|
12 Ways to Protect Your Heart The bad news is that heart disease is the number one cause of preventable death today with someone dying every 33 seconds (that’s 6 ‐ 10 people in the time it takes for you to read this document!). The good news is that most heart disease can be prevented and you can actually take steps that can make a lifesaving difference for you and those you love. The following is a list of tips worth taking to heart. Fruits & Vegetables: Eat a variety of different color groups of fruits and vegetables every day - ideally 7-9 servings. Whole Grains: Eat a variety of whole grains and legumes regularly, focusing on complex carbohydrates. Soy & Lean Protein Foods: Eat a variety of lean protein foods - ideally half of your daily intake from plant proteins and 25g from soy. Limit saturated fats, cholesterol, and trans fats: In fatty meats, deserts and sweets, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, packaged foods and commercially prepared fried foods. Olive and Canola oils are better choices. Fiber: 25g for women, 38g for men. Fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains are good sources. Maintain a healthy weight: Overweight and obesity are major factors contributing to heart disease. Be active: Exercise helps to strengthen the entire cardiovascular system. Remember - your heart is a muscle, and by exercising it you strengthen it. Eliminate tobacco use and limit alcohol consumption. Omega 3: Found in fish and fish oil supplements these food compounds benefit the hearts of healthy people, those at high risk, and those who have cardiovascular disease. Make this a regular part of your nutrition plan. Plant Sterols & Stanols: Foods & supplements with plant sterols/stanols may reduce cholesterol and are a promising addition to interventions aimed at lowering heart disease risk. Limit salt intake: Keeping sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams a day helps control blood pressure. Just say "NO" to heart disease: “NO” stands for Nitric Oxide - a molecule that our bodies make to regulate blood pressure, increase blood flow to the heart and more. Research suggests that by increasing the body's production of NO healthier cardiovascular functioning can be accomplished.* (See Herbalife's Niteworks).
|
