How To Diet For Heart Disease

Here is some advice on how to diet for heart disease with food suggestions. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in industrial countries and will soon be the lead cause of death worldwide. Heart disease should be feared and most people should run, not walk, to a grocer to stock up on healthy food alternatives.

Heart disease is when the arteries narrow (atherosclerosis). Arteries get clogged when fatty deposits or plaques cling to the walls of the arteries. The fatty deposits on artery walls may cause blood clots to happen, thus endangering the life of many heart patients. Many patients have bypass heart surgery when the blockage is over 50 percent. Symptoms that lead up to heart disease are high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity. Other risk factors are Type-2 diabetes and osteoporosis. If you want to have a healthy heart, you have to eat healthy.

1. Healthy Oil. Limit your oil intake to no more than 25 to 30 percent per day with no more than ten percent in saturated fats. Eat no more than 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol a day. One egg yolk has 213 milligrams of dietary cholesterol, so no more than one egg yolk a day. One tablespoon of olive oil has 120 calories, so limit your oil to no more than five to eight teaspoons of oil per day for cooking, salads and spritzing.    
2. Oily Fish. You can eat limited amounts of oily fish. Try some mackerel, sardines, tuna and salmon. Do not fry the fish; baking, broiling and steaming are the best ways to cook. These types of fish will raise HDL (good) cholesterol and reduce triglycerides.
3. Red Meats. Red meat consumption should be avoided and substitute light meat products in its place. Eating chicken breast, turkey and fish is much better health-wise. The optimum heart diet just may be a Mediterranean type diet with little or no meat.
4. Sodium. Sodium should be limited to no more than 2400 milligrams and eaten as sea salt only. Some heart healthy diets suggest 3000 milligrams, but the lower limit is better in heart disease diets. Limiting sea salt to 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoons is optimal.
5. Limit Alcohol Consumption. To have a heart-healthy diet, women should not drink more than one alcoholic beverage a day. Men are allowed to have two drinks a day, but the best diet is where both men and women abstain from alcohol altogether.
6. Fruits and Vegetables. A heart-healthy diet must have a vast array of fresh, raw fruits and veggies. Raw is always the best way to get the most vitamins and steamed is the best way to cook any veggie. Be careful about high glycemix (high sugar) foods, such as carrots, bananas and mangoes.
7. Whole Grains. Whole grains are a must and a heart-healthy diet would exclude all white enriched flour products, including pasta. When purchasing bread, look and read labels for only 100 percent whole grains.
8. Legumes, Nuts and Seeds. Legumes are a good source of protein. One cup of legumes a day is the suggested amount. The best legumes to consume are red beans and navy beans. Nuts and seeds should be limited as they are high in kilojoules.
9. Lots of Water. Drink lots of water to have a strong heart. Herbal teas are also very satisfying and delicious. Mixing and matching teas will keep the heart-healthy diet from getting boring. Avoid tea bags and buy loose teas as the bags may be toxic.
10. Exercise Daily. Besides changing your lifestyle and eating habits, you must exercise daily. A simple walk around the park or a jog in place in your home will aid you in preventing heart disease. One of the easiest forms of exercise is rebounding on a mini-trampoline to get the lymph flowing in your system.