Arterial disease is often used in reference to atherosclerosis, which is a condition where plaque builds up along the arterial walls. This narrows the blood vessels and eventually restricts blood flow, leading to coronary artery disease, carotid artery disease or peripheral artery disease. As any one of these conditions sets in, it increases your risk of heart disease, angina, heart attack, transient ischemic attack, stroke and aneurysms. Medications can often be used to treat atherosclerosis, but most doctors recommend dietary changes to prevent and reverse the condition.
Step 1
Limit your total fat intake to no more than 25 to 35 percent of your daily calories. Arterial disease is often caused by high blood cholesterol, so minimizing your intake of fat helps reduce lipids in your bloodstream, advises the American Heart Association.
Step 2
Reduce your saturated fat intake to no more than 7 percent of your daily calories. Like total fat, saturated fat can increase blood cholesterol and contribute to a narrowing of the arteries.
Step 3
Refrain from eating foods containing trans-fatty acids, or trans fat, which can increase blood cholesterol and cause fatty deposits to accumulate along your arterial walls.
Step 4
Restrict your dietary cholesterol intake to no more than 200 mg each day, recommends the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Both fats and cholesterol can increase the lipids in your bloodstream, causing plaque to form along your arterial walls and lead to atherosclerosis.
Step 5
Increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains, suggests the Mayo Clinic. The fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients can help improve your cholesterol and blood pressure levels, reducing the stress on your arteries and thereby combating atherosclerosis.
Step 6
Cut calories from your diet to create the caloric deficit needed to promote weight loss. Excess weight is known to increase both cholesterol and blood pressure levels, which can lead to atherosclerosis.
Step 7
Curb your sodium intake to no more than 1,500 mg each day to reduce blood pressure, asserts the American Heart Association. Lowering your blood pressure can combat atherosclerosis.
Tips and Warnings
- Besides making dietary changes, it's also important to get regular exercise to help reverse atherosclerosis, notes the Mayo Clinic. Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise, most days of the week. Swimming, biking, walking, jogging, hiking, kayaking, cross-country skiing, dancing and playing a competitive sport can all be used to improve cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
