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Seven Ways to Increase Your Heart Health

The Mayo Clinic has issued their top heart-healthy diet tips. Decreasing your risk for cardiovascular heart disease is a great step toward living a healthy happy life. Preventing such conditions as hypertension is a first step toward living a healthier life.

1. The most important step toward heart health is limiting the saturated and trans fats in your diet. This step goes a long way toward lowering your blood cholesterol and you risk of coronary artery disease. Limiting the amount of these fats in your diet can help prevent a buildup of plaques in your arteries which increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.

2. Choosing low fat protein sources instead of its high fat cousin is very important. Legumes such as beans, peas and lentils are great sources of protein but don't contain high levels of fat or cholesterol, making them an excellent substitution for meat. Low fat milk and egg whites are two great alternatives to whole milk and eggs. Fish is an amazing food source. Not only does it contain less fat than meat and poultry certain types of fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These acids can reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death.

3. It sounds a lot like your mothers advice, but eating more vegetables and fruit can benefit your heart and your healthy tremendously. They are great sources of vitamins and minerals and rich in dietary fiber. Veggies and fruits contain substances shown to prevent cardiovascular disease.

4. Whole grains provide nutrients that help regulate blood pressure and increase heart health. They are also a good source of fiber and other vitamins and minerals such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and iron.

5. Reducing salt in your food is an important step on the road to heart health. Eating high amounts of salt can contribute to high blood pressure. Besides reducing salt in the foods you cook take a hard look at the processed foods you eat. Most of the salt you eat comes from canned and processed foods such as snack foods, soups and frozen dinners. Buying and preparing whole, unprocessed foods is the best way to reduce salt in your diet.

6. Take another look at serving sizes. While one serving of pasta may mean an entire plate to you, the real measurement is ½ of a cup, about the size of an ice cream scoop. A serving size of meat is about the size of the palm of your hand. Keeping the meat small leaves room on your plate for the vegetables and grains mentioned above.

7. Creating a daily menu is an excellent way to eat your way to a healthier heart. Planning meals using the strategies listed above will help you heart and your pocketbook. Meal planning is a great way to get control or portion sizes, fat intake and avoid overly salted processed foods.

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