Having heart issues is a bit challenging because it needs maintenance and continuous monitoring. Certain foods are also restricted when you are diagnosed with a heart condition that changes much of your lifestyle.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), a healthy diet and lifestyle are the best tools to fight cardiovascular diseases. They add that knowing how many calories an individual with a heart condition can consume can be the starting point of living life while protecting the heart and keep it pumping.
When diet is taken into account, certain foods are needed to be removed. Harvard Medical School shares that this is done because improving the diet lowers the risk of individuals progressing heart disease and restricting some foods to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.
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Diet for the Heart
A general view at A&T Cooper Fruit and Vegetable shop who are offering online Fruit, Vegetable and Salad boxes for local delivery and pick up in light of the Covid-19 outbreak, on April 11, 2020 in Southampton, England. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has spread to many countries across the world, claiming over 100,000 lives and infecting over 1.7 million people.
Registered dietitian in San Francisco, Sonya Angelone, shares with Today News that a heart-healthy diet means consuming more produce and lessening the intake of processed foods every day. She adds that restricting foods rich in saturated fats, refined sugars, and sodium may help the patient.
Health Link adds that most of the foods individuals with heart disease should eat were fruits and vegetables, various grain products, fish at least two times a week, and healthy fats.
But if you feel like diving into a diet that will always remind you of foods you can eat, here are some of the diet trends that can help your heart and maintain its stability.
DASH Diet
Also called the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension, Mayo Clinic says that this diet is a lifelong approach to healthy eating designed to help and treat or prevent hypertension or high blood pressure.
They add that this diet encourages the dieter to reduce sodium intake and encourage them to eat foods rich in nutrients that help lower blood pressure, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
MIND Diet
Health says that Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) is a set meal plan. It aims to regulate more than 10 brain defending foods such as green leafy vegetables, nuts, berries, olive oil, beans, whole grains, some fish, and poultry.
Health adds that apart from protecting the brain, it also reduces the risk of chronic diseases and promotes weight loss that favors heart health.
Mediterranean Diet
British Heart Foundation (BHF) cites research that eating foods under the Mediterranean diet can reduce another heart attack risk.
A study published in AHA Journals states that the diet abundant in minimally processed plant-based foods, olive oil, meats, and dairy products that are low in saturated fats is an ideal diet or nutritional model for individuals who have heart issues.
Vegan and Vegetarian Diet
In a report by the National Health Service (NHS), vegetarians and vegans have a 22 percent lower heart disease risk.
American Heart Association recommends various fruits and vegetables in the diet of individuals who have heart problems. However, Everyday Health reminds us that if the diet is followed improperly, these diets can pose risks of nutrient deficiencies.
Heart disease may completely change your life, but changing your diet and eating more heart-friendly foods will make you enjoy life longer.
Related article: Foods to Avoid if You Have Congestive Heart Failure
