By Mrs. Xiomara Guerra
President of the Association of Nutritionists of Guayas
Mobile phone: 0991355580 / Email: [email protected]
Are you ready to start a heart-healthy diet? Here are eight tips to get you started.
Although you know for a fact that eating certain foods can increase your risk of heart disease, it is often difficult to change your eating habits, here are eight tips for a heart-healthy diet. Once you know which foods to eat the most and which ones to limit, head for a heart-healthy diet.
1. Check the portion sizes. What you eat is as important as what you eat. If you overload your plate, eat too fast, and don’t stop until you’re full, you’re probably eating more calories than you should. Eat larger portions of low-calorie, low-calorie foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and smaller portions of high-calorie, high-sodium foods, such as fast, refined, or processed foods. With this strategy you can get fit diet, heart and waist. You may need to use measuring cups and spoons or a scale until you find that you can determine portion sizes without help.
2. Eat more vegetables and fruits. Vegetables and fruits are good sources of vitamins and minerals, have a low calorie content and are rich in dietary fiber and have substances that help prevent cardiovascular disease.
Eating more fruits and vegetables can help you reduce foods with higher calories, such as meat, cheese and snacks. Incorporating them into your diet can be easy. Put the fruit in a kitchen bowl so that you remember to eat it.
3. Choose whole grains. Whole grains are a good source of fiber and other nutrients that play an important role in regulating blood pressure and heart health.
To increase the amount of whole grains in a heart-healthy diet, replace refined cereal products.
4. Limit your intake of unhealthy fats. Limiting the amount of saturated fat and trans fat you consume is an important step in lowering blood cholesterol and lowering the risk of coronary heart disease. Choose monounsaturated fats, such as olive or canola oil, sunflower and sesame oil. Polyunsaturated fats, found in certain fish, avocados, nuts and seeds, are also a good option to follow.
heart-healthy diet.
All types of fats are high in calories. An easy way to add healthy fats (and fiber) to your diet is to eat ground flax seeds, which are rich in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.
5. Choose low-protein sources. Low-fat poultry and fish, low-fat dairy products and eggs are the best sources of protein. Fish is another great alternative to replace meat high in fat and omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce blood fats called “triglycerides”. The fish with the highest amounts of omega-3 fatty acids are cold-water fish, such as salmon, mackerel and herring. Other sources are flax seeds, nuts, soy and canola oil.
Legumes (beans, peas and lentils) are also good sources of protein, contain less fat and have no cholesterol, making them good substitutes for meat.
6. Reduce sodium in meals. Consumption of salt can help increase blood pressure, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Reduction is an important part of a heart-healthy diet. The following are recommended:
- Healthy adults should not consume more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day (about one teaspoon of salt)
- Most adults should have less than 1,500 mg of sodium a day
However, adding less salt to food when it is already served or while cooking is a good step. Choosing fresh foods and personally preparing soups and stews can help you reduce the amount of salt you eat.
7. Plan ahead. Create daily menus. Create daily menus using the six strategies listed above. When choosing foods for every meal and snack, prefer vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Choose sources of lean protein and healthy fats and limit salty foods. Monitor portion sizes and add variety to menu options.
For example, if you eat grilled fish one night, make a black bean burger the next night. This helps make sure you get all the nutrients your body needs. Variety also makes your meals and snacks more interesting.
8. Pamper yourself from time to time. Incorporate these eight tips into your life and you will discover that a heart-healthy diet is something you can do and enjoy. With a little planning and a few simple replacements, you can eat with your heart in mind.
menu
Breakfast
- Green majada with grilled fish and Creole sauce with avocado
- Oat juice with bananas and lemon.
Mid-morning
Lunch
- Vegetable soup
- Brown rice with steamed fish and fresh lettuce salad, avocado and tomatoes
- Lemon juice
In the middle of the afternoon
- Seasonal fruit with yogurt and ground flax seeds
Snack
- Crushed beans with carrot and chopped chicken
- Green tea with lemon. (F)