Do you know how many people get heart disease every year? According to the WHO, 17.9 million people die each year from cardiovascular diseases. Heart disease is far more common than we think, and it can be deadly. The good news is that it can be avoided and managed with a little care and a heart healthy diet. Read on to find out how you can have a healthier heart.
What is Heart Health?
The heart is one of the most critical organs in the body. It pumps blood to all parts of the body, which allows oxygen, hormones, glucose, and all essential nutrients to reach other organs.
Heart health refers to the health of the heart and blood vessels. When your heart and circulation system are free from defects or diseases, you are heart healthy.
When your cardiovascular system is unhealthy, you can suffer from deadly diseases including coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, arrythmias, heart valve problems, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, high cholesterol, or heart attack.
Heart Disease
While heart conditions can be genetically inherited or birth defects, there are many lifestyle factors that also contribute to heart disease. These include smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, lack of regular exercise, diabetes, taking certain drugs or alcohol, obesity, poor diet, and stress.
Some common indicators of heart disease include chest pain/tightness, shortness of breath, pain in the neck/jaw/throat/back/upper abdomen, fatigue, and pain/numbness/swelling in arms and legs. If you experience any of these symptoms, it might be a good idea to consult a doctor.
Heart disease can have a serious impact on life even when it is not deadly. You might have to undergo surgery and follow a restricted lifestyle and limited diet. You might suffer from depression and anxiety because of the effects on your quality of life. Even your social and economic life might be affected.
How to Manage Heart Conditions
Because heart disease can affect every aspect of your life, it is critical to keep your heart healthy. A healthy heart will improve your overall health and longevity. You will have more energy and will be able to lead a more fulfilling life. A healthy heart can even lead to a healthier brain!
If you have heart disease, here are a few things you can do to manage it better:
- Reduce risk of your heart disease worsening by eating a proper heart patient diet and making necessary lifestyle changes.
- Keep track of your vitals such as blood pressure, blood sugar, oxygen levels, pulse rate, etc. If you observe any ups and downs in these vitals, you can immediately take action.
- If you are on medication, take them regularly and only as per the advice of your doctor. Also have your doctor review your prescription and your condition at regular intervals.
How to Improve Heart Health
You can keep your heart healthy by taking care of your diet and lifestyle. To have a heart healthy diet, you can follow these tips:
- Eat a lot of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables as they are rich in fibre, antioxidants, and micronutrients
- Replace unhealthy processed foods with whole foods and healthy food items like Health Nut’s Soya Splits
- The best diet for heart patients includes lean proteins like legumes, lean meat, yogurt, paneer, fish, and poultry
- Lowering the amount of sodium in your food by eating less salt and cutting out processed foods will also help you
- Consume what drinks are good for your heart, like pomegranate juice without added sugar, green tea, or non-fat milk. However, it is important to drink even these in moderation.
- Substitute fast food and beverages like milkshakes with nutritional supplements like Health Nut’s Meal in One
Along with having a healthy diet, you can also make these changes to your lifestyle:
- Avoid smoking, and if you are a smoker, quit smoking. If you are a passive smoker, avoid being around active smokers
- Give up or reduce your alcohol consumption. Just like smoking, this habit has severe impact on heart health, and giving it up will lead to immense benefits
- Exercise regularly as it reduces blood pressure and bad cholesterol and improves levels of good cholesterol. You can include both cardio and muscle-strengthening exercises in your routine
- Maintain body weight through diet and lifestyle changes, or if you are overweight, try to lose weight
- Get good sleep. You can improve your sleep hygiene by following a routine, reducing screen time before sleep, and cutting off bright lights or sounds before sleeping.
- Reducing stress is also an important step towards heart health. You can practise yoga, meditation, or other activities that help you relax and get rid of your stress.
Heart disease is more common than we think, and it can often be deadly. It is critical to prevent and manage heart conditions by having a heart healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle. We have mentioned a few things that you can do to have a healthier heart. Protect your heart now and life a healthier, better life!
