Heart-healthy Diet: steps for preventing heart disease

You may come to know from various physicians that eating certain foods lead to the risk of heart diseases. On the other hand, you just cannot alter your eating habits, or stop eating the food you love. There are certain steps that can be taken to prevent heart diseases. Once you figure out which food to limit or which to eat, you would be well on your way towards a heart-healthy food. Following are a few heart-healthy food tips:

Prevent Heart Disease by limiting your portion size

What you eat is always important, but how much to eat is even more crucial. Overloading your stomach or keep on eating until you feel stuffed results in consuming more calories. The portions served in different restaurants are often more than what a normal person needs to eat. Try to use a small bowl or plate for controlling your portions. Make sure to eat a greater portion of nutrient-rich and low-calories foods like vegetables and fruits. Also, try to eat small portions of high-calorie and high sodium foods such as processed, fast, or refined foods. Such a strategy would assist you in shaping up your diet along with your waistline and heart. In addition, keep track of the quantity of food you eat. Try to reduce your portion size time after time.

Eating fruits and vegetables, a good step to avoid heart disease

Fruits and Vegetables can be great sources of minerals and vitamins. They are also rich in dietary fiber and low in calories. Fruits and vegetables, similar to other plant-based diets, contain substances which may assist in avoiding cardiovascular diseases. Also, eating maximum vegetables and fruits allow you to cut back on greater calorie sustenance like snacks, meat, and cheese. It is quite easy to feature fruits and vegetables in your diet. Always keep the cut and washed in your fridge for fast snacks. Keep the fruits in a small bowl in your kitchen so that you don’t forget to eat them. Cook recipes that contain fruits or vegetables as the major ingredients, for instance, fresh salad, fruits salad, or stir-fry. However, there are a few fruits and vegetables that must not be chosen by a person having heart issues. The heart-healthy diet should be preferred. Following are the fruits and vegetables to choose and to limit.

Vegetables and fruits to choose from:

• Frozen or fresh fruits and vegetables
• Canned fruits packed in water or juice
• Less sodium-canned vegetables

Vegetables and fruits to limit:

• Vegetables with a creamy sauce
• Coconut
• Breaded or fried vegetables
• Frozen fruit with added sugar
• Canned fruits

Eat whole grains:

Whole grains are sources for nutrients and fiber that can regulate heart health and blood pressure. You can enhance the number of whole grains in a diet which is heart-healthy. You can try some new whole grains like barley, whole grain faro, and quinoa. Similar to some vegetables and fruits, certain whole grains should also be avoided. There are the whole grains that should be chosen like high-fiber cereal and whole-wheat flour, and others that should be limited such as white bread, and cakes etc.