Years ago, the American Heart Association provided two suggestions to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by consuming a heart-healthy diet.
- Limit the consumption of dietary sources of saturated fats and cholesterol, such as beef, pork, eggs, butter, cheeses, and ice cream.
- Replace animal-based saturated fats such as butter, bacon, etc. with polyunsaturated vegetable oils such as sunflower, soy, grape seed, or wheat germ oils. Substituting olive oil for animal fat is also useful in preventing cardiovascular disease.
In addition to these simple suggestions, those wishing to maintain a heart-healthy diet should:
- Try to consume at least one fresh vegetable salad a day dressed in olive or seed oil
- Consume a minimum of two or three portions of legumes a week.
- Consume whole-grain bread and pasta instead of white bread and refined pasta.
- Consume at least 5 servings of fresh fruit daily.
- Limit your salt and sugar consumption.
- Avoid tobacco and coffee.
- Perform the physical exercise for at least 40 minutes three times a week.
Heart-healthy recipes grounded on fruits, oil-bearing nuts, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains simply arranged gives the most significant results for heart attack deterrence. Fruits and vegetables must constitute the base of a heart-healthy diet, as various studies carried out around the world have demonstrated, particularly the one done at Forvie Site University at Cambridge.
Healthy-heart diet one should eat after a heart attack
Experts highly recommend a diet rich in heart-healthy fruits and heart-healthy vegetables after suffering a heart attack. Antioxidants from the fruits and vegetables reduce necrosis (cellular death) in the heart muscle.
Fortunately, you can reverse the arteriosclerosis that causes heart disease and, eventually, heart attacks. According to an investigation carried out in California, after a year of a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle, you can experience a 10% reduction in the narrowing of coronary arteries.
Experts recommend WALNUTS for those suffering from heart disease thanks to their richness in polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as B vitamins and minerals.
All fresh fruits and vegetables help prevent heart disease. Oil-bearing nuts, legumes, and whole grains are also heart-healthy. Among all fruits good for heart attack patients, the CHERIMOYA, GRAPES, BANANAS, and WALNUTS stand out because of their preventative and healing power.
Heart-healthy fruits and vegetables
GRAPE JUICE exercises a significant medicinal effect on the heart and the circulatory system:
- It impedes the deposit of cholesterol in the arteries, which would eventually lead to arteriosclerosis.
- It makes the blood more fluid, preventing clots.
- It dilates the coronary arteries.
Consuming PEACHES is of benefit whenever there is any degree of heart failure, any impairment in the heart’s capacity to perform its pumping activity effectively. Although peaches are not a direct heart stimulant, they do aid in the work of this organ. Peaches are particularly beneficial in these cases:
- Ischemia (scarce blood) in the coronary arteries, established by angina or heart attack
- Valve lesions that interfere with the heart’s pumping capacity.
- Arterial hypertension, which requires more heart effort
- Myocardiopathy, a disease consisting of the degeneration of the cardiac muscle, whose most common cause is the consumption of alcoholic beverages
Thanks to the low-calorie content and lack of fats in BROCCOLI, it is an excellent addition to a heart-healthy diet. Broccoli’s optimal sodium/potassium balance is an excellent food for those suffering heart failure. This heart-healthy vegetable also encourages the removal of additional liquid retained in the tissues (edema), functioning as a decongestive to the cardiovascular system.
GUAVA is an excellent heart-healthy fruit for maintaining good arterial health. This fruit helps to prevent arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
SUNFLOWER SEEDS are rich in essential fatty acids, which is beneficial in preventing the hardening and tightening of the arteries due to deposits of cholesterol on their walls, which contributes to heart attacks, poor circulation, and stroke. Sunflower seeds also help to impede the progress of arteriosclerosis by reducing blood cholesterol levels. Furthermore, they encourage prostaglandin E1 production in the body, which is a physiologically vital element that provides the following benefits:
- Dilates blood vessels
- Reduces the risk of blood clots by decreasing the stickiness of the platelets, which clump to form clots
Sunflower seeds also contain an abundance of Vitamin E, which is an essential antioxidant that aids in the prevention of arterial weakening. It also lessens the stickiness of the platelets, which helps to prevent blood clots as well as heart attacks.
PEAS is an essential part of any heart-healthy foods diet. Additionally, they contain practically no fat or sodium, two substances that are antagonistic to coronary health if consumed in excess. Peas are appropriate in the diet of those suffering from heart failure, heart valve lesions, myocardiopathy (degeneration of the heart muscle), and of course, coronary heart disease.
SQUASH is an excellent addition to heart-healthy recipes because if its low levels of sodium and fat, as well as by its richness in beta-carotene, which protects the walls of the arteries, experts recommend squash for anyone wanting to protect their arteries. Those suffering from coronary heart disease should not fail to eat squash at least three times a week.
The CHERIMOYA provides a significant amount of energy in the form of sugars, together with B group vitamins that the body needs to take advantage of this energy. The B group vitamins present in the cherimoya act as catalysts or facilitators of the combustion of carbohydrates and also fatty acids, which constitute the two most important energy sources for the heart cells.
The most common causes of a heart attack are lesions in the heart valves, arterial hypertension, or narrowing of the coronary arteries. Lack of B vitamins can also cause or aggravate heart failure. A cherimoya a day during the months of autumn and winter benefits all who suffer from tired heart, for whatever reason.
Additionally, cherimoyas exhibit these benefits: They contain vegetable fiber, are diuretic, rich in potassium, and very low in sodium and fat, which meets the requisites of a heart-healthy diet. As if this were not enough, cherimoyas contain a certain amount of calcium, a necessary mineral to regulate the heartbeat.
GRAPES: Regular consumption of grapes or grape juice is beneficial in any heart-healthy diet. Grapes aid in the prevention of arteriosclerosis regardless of where it is in the body. Iliac-femoral arteriosclerosis, which produces a loss of blood circulation in the lower extremities, and carotid arteriosclerosis, which affects the brain, are the most common. In both cases, grape consumption can stop the hardening and narrowing of these arteries and improve blood flow. A three-day grape treatment, applied every two weeks, is effective in severe cases.
References
- George D. Pamplona-Roger, M.D. “Encyclopedia of Foods and Their Healing Power.” George D. Pamplona-Roger, M.D. Encyclopedia of Foods and Their Healing Power. Trans. Annette Melgosa. Vol. 2. Chai Wan: Editorial Safeliz, 2005. 53, 60-61, 63, 74, 76, 81, 98, 106-107, 115 . Print. [heart-healthy diet]
