Your cardiovascular health depends upon a steady influx of nutrients, such as potassium and calcium, that help your body regulate heart function. Perhaps as important is the limitation of other nutrients, such as solid fats and cholesterol. These elements can build up in your body and damage your blood vessels, placing strain on your heart and raising your risk for dangerous blood clots. Knowing what not to eat to preserve your heart health will guide you toward a safe and nutritious diet.
Foods With Fewer Risky Nutrients
As you order at restaurants and compare foods at the grocery store, choose those with less saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Lower intake of these nutrients that can harm your heart in high concentrations will help you avoid clogged arteries and high blood pressure. This means eating extra-lean meats and poultry and fewer eggs and high-sodium packaged foods, such as regular-sodium canned soups. On some products, the American Heart Association provides a package label symbol, the Heart-Check Mark, that indicates an acceptable content level of these nutrients.
Foods With Especially Beneficial Nutrients
Foods that are associated with better cardiovascular health include those with high dietary fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. Both soluble and insoluble fiber are considered beneficial, with whole-oat foods providing an exceptional ratio of protective soluble fiber. Heart-Check Marks indicate foods, such as whole-grain breads and whole-oat cereals, that meet healthy criteria. The AHA also recommends regular consumption of fish such as salmon and sardines and other foods, such as flaxseeds, that contain significant omega-3 fatty acids, which positively affect your blood cholesterol.
Receiving Additional Broad Nutrition
An all-around balanced diet supports your metabolism, of which your cardiovascular system is a life-sustaining component. Eat whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds for their nutritional help in maintaining healthy blood counts, blood pressure and heartbeat. Read FDA food label nutrition facts to total up your daily intake of iron, potassium, calcium, protein, B vitamins and other nutrients. These elements support heart function and other vital processes.
Limiting Calories
The USDA also recommends controlling your calorie intake and your weight in order to stave off heart disease. Becoming overweight or obese, with a body mass index greater than 30, increases your risk for arrhythmia, angina, heart attack, congestive heart failure and sudden cardiac death. The AHA advises consuming only as many calories as you can expend in a day, with 2,000 calories considered an average amount.
