Are you aware that heart disease is the leading cause of death among both men and women in the United States? The more shocking part is that every 33 seconds, an American dies of cardiovascular disease. Though you may be quite concerned, there are several proven techniques that will help keep your heart healthy.
Top 7 Tips To Keep Your Heart Healthy: Healthy Heart Happy Life
In this article, we take you through some top tips using which you can keep heart diseases at bay.
1. Add More Vegetables And Fruits To Your Menu
Research shows that people who consume plant-based diets are less prone to developing heart disease. The reason is that fruits and vegetables contain several heart-healthy nutrients such as fiber, potassium, antioxidants, vitamins A and C and B vitamins. The other benefit is that veggies aid in reducing chronic low-level inflammation, which has been linked to heart disease. Thus aim to have five cups of fruits and vegetables a day.
2. Cut Down Animal Fat And Fast Food
Animal fats and animal proteins are linked to higher cholesterol and an elevated risk of heart disease. Reduce the intake of salty meats such as ham, tocino, bacon, sausage, hotdog, and also salty food such as dried fish. Practice cholesterol reduction exercises. If you really crave to eat meat, keep your portions small. Also, stay away from canned, processed, and fast food. For seasoning the food items, use calamansi juice and vinegar instead of high-sodium condiments ranging from soy sauce to fish sauce and bagoong to ketchup. When it comes to sugar consumption, the recommended number is no more than six teaspoons worth of added sugar daily for women, and for men, it is nine.
3. Maintain A Healthy Body Weight
If your body mass index (BMI) is 25 or above, it indicates that you are overweight. Also, if you are a male having a high waist circumference of more than 90 cm or a female with more than 80 cm, it shows that you have a higher intra-abdominal fat. In short, you stand a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Plan in such a way that you reduce 500 kilocalories in your daily diet. As a result, you will benefit from an average weight loss of approximately half to around 1 kilogram a week.
4. Exercise Regularly
If you are an adult, aim to perform at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week. It can be brisk walking, dancing, climbing stairs, gardening, or doing household chores that lead to a mild increase in heart rate. The other benefits of physical activity are improved blood pressure, healthy levels of cholesterol and other blood lipids, and reduction in weight.
5. Say No To Smoking
If you have the habit of smoking, kick that habit today itself. Studies show that the risk of heart disease comes down by 50% in the first year after quitting smoking. There is more reason to cheer as the risk becomes equivalent to a nonsmoker after 10 years.
6. Quit Drinking
The intake of alcohol has been linked to more than 200 disease and injury conditions and cardiovascular diseases is one of them. Since there is no safe level for consuming alcohol, it is recommended to bid goodbye to drinking forever to protect your heart.
7. Curb Your Stress
Do you know that stress can increase the risk of heart disease by 2.5 times when compared to smoking and diabetes? When you are under chronic stress, it will trigger inflammation and high blood pressure that is linked to heart disease. The best way to tame your stress levels is by practicing meditation, deep breathing, and yoga. According to research, yoga improves circulation and blood pressure and cuts down the risk of heart disease as much as brisk walking.
Conclusion
Hope the article offers valuable insights on different ways to keep your heart healthy. Apart from the 7 top tips discussed above, make sure that you get your blood pressure and blood sugar levels checked regularly. Last but not least, try to nurture close relationships as studies have shown that people who are lonely and socially isolated are more prone to the risk of a heart attack or stroke when compared to those with strong social networks.
References:
- Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease – CDC
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/50th-anniversary/pdfs/fs_smoking_cvd_508.pdf - National Institutes of Health (.gov)
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov › education-and-awareness
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/education-and-awareness/heart-truth - Heartdisease facts. (2015.)
http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
