How To Diet For A Healthy Heart

How to diet for a healthy heart means giving up a few foods you love and maybe adding a few food you’re not too crazy about. It’s all about taking good care of your beating heart while it’s still beating so suck it up and get this diet going to keep your ticker pumping for a good long while. Here are the Do’s and the Don’ts of a heart healthy diet:

1. Do eat fish once or twice a week. Your body needs to get in those omega-3 fatty acids in your system.
2. Do use olive oil. This is a source of fat which reduces cholesterol levels.
3. Do eat lean meats. Turkey or poultry, skinless of course as a weekly lean protein menu on your heart health diet.
4. Do eat plenty of vegetables and fruits. These are good sources of minerals and rich in fibers.
5. Do eat nuts. Yes they are good for you but only a handful for they are high in calories but not saturated fats.
6. Do eat legumes. Peas, beans and lentils all contain less fat and no cholesterol.
7. Do (or you may, but be smart about it) drink red wine. In moderation of course, about ten ounces for men, which is 1 ¼ cups.
8. Do eat whole grains. Brown rice, oatmeal, 100% whole wheat, flax seed and wheat pasta make an excellent choice ffiber in your healthy daily menu.
9. Do choose herbs and spices. This is a great way to season your food especially cayenne pepper which contains vitamin A, B, C, calcium and potassium all which help control high blood pressure. Bet you didn’t know that little spicy secret!

The American Heart Associations has guidelines for a healthy heart diet:

• Saturated fat less than 7% of your overall daily intake.
• Trans fat less than 1% of your total calorie count for the day.
• Cholesterol less than 300 milligrams a day.

Ouch! Say good bye to a lot fun foods because they are loaded with trans and saturated fats that can clog your arteries and you don’t want that. So here comes the bad news. 

1. Don’t eat red meat more than one a week. Yes we're crying you a river but this is needful if you don't want to clog up your arteries. Keep the meat lean and cut off the fat.
2. Don’t have more than one teaspoon of salt a day. Too much indulgence of salt can cause high blood pressure.
3. Don’t use butter, lard or bacon fat. We told you it was going to be tough, but these are super loaded saturated and trans fats.
4. Don’t eat processed meats, cold cuts, frankfurters or hot dogs. These fall under the classification as saturated fats.
5. Don’t eat donuts, cakes, pies, candy, chips or that big fat bucket of buttered popcorn at the movies. Fat juggernauts.

Eating a heart healthy diet means you care enough about your body to make some real lifestyle changes. Cheating a little every now and again is okay, but over indulgence can lead you down a dark road to possible heart disease. Eat fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and lean meats everything in moderation and you’ve got the ticket to a healthy heart diet.