You can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by as much as 80 percent according to statistics cited in Help Guide. Therefore, taking an inventory of what you currently eat and finding heart healthy foods to replace some of the unhealthiest common foods in your diet could have a significant positive impact on your life.
Basics
Eating too many high fat, high calorie and high cholesterol items can increase your risk of future heart problems such as heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. You have a number of options for foods you can substitute in your diet to help you transition to a heart healthier lifestyle.
Significance
Avoid consuming trans fats and keep your intake of saturated fat to a minimum. These unhealthy fats can increase your blood cholesterol levels. Replace foods such as baked goods and packaged snacks that contain unhealthy fats with products that instead contain unsaturated fats. Use margarine and vegetable shortening that do not contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oil to ensure you are getting the healthy fats. Select vegetable oils such as olive oil and canola oil to increase your healthy fat intake.
Considerations
Certain meats are high in unhealthy fats, cholesterol and calories, all things that can have a negative impact on the health of your heart. Replacing meats such as red meat, processed meats such as hot dogs, sausage, bacon, organ meats and all fried meats can help keep your heart healthy. Stick to lean meats such as white meat chicken and fatty fish. Fatty fish such as halibut and salmon can provide you with a significant source of omega-3 fatty acids. According to the American Heart Association, eating two servings of fatty fish a week can provide you with enough omega-3 fatty acids to reduce your risk of heart disease, but it is important to avoid fried fish.
Try replacing processed meats with fake meat products that are made primarily with soy. These products are lower in fat and generally contain no cholesterol or a very limited amount. Use soy-based fake beef crumbles to replace beef in your favorite recipes such as lasagna, spaghetti and tacos. You can also skip the meat entirely and get your protein from plant-based sources such as beans, tofu, nuts and seed.
Insight
Refined grains and products made with them offer very limited nutritional value and can result in unwanted weight gain. Replacing refined grains with whole grains can make a significant positive impact on the health of your heart. Use whole-wheat flour instead of white flour. Cook with whole grain pastas. Buy cereals that are made with whole grains and have at least 5 or more grams of fiber per serving. Use brown rice instead of white rice. Eat whole grain crackers. Add oatmeal to your diet.
Tips
Eliminate whole milk products from your diet. Replace salt with herbs and spices. Cut back on your sugar intake to decrease your unnecessary calorie intake. Use nuts to add crunch to salads, vegetables and a variety of pasta and rice dishes. Consume only the egg white and skip the yolk.
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