Many diets on the market promise fast weight loss, but most of these diets are not a lifestyle change. A lifestyle change is what is needed to prevent and to control heart disease and live a healthier life. To really keep your heart healthy, make lifestyle changes you can follow for a healthier body and life.
DASH Diet
High blood pressure, also called hypertension. occurs when the pressure on the artery walls becomes too high, overtime this can cause heart disease. According to MayoClinic.com, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, also known as the DASH diet is a lifestyle change that helps prevent and control high blood pressure. This diet focuses on consuming fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. People on the DASH diet should consume no more than 1,500mg of salt a day to help control high blood pressure. The DASH diet limits sweets to five servings or fewer a week. A serving is considered to be 1 tbsp. of sugar or 1/2 cup of sorbet.
Heart-Healthy Diet
The American Heart Association has made grocery shopping easier with its heart-check mark on food products. Products that have this heart-check symbol on them have met the American Heart Association's guidelines for saturated fat and cholesterol. The Heart Healthy guidelines recommend that people consume no more than 7 percent of total calories from saturated fats, less than 1 percent of calories from trans fats and less than 300mg of cholesterol for healthy people, reports MayoClinic.com. People with high cholesterol shouldn't consume more than 200mg of cholesterol a day. Cutting the fat off the meat and not using butter, margarine and shortening when cooking are easy ways to cut down on saturated and trans fats.
Mediterranean Diet
According to the American Heart Association, the incidence of heart disease in the Mediterranean countries is lower than that of the United States. The Mediterranean food pyramid recommends people should consume whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts, olive oil, cheese and yogurt daily. Fish, poultry, eggs and sweets are only eaten a few times a week. Red meat is only consumed a few times a month. The Mediterranean diet is low in saturated and trans fats, contains excellent sources of fiber and unsaturated fats and contains nutrients and phytochemicals that support good health.
