It is impossible to monitor your health without paying attention to your diet. Experts say that the foods we consume affect the condition of our organs, including our heart.
So, by choosing the right foods, we could avoid most cardiac problems. For starters, you need to understand that obesity will lead to heart failures anyway.
"The first thing to avoid is overeating. You have to learn to leave the table a little hungry. Regular overeating is a direct route to obesity. In turn, obesity leads to malfunction of the heart and blockage of blood vessels...," Vladimir Podkhomutnikov, doctor of medical sciences, professor, cardiologist of the highest category, told the publication Aif.ru.
Eliminate, don't eat
It is important to limit your intake of harmful carbohydrates. They are contained in white flour, pastries, cakes, white bread, waffles, and cookies. If you eat mostly fast carbohydrates, you are likely to risk developing vascular atherosclerosis, including cardiac atherosclerosis.
If the body consumes a lot of carbohydrates, but does not use them as energy sources, they begin to be deposited in the idea of glycogen and cholesterol. For this reason, a person should not consume more than 20% of fast carbohydrates of the total amount of elements per day. In this case, you can eat, cereal products with high fiber, whole-grain bread, millet, buckwheat, and barley.
Another important restriction is salt. It is necessary to minimize its intake for normal functioning of the heart and blood vessels. 1.5 grams or less of sodium per day is recommended. Large quantities of sodium are already present in food, and therefore the habit of adding salt to food may lead to fluid retention and increased pressure on the heart.
Also, saturated fats and trans fats are dangerous for the body. These are creamy sauces, margarine, and palm oil. In order to avoid heart problems, it is important to give up refined oil and foods fried in it
Plenty of everything.
On the contrary, unsaturated fats are useful. They are found in nuts, sea fish, avocados, olive oil and other unrefined vegetable oils. Excluding fats from your diet will lead to the decrease of immunity, because they take part in building cell membranes and synthesizing hormones.
Proteins are an important building material for cells. We can get them by eating eggs, fish, poultry, soy and dairy products.
Not a single chemical process in the body can take place without the participation of important trace elements (potassium, magnesium, calcium). They control the electrical activity of nervous tissue and the cardiac conduction system. So they ensure the normal functioning of all cells, especially the heart muscle cells.
Calcium can be obtained by eating milk, cheeses, nuts, legumes and dried fruits, while potassium and magnesium are found in beets, carrots, spinach, parsley, figs, prunes, walnuts.
Garlic Punch.
The ideal heart food is garlic. Scientists have found that one clove of garlic per day will reduce blood pressure by 10 units, but take it in this way should be a course (a month).
Regular consumption of garlic will reduce cholesterol levels and prevent the formation of plaques in blood vessels.
Garlic contains flavonoids and allicin, which can regulate the heart tone. For hypertension, garlic will work effectively, but for low blood pressure it is better not to abuse it.
Of course, many people are confused by the smell of garlic. In order to avoid unpleasant feelings, garlic tablets or capsules were invented. They are covered with a film that does not dissolve in the mouth. Thus, the beneficial substances are "opened" and absorbed only in the stomach.
Life-shortening foods
Some foods, according to scientists, can even shorten life by having a bad impact on human health.
Katherine Zeratsky, MD, Mayo Clinic nutritionist, talked to Eat This, Not That reporters about what five foods you should avoid to prolong your life.
According to the expert, it is necessary to stop eating ultra-pasteurized products, processed red meat, processed food, fried food, products containing sugar, and drinking too much alcohol. It is the avoidance of these foods that will affect quality and longevity of life for the better, Zeracki believes.
Speaking of the harms of red meat, the doctor noted that scientists have repeatedly conducted studies, and from their aggregate and quality-of-life assessments of more than a million and a half people the researchers closely monitored from 5.5 to 28 years, it turned out that excessive consumption of red meat increases the risk of heart disease and cancer.
By processed meat, the doctor meant sausages, bacon, canned meat, and jerky.
The nutritionist also noted that foods with minimal processing usually contain nutrients - vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber.
In contrast, highly processed foods, such as convenience foods, store-baked breads and the like, contain saturated fats, excessive amounts of added sugar and little fiber. As Zeracki noted, such foods contain far more calories than nutrients.
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