If heart disease runs in your family, you might worry you’ll also have it. This is understandable, since about 1 million cardiac-related deaths occur every year in America. You can rest assured, however, since genetic predisposition is just one factor that can determine whether or not you will develop heart disease. There are many other factors that can counteract genetic predisposition, and these measures can have a greater impact on the lifelong health of your heart. Here are a few tips for supporting and sustaining a healthy heart.
Tips for a Healthy Heart
An inactive lifestyle and imbalanced diet add up to an alarming situation, for it can cause many different types of health issues (coronary artery disease, for example). Those who adopt healthy changes in their lifestyle avoid heart problems in the future. Here are a few manageable tips that can have a dramatic effect on your heart.
* Make sure to eat plenty of heart-healthy fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and foods rich in fiber.
* Ensure that seafood is part of your diet, and that you consume at least two portions of fish per week.
* Carefully watch your intake of trans fat and saturated fat, as well as cholesterol. No more than 30% of your daily calories should come from fat. One way of lowering your intake of saturated fat is to reduce the amount of animal fat you eat. To reduce trans fat in your diet, avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils.
* Lower your intake of sodium. Going easy on the salt will help your heart.
* With dairy products, choose their low-fat or fat-free options.
* Aim to get your nutrients from the actual foods that you eat, as opposed to merely seeking them in supplements. Vitamins and minerals in foods like beans and artichokes are very beneficial and tasty.
* If you don’t exercise, start. Exercise is instrumental in keeping your heart strong. Exercising helps control blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as helping to prevent diabetes. Exercising for 30 minutes a day, five times a week, will provide lifelong benefits. These 30 minutes can be broken up in 15-minute increments, such as walking in the morning and early evening. If you’re overweight, steer clear from fad diets that promise miracles but delivers only short-term results at best. These diets can put a lot of strain on your body and your heart.
* Consider tai chi. Along with helping people of all ages and conditions with posture and balance, it promotes a healthy heart.
* If you smoke, quit. This is an essential element in ensuring the health of your heart.
Tags: chiropractic, chiropractor, chiropractors, hearth health
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