Steps To A Heart-healthy Diet To Keep Your Heart In Good Shape

People with cardiovascular disease are at the highest risk for cardiac emergencies like a cardiac arrest or heart attack. Also, individuals with heart disease tend to have something in common, such as many have spent years eating too much saturated fat and not consuming adequate fruits and vegetables. The biggest heart disease risk factors include high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Keeping these risk factors in check can help you minimize the risk for cardiac emergencies.

Signing up for a CPR Overland Park Kansas class can prove to be highly beneficial. You’ll train in the lifesaving CPR technique, and proper application of the procedure can revive the life of a cardiac arrest victim. Become CPR certified by enrolling for a program at the AHA certified CPR Kansas City. Classes are conducted by certified instructors through a series of audio and video lectures and hands-on practice.

Here are some steps to a heart-healthy diet:

1.      Meat is the one specific food group that you should target for the health of your ticker as animal products and saturated fat go hand in hand.

2.      Incorporate more fruits and vegetables in your diet as the antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and fiber can help lower blood pressure while protecting arteries from damage.

3.      It is as important for you to keep your weight under control as it was found in a study that those with a BMI between 25 and 28.9 (which falls within the overweight range) had a 72% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease during a 3-year period than lean men with a BMI of 23 or under.

4.      Every individual especially heart patients should read the labels of all packaged food as lots of packaged foods, such as baked goods, cookies, potato chips, etc. have one gram of trans fat per 100 calories, which you should avoid. Remember that anything with more than two grams of saturated fat per serving does the ticker more harm than good. 

5.      Cutting portion sizes of steaks, or better that you substitute chicken and fish which can play a huge role in protecting your ticker as red meat is especially high in saturated fat.

6.      Focus on high-fiber foods as a diet high in fiber can lower “bad” cholesterol and provide nutrients that help protect against cardiovascular disease. Barley, oatmeal, beans, nuts, and fruits such as apples, berries, citrus fruits, and pears are sources of some of the soluble fibers whereas insoluble fiber is found in whole grains, wheat cereals, and vegetables such as carrots, celery, and tomatoes.

7.      Trans fats are found in foods such as commercially-baked goods, fried food, etc. – cut down on these as trans fats not only raises your LDL, or “bad” cholesterol level, which can increase your risk for heart attack and stroke, but also lowers your levels of HDL or “good” cholesterol, which can put you at increased cardiovascular risk. Eating more healthy fats, such as Omega 3 fatty acids, olive oil, avocados, nuts, etc. can improve blood cholesterol levels and lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.

At CPR Kansas City, either register for a course online or call on 913-998-7499 to sign up for a program.