Eating certain food items can indeed increase your chances of suffering from heart disease. However, changing certain eating habits is also pretty tough to maintain a healthy heart rate. Whether you have been eating unhealthy for years or just want to fine-tune your current diet plan, there are specific interesting heart-healthy diet tips you need to venture into.
Once you are well aware of the food items you want to eat more and the ones to be limited, you will likely move toward a heart-healthy diet. To maintain a healthy heart rate for men, proper exercise and good food intake are perfect.
Always try to control your portion size
Try controlling your portion size to maintain a healthy heart rate while running. It helps keep your healthy weight under check and prevents obesity. How much you are going to eat is as important as the kind of food items you are planning to take in.
Overloading your plate, taking a few seconds to complete the meal, and eating until you are stuffed are some of the ways to add more calories than you should. It won’t help you to maintain a healthy heart rate while sleeping, especially after a big dinner.
Portions that are served in restaurants are often more than what one person can eat. There are steps you need to follow to control your present food portion size and shape up your diet plan, along with heart health.
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- Always use a small bowl or a plate to control your portions.
- Try eating nutrient-rich, low-calorie food items like vegetables and fruits
- Opt for a smaller amount of high-sodium and high-calorie food items as processed, refined, or fast food items.
- It is vital to always keep track of the number of servings you are going for to maintain a healthy heart rate by age.
- A serving size is specified chiefly in food amounts, defined by some common measurements like ounces, cups, or pieces.
- The recommended servings for every food group will vary based on specified guidelines or diet.
- Judging the serving size is one learned skill. You have to use measuring cups and spoons.
Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet plan
Your body, especially your heart, needs a good portion of minerals and vitamins on a daily basis. Well, fruits and vegetables are such good sources. They are low in calories and pretty rich in dietary fibers. Fruits and vegetables are most plant-based and have substances that will prevent any form of cardiovascular disease from taking place.
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- Eating some fruits and vegetables will help you to cut back on higher-calorie food items like cheese, meat, and even snack food.
- Adding fruits and vegetables to your diet plan is super simple and easy.
- Always wash your vegetables and keep them in your refrigerator. Cut them beforehand for some quick snacks later.
- Try to keep fruits in a bowl on your kitchen countertop so that you will always remember to have some when you are feeling hungry instead of munching on chips and salsa.
- Choose recipes with fruits or vegetables in them as the main ingredients, like fresh fruit mixed with salads, vegetable stir-fry, and more.
Some fruits and vegetables that you can choose are canned ones with no sugar added, low-sodium canned vegetables, and canned fruit packed in water or juice. However, if you want to maintain a healthy heart, avoid coconut, vegetables that are in creamy sauces, breaded or fried veggies, canned fruit packed in heavy syrup, and also frozen fruit with sugar added to it.
Yes, they might taste a lot better but the unhealthy quotient is pretty high. Consulting with a doctor will help you to make the right changes around here. Provide them with your daily routine, and they will draft the perfect diet plan to follow.
Limit unhealthy fats
If you want to keep your blood pressure under check, then limit the number of trans and saturated fat you want your body to intake. It helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and can lower the chances of coronary artery diseases.
- Always remember that higher blood cholesterol levels can always result in building up plaques in arteries, also known as atherosclerosis.
- It can always increase the current risk of stroke and heart attack. So, keeping a check on saturated and trans fat is important.
- It is highly recommended to have less than 6% of saturated fat in your total daily calories. So, for example, if you are taking around 2000 calories every day, then the level of saturated fats will be around 1 to 13 grams.
- It is also recommended to avoid trans fat as much as possible because your body doesn’t need it, especially if you have a weak heart.
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Now, there are some simple ways in which you can cut back on trans and saturated fat to maintain a healthy heart rate while walking and exercising. Some of those points are listed below for your reference.
- Trim off the fatty portion of the meat or opt for the lean cut with less than 10% of fat.
- Always use less butter, shortening, and margarine when serving and cooking.
- Try going for low-fat substitutes whenever you are trying to maintain a heart-friendly diet plan.
Focus on low-fat protein sources
Protein forms an important part of your dietary plan, and some of the best sources are poultry, fish and lean meat, low-fat dairy products, and eggs. Always try to choose lower fat options like chicken breasts without the skin rather than opting for fried chicken patties. Opt for skim milk instead of regular whole milk.
- Fish will be a great alternative to the higher fatty meat products.
- Some fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which lower blood fats.
- You will find the highest omega-3 fatty acids in cold water fishes like herring, mackerel, and salmon.
- Some of the other sources to venture into are walnuts, soybeans, canola oil, and flaxseeds.
- Some legumes like lentils, peas, and beans are good sources of low-fat protein sources and won’t have any cholesterol in them. So, they are great substitutes for meat products.
Consult a dietician for a diet plan
If you plan to maintain a healthy heart rate during exercise, remember to consult a dietician to help create a diet plan. Depending on your body weight, height, and a current heart condition, the expert will draft a perfect dietary plan to follow on a regular basis. You will see some positive changes within a short span of time.
The final say
It is always important to know that a dietician will have a serious talk with the doctor first to understand the heart condition you are suffering from. Based on the conversation and some medical reports, it becomes a lot easier to come up with the best diet plan to consider. In order to maintain a happy and healthy heart, you need to follow that to the tee. Yes, there will be some cheat days, but those are limited for your own safety. So, follow these norms perfectly to get rid of heart issues.
