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Your eating habits and lifestyle choices can significantly impact your heart’s health. Yes, certain foods can make you prone to heart disease, while some foods can strengthen it. Similarly, leading a physically active life can help your heart function well. This article is dedicated to finding some easy ways to switch to and nip heart diseases in the bud.
Here are eight heart-healthy diet and fitness suggestions, whether you've been eating badly for years or you just want to add some action to your daily routine. You'll be well on your way to a heart-healthy diet once you know which foods to eat more of and which ones to limit. Switching to an active lifestyle which involves playing, exercising or simply walking can do wonders for your well-being, so let’s get started.
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Increase the intake of fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are excellent providers of vitamins and minerals. They are high in dietary fibre and low in calories. Similar to other plants or plant-based diets, vegetables and fruits contain compounds that may reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the long run.
It can be easy to include fruits and vegetables in your diet. Maintain thoroughly washed and sliced vegetables in your fridge for quick snacking. To make sure that you remember to eat it, keep fruits in a dish inside your kitchen. Pick recipes using fruits or vegetables as the major ingredients, like fruit salads or stir-fries with veggies.
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Eat meat
Because meat is nutrient-dense (rich in iron, protein, zinc, and B vitamins) yet typically high in cholesterol, it has been shown to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, red meat that has not been processed and lean poultry and fish are both associated with a much lower risk of getting CVD.
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Consume low fat dairy products
Consumption of low-fat dairy products is linked to a drop in "bad cholesterol" (LDL, low-density lipoproteins). Since the connection between cholesterol and heart disease is much more convoluted, the scientific world is now updating the notion of "good cholesterol against bad cholesterol," but most scientists believe that having lower levels of LDLs is a positive thing.
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Switch to a low sodium diet
Although many health nuts give sodium a complete undressing, the body needs this nutrient for numerous essential processes. The issue is that sodium intake in the Western diet is already astronomically excessive and is directly linked to various CVD risk factors (high blood pressure being a primary issue). The maximum daily salt intake is typically advised to be between 1,500mg and 2,000mg.
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Exercise regularly
Studies demonstrate the value of regular exercise in preserving heart health and warding off illness. In fact, a study suggests that up to 6% of heart disease cases worldwide may be caused by physical inactivity. Your heart gets stronger as you exercise. It can pump more blood with each heartbeat thanks to this. Your body receives more oxygen as a result and performs better when it has more oxygen.
Blood pressure can also be lowered by exercise. It lowers LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels and lowers your risk of developing heart disease. A heart attack can be brought on by artery blockage from bad cholesterol. Exercise can also increase HDL ("good") cholesterol levels. By removing fatty deposits from the arteries, HDL aids in the prevention of a heart attack. Choose the best heart hospital in Patiala and get your heart checked at least once a year as a precaution.
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Quit smoking and limit alcohol intake
While less oxygen-rich blood travels through the body with each puff of nicotine from tobacco use, the heart rate and blood pressure are momentarily raised. Additionally, smoking causes clumping or stickiness in the blood arteries that supply the heart.
Smokers are more likely to have an improvement in their heart failure symptoms. If you are consuming alcohol, do so sparingly. This indicates that ladies should not consume more than one drink each day and males shouldn't consume more than two. Consult your doctor to find out if drinking alcohol is appropriate for you.
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Maintain a healthy weight
Sudden weight gain or loss may indicate that you have heart failure or that your condition is getting worse. Every morning, weigh yourself at the same time, ideally before breakfast and right after peeing. If you gain three pounds or more in a single day, five pounds or more in a single week, or any other quantity you were instructed to report, let your healthcare provider know.
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Manage stress and sleep well
Your cardiovascular system doesn't get the rest it needs if you don't get enough REM sleep since your heart works 24x7. Chronic sleep loss can also result in elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol at rest and adrenaline, which is comparable to what happens in stressful situations. People should aim for seven to eight hours of sleep per night.
Leading a heart-healthy lifestyle is being knowledgeable about your risk factors, making informed decisions, and taking action to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, including the most common type, coronary heart disease. You can lower your risk of getting a heart disease, which could lead to a heart attack, by practising prevention. Consult the best cardiologists in Patiala to know more about heart health. Read our blogs related to heart health by our reputed heart doctors at Manipal Hospitals Patiala.
Department of Cardiology
Manipal Hospitals, Patiala
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