Every body aspires healthy heart. But obesity and hypertension are the main causes of heart diseases due to poor diet and sedentary work. So healthy eating  is good to reduce the risk of heart diseases. food pattern is depend on body size, weight, age and activity of a person. Diet control the simplest  way to have healthy heart.

Foods that damage heart:

  • More coffee and tea increase the stress hormones in the body. Coffee drinkers are at greater risk of heart diseases.
  • The daily consumption of fat more than 20 to 23 percent especially saturated fat,  may result in heart disease.
  • Saturated fat increases bad cholesterol LDL and reduces good cholesterol HDL
  • Saturated fat found in animal products such as meat and dairy products.
  • Trans fatty acid found in  margarine, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils.
  • Sugar, chocolate, fried food, processed food, refined food, soft drinks, spicy food, white flour products etc are all rich fatty substances.
  • Too much of alcohol and tobacco are also affect the proper heart functions.
  • High sodium in diet is not good for heart function. Table salt contains more sodium, which causes fluid retention and makes the heart work harden.
  • Smoking 3-6 times have greater risk to heart attack than non-smoker, that injured the artery wall by allowing cholesterol and other substances to gradually narrowing them.
  • High blood pressure damage the delicate inner lining of arteries that allows the excess cholesterol and thus causes narrowing of blood vessels.
  • Obese people have excess of LDL and it may lead to heart diseases.

Precautions to save Arteries and to prevent Heart Disease

  • Anti-oxidants protect body tissues and cells by controlling the harmful Free radicals. Beta-carotene, vitamin-c, vitamin-E, selenium, zinc, copper, iron, manganese, bioflavonoids, phyto chemicals, lycopene,omegas 3&6 etc are anti-oxidants. It is rich in coloured fruits and vegetables like tomato, carrot, dark green leafy vegetables, cabbage, yellow pumpkin, beetroot,  broccoli, sprouted Brussels, orange, papaya, apricot, pine apple, strawberries, red grapes, watermelon, guava, lime etc. Brown rice, sprouted green gram and other whole grams, whole grains like wheat, oats, little millets, soya beans, red pepper, walnuts, almond, mustard, mushroom, fish-salmon, shell fish, tuna, sardines, shrimp, cod fish, halibut, oils- olive oil, fish oil, bran oil, seasame oil, mustard oil etc.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids prevents excess clotting of blood and reduces the amount of lipids, triglycerides and cholesterol. Thus it protects heart from atherosclerosis disease. it is rich in soya beans, walnut, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, winter squash, collard green, cloves, kale, tofu, green beans, lettuce, spinach, turnip, cauliflower, broccoli, mustard seeds, lentil, pine apple, orange, strawberries, papaya,sea fish-sardine, halibut, shrimp, cod, tuna, olive oil, corn oil, sun flower oil etc.
  • Vegetarian diet with well balanced and plenty of fibrous in diet help to reduce 30 – 50 percent of bad cholesterol LDL in the blood.
  • Plenty of garlic and onion in diet reduce serum cholesterol level in the blood, so as to keep heart healthy.
  • Soluble fibre also reduces cholesterol actively which is present plentiful in pulses.