Diet and the heart

1) Type of diet that harms heart

Sugar

Excessive sugar causes excessive insulin in the body which can cause varicose veins and problems with impaired circulation in the feet and elsewhere. Also this can lead to diabetic retinopathy which can cause blindness.

Hydrogenated vegetable oil

Margarine not only irritates the small intestine and keeps the opening to the bile duct constantly inflamed, it takes 37 days for the body to process it during which time it clogs the system wherever it is found, including the circulation.

Solid fats --from land animals

Limit these saturated fats -but some are needed. Zero fiber, vitamins* or essential oils. They compete with the good oils for nutrients and do slow down some essential cell functions, yet are part of others.
To absorb these mainly land-animal fats, we increase our production of cholesterol to make bile. Its re-intake from the bowel (if we lack vitamin C and fiber) is what raises blood cholesterol, especially the LDL type that becomes 'bad' when oxidized (and if we lack vitamins).

Salts

A research conducted in Boston, has shown that people take less salt in their diet reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 25% and lower their chances of dying by 20%. Therefore, we should take note of the amount of salt that we consume in our daily diet and reduce it, as this not only helps to prevent cardiovascular disease, but also blood pressure and hypertension as well.

2) Recommended food to maintain healthy heart

If you want to have a healthy heart, you have to learn how to eat a healthy heart diet. All of the food you eat affects the health of your heart. Learn which foods that are heart smart and try to include them as a regular part of your diet.
Consult your doctor for an eating plan that best suits your dietary needs. If you are of average health, you can probably follow the Food Pyramid eating plan.

No matter which eating plan you follow, the following guidelines are recommended:
• Total fat intake should be less than 30 percent of total calories daily.
• Saturated fatty acid intake should be less than 10 percent of total calories daily.
• Polyunsaturated fatty acid intake should be no more that 10 percent of total calories daily.
• Monounsaturated fatty acids make up the rest of total fat intake, about 10 to 15 percent of total calories daily.
• Cholesterol intake should be no more than 300 milligrams per day.
• Sodium intake should be no more than 3000 milligrams per day.
Beware of chemicals in your food like caffeine, MSG, and other food additives

To prevent heart disease, there are some foods that can be eaten and some foods that must be avoided. Generally, low fat foods and vegetables help the heart and prevent heart disease.

Below are 10 foods that have been proven to prevent heart disease:

1. Sweet potatoes
2. Salmon
3. Pumpkin (canned or cooked)
4. 97% or greater fat free chicken or turkey breast
5. Low-fat tomato sauces and pasta
6. Onions or garlic (chopped or crushed)
7. Whole wheat bread
8. Grapefruit (preferably pink)
9. Skimmed milk
10. Orange juice

Lean meats or fish (plenty of protein each meal) balanced with plenty of fresh veggies, "good" fats (2-3 servings per day of olive oil, canola oil, 1/4 of an avocado), plus no more than 2 servings per day of whole grains = steady weight loss and a heart healthy diet.
A diet for heart disease is one which offers a healthy balanced diet: i.e. eating appropriate amounts of food from different food groups.
It is very important also to maintain a sufficient quantity of fats. A diet rich in monounsaturated and omega-3 fats, while low in saturated fats is recommended by the American Heart Association to reduce your risk of heart disease.
MOST importantly, it is very important to control your blood sugar. Many people don't realize it but this is very important for heart disease!
Basically, heart health or not, I find that it all comes down to the age old diet that no one ever seems to want to embrace in the end: EAT LESS. MOVE MORE. Our bodies need a balance of protein and carbohydrates along with not sitting on our asses all day

Although the above foods do help in preventing heart disease, we strongly recommend all our readers to eat nuts more.

Advantages of nuts
Nuts contain more unsaturated fatty acids compared to their low amount of saturated fatty acids. With saturated fatty acids contributing to high cholesterol levels, nuts substitute these saturated fatty acids with unsaturated fatty acids thus nuts have the effect of lowering cholesterol levels.
Besides their cholesterol lowering effect, nuts also contain vitamin E (an antioxidant), folic acid and plant fiber which reduce cholesterol levels. They also contain arginine which helps to relax the blood vessels and prevent clotting.

Disadvantages of nuts
Although nuts have a wealth of benefits, they also have their drawbacks. Nuts contain a high amount of calories and should not be added to a diet but substituted for another source of calories. Otherwise, the countless benefits of nuts will be negated by your increasing weight.

How to add nuts to your diet sensibly
• Try to replace certain foods like potato chips, candy, ice cream or any food with high levels of saturated fat with a tablespoon of nuts like walnuts.
• Enhance salads or cereals with a small addition of nuts
• Choosing cereals with nuts also can work but try to choose cereals with low levels of saturated fat.

Nuts can help your heart but can red wine do that too?

Red wine has had a history of being able to help hearts but how does it manage that feat? Let’s find out here!!!

Basically, there are 2 things in red wine that help the heart but they must be eaten in moderation. Those 2 things are the antioxidants and alcohol

• THE ANTIOXIDANTS

Antioxidants in red wine help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of ‘good’ cholesterol and protect against artery damage. These antioxidants come in 3 forms, flavonoids and antiflavonoids and resveratrol.

Flavonoids:
Although these antioxidants can be found in a variety of foods, types of alcohol like beer and white wine contain small amounts, but red wine has higher levels of this antioxidants.

Antiflavonoids:
This antioxidant of rising interest appears to be able to help prevent arteries from being clogged with fatty deposits.

Resveratrol:
This is a key ingredient in red wine that prevents damage to blood vessels, reduces ‘bad’ cholesterol and prevents blood clots. Research conducted on mice indicates that this antioxidant can help protect them from 2 high risk factors of heart disease, obesity and diabetes. However, a lot more red wine would have to be consumed to be able to have a big effect on humans, but research about this new chemical is ongoing and hopefully, resveratrol can be linked to reduced risk of heart disease.

Besides red wine, resveratrol is found in grape skins from which the red wine is made. Simply eating grapes of grape juice is one way in which resveratrol can be obtained without consuming alcohol.

• THE ALCOHOL

1. Raises high-density lipoprotein, the ‘good’ cholesterol
2. Reduces the formation of blood clots
3. Helps prevent damage of arteries caused by high levels of low-density lipoprotein, the ‘bad’ cholesterol

Final word on red wine

Drink in moderation or do not drink at all.

Although red wine’s benefits to the heart look promising, too much of it could lead to addiction and other problems caused by its alcohol content. Men should not drink more than 12 drinks a day while women should not drink more than 1 drink a day.

Some other facts

Salmon and other sources of good fat help prevent clogging of arteries.

The skin of the red grape helps prevent good cholesterol from changing into the "bad" cholesterol.

Credits

http://www.foodandlife.com/foodh.html

http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/riskfactors/a/nuts.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/red-wine/HB00089

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=foods+bad+for+heart&page=1&qsrc=2417&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.health-heart.org%2Fbadstuff.htm

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=diet+and+the+heart&page=1&qsrc=0&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fi.edu%2Flearn%2Fheart%2Fhealthy%2Fdiet.html

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/healthy_eating/salt-heart-disease.htm