We all know that eating healthy, exercising regularly, losing weight, and managing stress can help prevent heart disease.
But can you reverse it rather than just slow it down? In general, you can undo some of the damage, but you won’t be able to undo all of it. Your lifestyle will have to change dramatically if you really want to reverse it. Making changes to your everyday life, such as incorporating some sort of physical activity or taking the best turmeric tablets daily, can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease.
Despite knowing that certain foods increase your risk of heart disease, making dietary changes can be challenging. Whether you’ve been eating unhealthy for years or want to fine-tune your diet, these heart-healthy diet tips will help. A heart-healthy diet begins with knowing what to eat and what to avoid.
Foods You Need to Eat for a Strong Heart
Now let’s look at some food protocols you should follow to keep your heart in top shape.
Consume Whole Grains
The fiber and other nutrients in whole grains help regulate blood pressure and heart health. Adding whole grains to a heart-healthy diet is as simple as substituting refined grain products with whole grains. Consider trying a new whole grain like farro, quinoa, or barley if you are feeling adventurous.
How to choose grain products
- Flour made from whole grains
- The best whole-grain bread is 100% whole-wheat bread or 100% whole-grain bread
- Fiber-rich cereals with at least 5 grams per serving
- You can eat brown rice, barley, and buckwheat (kasha)
- Pasta made with whole grains
- Regular or steel-cut oatmeal
Limiting or avoiding grain products
- Flour that has been refined white
- Bread made of white flour
- Bakery goods
- Waffles that have been frozen
- Cornbread
- Sweet doughnuts
- Cakes and biscuits
- Pâtes
- Noodles made from eggs
- Popcorn with butter
- Snack crackers with high-fat content
Increase Your Vegetable and Fruit Intake
Fruits and vegetables are good sources of vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, vegetables and fruits are also low in fats. There are substances in vegetables and fruits that may help prevent cardiovascular disease, like other plants or plant-based foods. Reduce your consumption of high-calorie foods, such as meat, cheese, and snack foods, by eating more fruits and vegetables.
You can easily incorporate vegetables and fruits into your diet. For quick snacks, keep washed and cut vegetables in your refrigerator. To remember to eat fruit, keep it in a bowl in your kitchen. Vegetable stir-fries or salads made with fresh fruit as the main ingredient are good choices.
Read our article on the Benefits of Eating Vegetables.
Make Protein Choices That Are Low in Fat
There are a number of protein-rich foods, including lean meats and poultry, low-fat dairy products, eggs, and low-fat dairy products. Instead of frying chicken patties, choose skinless chicken breasts and skim milk rather than whole milk.
In place of high-fat meats, fish is a great alternative. The omega-3 fatty acids in certain types of fish can help lower blood fats called triglycerides. Salmon, mackerel, and herring are the fish with the highest omega-3 levels. You can also get it from flaxseeds, walnuts, soy beans, and canola oil.
Apart from being a good source of protein, lentils, beans, and peas do not contain cholesterol, so they can be substituted for meat. When plant protein is substituted for animal protein – for example, soy or bean burgers for hamburgers – fat and cholesterol levels will be reduced and fiber intake will be increased.
Keep Unhealthy Fats To a Minimum
To lower your blood cholesterol and prevent coronary artery disease, you should consume fewer saturated and trans fats. When cholesterol levels are high, plaques can build up in the arteries, leading to atherosclerosis, which puts you at risk for heart attacks and strokes.
Limit or Reduce Salt Intake (Sodium)
High blood pressure can be caused by overeating salt. Diets that limit salt (sodium) are heart-healthy. AHA recommends:
The daily sodium intake of a healthy adult is no more than 2,300 mg (a teaspoon).
A daily sodium intake of 1,500 mg is ideal for most adults
You should reduce the amount of salt you add to food when cooking is a good idea, but much of our salt comes from canned or processed foods. Make your own soups and stews and eat fresh foods to reduce salt intake. Similarly, to fulfill your nutritional requirements, take a turmeric supplement regularly.
The Best Diet for Heart Disease Reversal – Before We Part!
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and it is preventable through lifestyle changes such as adopting a healthy diet.
The best diet for Heart Disease Reversal includes a variety of nutrient-rich foods coming from all five nutrition groups – grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and proteins. This diet should be low in saturated fats, added sugars, and excess sodium, along with limiting fried, processed, and highly refined foods.
Eating at least five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day, and increasing amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids from nuts and seeds, legumes, and fish while consuming complex carbohydrates found in legumes and whole grains are helpful Heart Disease Reversal strategies.
Also important to consider is maintaining a healthy weight along with regular exercise which has been strongly linked to Heart Disease Reversal. When trying to achieve Heart Disease Reversal through diet adjustment – realizing slow progress is key as it takes time for your body to adapt to these new dietary habits.
Along with diet, you must maintain regular exercise to keep your heart healthy. Getting fresh air and staying healthy come from running or hiking in the morning.
Remember that you can only be able to get your heart back in top shape if you take care of yourself properly.