hearts healthy.
- Eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
- choosing fat-free or even low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, as well as vegetable oils.
- limiting saturated and trans fat intake, like fatty meats and full-fat dairy products.
- Limiting drinks as well as foods that contain added sugars.
- restricting sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams per day, ideally 1,500 mg daily, and increasing consumption of potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
- High-fiber foods are essential to consume to keep the heart healthy.
Dietary fiber does help improve blood cholesterol and also lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, as well as type 2 diabetes.
The medical community has long recognized the link between trans fats and heart-related illnesses, like coronary heart disease.
Limiting certain types of fat can indeed improve heart health. For example, eliminating trans fats reduces the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. This type of cholesterol does cause plaque to collect within the arteries, increasing the risk of a heart attack as well as a stroke.
Reducing blood pressure can indeed promote heart health. It helps to limit salt intake to no more than 1,500 mg per day.
Also Read, Health Benefits Of Vegetarian Diet.
What are other healthy tips?
Reduced cancer risk
A person may eat foods that do contain antioxidants in order to help reduce their risk of developing cancer by protecting their cells from damage.
The presence of free radicals in one’s body increases the risk of cancer, but antioxidants help to remove them to lower the likelihood of this sort of disease. Many phytochemicals that are found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes act as antioxidants, including beta-carotene, lycopene, and vitamins-A, C, and E.
There are laboratory as well as animal studies that do link certain antioxidants to a reduced incidence of free radical damage on account of cancer. Yet, human trials are inconclusive, and doctors do advise against making use of these dietary supplements without consulting them to start with.
Foods high in antioxidants include:
- Berries, such as blueberries and raspberries.
- Dark, leafy greens.
- Pumpkin and carrots.
- Nuts and seeds.
Obesity can increase a person’s risk of developing cancer and also result in poorer outcomes. Maintaining a moderate weight may reduce these risks.
In a 2014 study, researchers did find that a diet rich in fruits reduced the risk of upper gastrointestinal tract cancers.
They also found that a diet that happens to be rich in vegetables, fruits, and fiber lowered the risk of colorectal cancer, while a diet rich in fiber did reduce the risk of liver cancer.
Conclusion
Practicing heart-healthy habits is good in order to ensure a healthy heart and overall good health.