While you surely know that certain foods can increase your chance of cardiovascular disease, it’s often challenging to change your eating habits. Whether you’ve been eating unhealthily for years or want to change your diet, here are tips on how to follow a heart-healthy eating plan. To know more about cardiovascular tips, click here: https://www.cmaj.ca/content/189/4/E172.
Eat Vegetables and Fruits
Vegetables and fruits are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals. Eating more fruits and vegetables can help you avoid higher-calorie foods like meat, cheese, and snacks. Adding vegetables and fruits to your daily diet can be easy. Keep vegetables clean and cut from the refrigerator to eat as a quick snack. Put vegetables in a container in the kitchen to remind you to eat them. Choose recipes that have vegetables or fruit as the main ingredient, such as fresh fruit in salads.
Limit Amount of Fats
High blood sugar can cause a buildup of platelets in blood vessels, called “atherosclerosis,” which can increase heart attack and stroke. Use low-carb substitutes whenever you can have a heart-healthy eating plan. Also, check the information labels on many snacks, cakes, frosting, chips, and cookies.
Switch to Healthy Options
Lean meats, poultry and fish, low-fat dairy products, and beans would be the best food sources. But be sure to choose low-fat options, such as skim milk instead of whole milk and skinless chicken breast instead of fried chicken burgers. Fish is another excellent option to replace high-fat beans. Other resources include flaxseed, seeds, and canola oil. By replacing animal protein with plant-based fats, you’ll reduce your cholesterol.
Reduce Salt Intake
Reducing sodium intake is an equally essential role in a heart-healthy eating plan. Choosing fresh foods and preparing sauces and casseroles will allow you to reduce the total amount of salt you eat. Be wary of foods that claim to be low in sodium because they are seasoned with sea salt instead of regular table salt, and sea salt has the same nutritional value as regular salt.