And heart disease is the #1 cause of death for American women.
But it doesn’t have to be that way for you. Eating a healthy heart diet of heart healthy foods is absolutely essential for preventing and even reversing heart disease in women.
How to Prevent Heart Disease with a Heart Healthy Diet
Making simple, but important, dietary changes that include healthy heart supplements can pay off very quickly. Here are the main recommendations for a healthy heart diet:
- Increase healthy fiber rich foods in your diet. Include more heart healthy foods like raw and lightly steamed vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains, beans and nuts.
- Keep your fat calories between 25% and 30% of total daily calorie intake.
- Reduce saturated fat to no more than 10% of total calories. Saturated fat, found mainly in fatty meats, high-fat dairy, processed foods and tropical oils (coconut and palm), raises your LDL (bad) cholesterol level more than anything else. Instead, choose healthy fats, found in whole grains, nuts, omega 3 fish and olive oil.
- Eliminate all foods with trans-fatty acids, found mainly in processed and deep fried foods.
- Choose high quality protein foods, like lean poultry, non-fat or low-fat dairy, soy products or fish instead of high fat meats and dairy.
- If you're overweight, lower your daily calorie intake. The overweight and obese are far more likely to have heart disease than slender people. Eat just enough calories to achieve and maintain a healthy blood cholesterol level and body weight.
- Cut down on sodium to 2,400 milligrams a day or less. Too much sodium can elevate blood pressure. Be spicy instead of salty. Flavor foods with herbs, spices, lemon, lime, vinegar or salt-free seasonings rather than high sodium table salt.
- To maximize the benefits you get from your healthy heart diet, include high quality nutritional health supplements and omega 3 fish oil capsules for heart health.
Besides your heart healthy diet take these steps to reduce your risk of heart disease:
- If you smoke, quit. Also avoid second hand smoke.
- Eat small, frequent, healthy meals – 5 or 6 rather than 2 or 3 large meals.
- Reach and maintain a healthy weight.
- Exercise 30 minutes or more a day. It helps control your blood pressure, boost HDL (good) cholesterol and take off extra pounds.
- Maintain healthy blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
- And keep your blood sugar under control by focusing on a low glycemic diet.
My highest recommendation for the best heart healthy supplements can be found here and to check out the purest, most complete omega 3 fish oil capsules click here.
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© Copyright by Moss Greene. All Rights Reserved.
Note: The information contained on this website is not intended to be prescriptive. Any attempt to diagnose or treat an illness should come under the direction of a physician who is familiar with nutritional therapy.
