Maintaining Heart Health

Maintaining Heart Health

I woke up yesterday to the shocking news of Bollywood actress Sridevi's death due to a heart attack. It was truly shocking considering she was only 54. Of course, death is unpredictable and the reasons could be many. For a celebrity of her stature, it was quite obvious that she was under great pressure to look her skinniest best for professional reasons. According to the grapevine, this involved regular visits to various skin and slimming clinics and surgeries.   

Here's some handy tips to maintain your cardiovascular fitness and heart health

A healthy diet and lifestyle are your best weapons to fight cardiovascular disease.

Make lifestyle changes instead of following crash diets and crazy exercise regimen.

Plan your meals according to your age, gender, and level of physical activity

Don’t eat more calories than you know you can burn up every day

Increase the amount and intensity of your physical activity to match the number of calories you take in

Exercise

Exercise regularly. Aim for 30 minutes at least four times a week

Regular physical activity can help you maintain your weight, keep off weight and help you reach physical and cardiovascular fitness.

If it’s difficult to schedule regular exercise sessions, aim for sessions of at last 15 minutes spread throughout the week

If you would benefit from lowering your blood pressure or bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends 40 minutes of aerobic exercise of moderate to vigorous intensity three to four times a week

Diet

Eat a variety of nutritious foods from all the food groups.

Eat an overall healthy dietary pattern that emphasizes:

A variety of fruits and vegetables

Fibre-rich whole grains

Low-fat dairy products

Lean poultry

Fish

Nuts and legumes

Use rice bran, groundnut, sesame and olive oil

Limit intake of saturated fat and trans fat. Replace them with the good fats - monounsaturated found in peanuts, avocados… and polyunsaturated found in walnuts, flaxseeds, olives, and omega-3 containing fish like salmon, sardines, and tuna  

Limit intake of sodium, red meat, sweets and sugar-sweetened drinks

If you like red meat, go for the leanest cuts possible once in 15 days or a month

If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation

Lower your LDL

Certain foods can help you lower your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which causes a buildup of plaque in the arteries that leads to heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke:

Dark chocolate – indulge in a bit

Avocado – in moderation

Green tea

Nuts like almonds, walnuts and pista - in moderation

Whole grains

Olive oil

Soya

Lentils and beans

Pears, apples and citrus fruits

Steamed or vegetables sautéed in little oil

Lower Your Triglycerides

Eat whole grains

Avoid white rice and its products. Switch to genuine brown rice and its products

Avoid Maida (refined white flour)

Avoid sooji

Avoid instant foods like noodles and pastas and instant soups

Avoid processed and packaged foods

Avoid sugar

Avoid high-fat dairy products and meats. Switch to low-fat varieties\

Avoid red meats. Take white meat in moderation