The heart is the human body's most vital organ. A healthy heart is directly proportional to a strong system, so we all need to be very vigilant when feeding all sorts of junk and processed foods to our bodies. Even a small amount of damage to it can affect the whole functioning of the body. One of the key measures recommended for a safe heart by the American Heart Association is to consume the right food.
There are various heart conditions that affect the health of the heart. High blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and smoking are the leading risk factors for developing heart disease. One needs to restrict sodium intake to regulate their blood pressure and also aim to maintain a low-sodium diet and have an abundance of iron, antioxidants, and omega fatty acids foods in your daily intake of diet.
In order to lower your risk, concentrate on incorporating heart-healthy nutrients in your diet. To help lower cholesterol and blood pressure, it is advisable to eat a wide range of fruits and vegetables and limit saturated fat. Omega 3 essential fatty acids, fibre, monounsaturated fats, folic acid, and potassium are a few of the most protective nutrients that can enhance heart health. Let’s have a look at how we can prevent heart diseases and which nutrients can help you with that.
1. Omega 3 Fatty Acids – Omega 3s are vital fats that cannot be made by our body, so we have to obtain them from sources of food. They help to generate hormones that regulate the clotting of blood, the constriction and relaxation of the artery walls of the smooth muscles, and inflammation. They can also help prevent heart disease, lower the risk of blood clots, and minimize inflammation, blood triglycerides, and blood pressure. It’s not always necessary we obtain our Omega 3 intake from our daily diet. Here is where Omega-3 fatty acid supplements can help. Omega 3 heart health effects are the most recognized ones.
2. Mono Unsaturated Fats – It is also known as MUFA. It is understood that monounsaturated fats lower LDL cholesterol and boost HDL cholesterol. We prefer wellness by substituting saturated fats and trans-fat with MUFA. Olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, and sesame oil are sources of MUFA among the cooking oils. Nuts such as almonds, peanuts, walnuts, and avocados are other sources. Such nuts also have other nutrients than good oils that are also protective of the heart. Monounsaturated fats are high in vitamin E, an antioxidant, which can help reduce bad cholesterol and preserve cell health.
3. Fibre – Fibre is the number one heart disease prevention nutrient; it actually has so many advantages that you can claim it helps keep you alive longer. Soluble and insoluble are two types of fibres. Soluble fibres are soft and sticky stuff that absorbs water and forms gel substance. Soluble fibre binds to cholesterol and sugar to prevent the digestive tract from absorbing them. Though not affecting HDL, it helps lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.
4. Folate – Homocysteine, an amino acid, is associated with artery hardening, which is the primary cause of coronary artery disease. Research has shown that B vitamins lower homocysteine levels, and the thickening of the arterial walls is decreased by folic acid. A meta-analysis in the Clinical Nutrition journal found that folic acid decreases the risk of stroke by 12 percent by decreasing blood homocysteine levels and reducing the thickening of the artery wall. Healthy sources of folic acid include amaranth greens, spinach, mint, green grams, black grams, and soy.
Shop for Omega oils and more premium oils from ICELANDirect today!
0 comments:
Post a Comment