W L
WELLBEING
HEALTHY EATING
By Charlotte Forde
You can keep your heart healthy every day by watching what you eat , how much you move and by controlling your cholesterol , blood pressure and other factors that can have an impact on your heart .
Healthy eating for a healthy heart isn ’ t something that you will see change overnight . It focuses on maintaining a diet that is low in saturated and trans fats ( like butter , cheese , oils etc ), salt and added sugar too . Also , a diet rich in high fibrous foods , whole grains , antioxidants and unsaturated fats with a variety of fruit and vegetables is also linked to a reduced risk of heart disease .
Despite fats sounding bad , there are some healthy fats . These are your monounsaturated and polyunsaturated ( omega-3 and omega-6 ) fats found in foods like avocados , nuts , fish and seeds . Even though some of these can be high in calories they are also high in nutrient value and can have huge health benefits . It is important that if you are following a diet for weight loss , you would be required to not only have a balanced diet with essential nutrients but also maintain a diet that is consistently in a calorie deficit . Another easy food swap to contribute to a healthy heart and a great alternative to season your food is using herbs and spices instead of salt to reduce your intake of sodium which can also increase your risk of developing high blood pressure , a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke .
In order to maximise the control that you may have over common heart disease risk factors including high blood pressure ; high cholesterol and obesity is by moving more and doing regular physical activity . This can also help strengthen your bones and muscles as well as feeling more energetic , happier and relaxed . Start with small , realistic goals and work your way up to the recommended 5 x 30 minutes moderate physical activity as a minimum , choosing activities that you enjoy . Try and get your blood pressure checked regularly too as this is something that you can ' t feel if it is too high ,
It may sound obvious , but if you are a smoker then this also increases the risk of heart related problems such as heart attack , stroke or from sudden cardiac death . Quitting may be easier said than done however there is support available . The main thing to address is that as soon as you quit smoking your risk of heart attack and stroke decreases straight away .
If you have concerns about your heart health you can ask your GP for an assessment which will monitor your blood pressure ; cholesterol ; diet ; physical activity levels ; medical and family history . The feedback that you will receive should inform you whether you are at a low , moderate or high risk of heart attack or stroke in the next 5 years so that you can put preventable steps in place and improve your heart and general health .
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