|
The relationship between diet and heart disease has been the focus of much debate and scientific research for over a century. As researchers have continued to learn more about the effects of diet on heart disease, dietary advice has changed. For example, people were at one point advised to severely limit egg intake because eggs have high cholesterol. More recently, nutritionists have relaxed in their attitude toward eggs. Similarly, extremely low-fat diets were once considered heart healthy, until nutritionists discovered the heart benefits of certain monounsaturated fats, such as the omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty, cold-water fish.
When designing a health-healthy diet, it is important to understand how physicians calculate risk for heart disease and how diet can influence risk levels. In general, when assessing a patient for risk for heart attack, physicians consider two kinds of risk factors: modifiable and non-modifiable. A family history of heart disease is considered a non-modifiable risk factor, while obesity, cholesterol levels, diabetes, high blood pressure and cigarette smoking are all considered modifiable risk factors.
Diet is important because of the far-reaching effects it can have on heart health. This is true because people with poor diets are at much higher risk for obesity and diabetes, which in turn are closely linked to heart disease. Significantly, cholesterol levels and even high blood pressure can also be affected by dietary choices. Thus, maintaining a heart-healthy diet is one of the best things anyone can do to reduce their chances of suffering from heart disease.
Fortunately, nutritionists and doctors now know more than ever before about what foods are considered heart-healthy. The following principles were developed by leading organizations devoted to heart health, including the American Heart Association and the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP):
- A heart-healthy eating pattern that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or non-fat dairy products, fish, legumes (beans), poultry and lean meats.
- Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight by balancing energy intake (calories eaten) with energy needs.
- Participating in regular physical activity for 30 to 60 minutes on most if not all days.
- Smoking cessation.
- Achieving and maintaining a desirable blood lipid profile by limiting foods high in saturated fats, trans fats and cholesterol and substituting healthier fats such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from vegetables, fish, legumes and nuts.
- Achieving and maintaining normal blood pressure levels by limiting salt and alcohol intake, maintaining a healthy body weight and eating a heart-healthy diet.
A heart-healthy eating plan includes a wide variety of foods high in complex carbohydrates, fiber and vitamins and minerals. It is also low in fat, cholesterol and salt. This article describes a heart-healthy, balanced diet that can be used to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and related conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure (hypertension) and atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of the arteries)
|
/happyarms_89.jpg "Sneeze No More")