Eat for Your Heart’s Sake: Diet for Cardiovascular Health

India is known to the world as a “heart disease capital”, and rightly so. The recent “Million Death Study”, one of the largest studies of premature death rate in India, carried out in collaboration with the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) reveals startling statistics of cardiovascular death rate in India.

Replacing communicable diseases, heart ailments have emerged as number one killer taking its toll on 24.8 percent of Indians every year. The toll is expected to rise to 40 percent by 2020.

Unhealthy eating habits, apart from a sedentary lifestyle, stress, and hereditary influences, are one of the main causes of heart diseases. The best way to get started with a healthy routine is to make slow and consistent changes in your diet, incorporating and implementing other activities in your schedule with time.

Include these tasty foods in your daily diet for a healthy heart:

Fresh Herbs

Fresh herbs like rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme, parsley and terragon contain antioxidants and phytochemicals which are healthy for heart when replaced with salt and fat in your daily diet. These flavour powerhouses are not only great to taste but also have unique medicinal properties which are good for overall health and well-being. 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Replace saturated fat with extra virgin olive oil in cooking, salad seasoning and baking. The “extra virgin” oil is made by pressing the olives only “once”, thereby retaining the nutritional value of the fruit. It is rich in antioxidants called polyphenols which are beneficial for heart patients as they protect blood vessels. Maintain your cholesterol levels by switching from ordinary vegetable oil to monounsaturated extra virgin oil. 

Tofu

Rich in soya protein, tofu is a heart-healthy replacement for red meat and cheese. The polyunsaturated soya fat avoids clogging of arteries, which is a result of saturated fat present in cottage cheese and meat. Tofu has only 0.7 gm saturated fat per 100 gram as compared to cottage cheese which has 1.7 gram saturated fat per 100 gram serving. Replace cottage cheese with tofu when you prepare cutlets for mid-day snacks or vegetable curry for dinner. 

Sweet Potatoes

Have a hearty serving of sweet potatoes (use lime juice and cinnamon topping instead of sugar) as it has a great nutritional value and is good for your heart. Rich in lycopene, vitamin A and fibre content, it is best when replaced with white potatoes. 

Oatmeal 
Have oats for breakfast and say goodbye to LDL, the bad cholesterol. Many researchers have proved the role of oatmeal in lowering blood cholesterol levels. It is such a widely accepted fact and it has been declared as a “health claim” by the FDA. The presence of soluble fibre in oatmeal lowers cholesterol levels and keeps your heat in a good shape.

Eating the right foods go a long way in helping you fight diseases and stay fit. Manage your lifestyle by making these small, yet significant changes in your diet and gift yourself and your loved ones a long and healthy life. 

By Medical Opinion