Healthy eating habits can mean the difference between suffering from heart disease, the number one killer of both men and women, according to the National Institutes of Health, or avoiding it entirely. Diet is not the only factor that contributes to heart disease, but for many people it is one of the primary causes. A healthy diet helps to keep your blood pressure and blood cholesterol at healthy levels, lowering your risk of heart disease.
About Heart Disease
Heart disease results as plaque builds up along the walls of your arteries. The plaque buildup in your arteries makes it hard for blood to pump through and get to all areas, such as your brain. When this occurs, you are at increased risk of suffering from a heart attack or stroke. Both high blood cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, which are affected by your diet, increase your risk of heart disease.
Heart disease does not always show symptoms until it is severe. Therefore, getting your cholesterol levels checked at least every five years is important, and if you are more at risk your doctor may recommend blood tests more often.
Reduce Sodium and Alcohol Intake
Low-sodium diets are a healthy way to achieve lower blood pressure. Consuming more than 1,500 mg of sodium each day can increase your risk of high blood pressure. The high sodium content in your body causes you to retain more water, which places more pressure on your arteries and makes it harder for blood to pump through.
A healthy, blood-pressure lowing diet will include moderate or less than moderate amounts of alcohol consumption. Too much alcohol can increase your blood pressure. Drinking less than one drink per day as a woman or two drinks a day as a man will keep your blood pressure at healthy levels.
Fewer Animal Products
Healthy foods contribute to lower blood cholesterol levels. Diets rich in healthy unsaturated fats and low in saturated fats can help you achieve healthy blood cholesterol levels. Too much saturated fat can increase your cholesterol levels. Also, a healthy cholesterol diet is one that steers clear of trans fats, which can raise cholesterol even when consumed in small amounts.
A healthy cholesterol diet should include considerable amounts of fiber, foods that commonly have plant sterols added to them, such as orange juice and whole grain rich foods instead of refined grains, such as white bread and white pasta. Eating less meat, dairy and other animal products, or eating lower-fat versions, will reduce your intake of cholesterol.
Healthy Weight
Eating a diet that helps you maintain a healthy weight is also a part of reducing your risk of heart disease. Being overweight not only raises your cholesterol levels and increases your blood pressure, it also puts you at increased risk for type 2 diabetes and a sedentary lifestyle, which are both risk factors for heart disease. By consuming a healthy amount of calories each day you can lower your risk of heart disease. Talk with your doctor to determine the amount of daily calories that is right for you. Include healthy low-calorie foods in your healthy-weight diet such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.
