Ten Foods for Preventing a Heart Attack

In order to have a happy and healthy heart, preveting a heart attack, not only do you need to have some sort of physical activity and avoid sedentary habits, but you also need to strictly control your diet.  You should care even more so for your diet if you suffer from hypertension, high cholesterol, or diabetes.

But you shouldn’t get worried.  Cardiac problems can be avoided with controlled treatment by your doctor.  In this article, we are going to give you information regarding ten foods that will help you keep your heart and blood vessels healthy, so you can prevent a heart attack.

Zero saturated fats

First off, in order to prevent a heart attack, you need to understand the importance of consuming foods that are low in saturated fats and cholesterol.  You should choose foods that are high in fiber instead.

You also shouldn’t eat too much sugar or salt.  The accumulation of these products obstructs blood vessels.  Likewise, packaged foods, preserved jars of food, and industrial condiments, like mayonnaise, are also harmful.  Removing them from your diet will help you prevent a heart attack.

A happy heart for prevent a heart attack

Now you should take note about which foods you should eat, so you can avoid cardiac conditions.

1. Walnuts

People that consume walnuts more than twice a week reduce their risk of suffering from coronary disease by 60%.  This is because 93% of the fats therein are polyunsaturated fats, which are rich in linoleic acid.  This fatty acid is essential for the body to convert it into omega-6, which prevents coagulations from forming, which also obstruct the arteries.

2. Fatty fish

These are ocean and deep water fish.  They contain fats like omega-3 and omega-6, which are found in dark and pink meat fish.  These will be your partners in a healthy heart.  Both of these nutrients help reduce bad cholesterol levels in the blood without reducing good cholesterol levels.  In this way, these fatty acids help preserve arteries free of plaque, which over time could prevent normal blood flow.

The types of fish that contain the greatest amount of this fatty acid are mackerel, salmon, tuna, trout, herring, sardines and hake.

3. Olive oil

Olive oil, which also has fatty acids, just like fish.  Consuming olive oil has the same benefits as those indicated previously.

We need to point out that in order to take the most advantage of omega-3, we advice cooking foods that contain it quickly.

4. Celery

Recent studies discovered a component in celery that is in charge of maintaining good blood pressure, reducing the concentration of stress hormones in the blood which cause stretching and contraction in blood vessels.

Not only is it a favorite vegetable when it comes to taking care of your figure, it has also been proven that consuming 4 stalks daily reduces cholesterol levels.

5. Avocado

This fruit is perfect because it contains a large amount of monounsaturated fats and omega-6 fatty acids.  Just like olive oil, it is beneficial for reducing bad cholesterol levels (LDL) and maintaining good cholesterol levles (HDL).  We do warn you, however, that consuming avocados provides a lot of calories which come from an oil that is equal to 25% of the avocado’s weight.  Therefore, if you are trying to lose weight, it’s best not to include this fruit.

6. Beans

Beans are an excellent source of fiber and are great for diabetics.  They are wonderful aids to the heart, and consuming one cup of beans a day reduces cholesterol levels by 10%, and provide approximately 10 grams of plant based fiber.

They are also an important source of folic acid.  This vitamin controls the body’s homocysteine levels.  If these levels are high, they are just as bad for the heart as smoking and even worse than cholesterol’s effects.  Folic acid, along with vitamins B6 and B12 act as a chemical barrier that regulate excessive homocysteine levels in the body.

7. Apples

This common fruit contains healthy fiber in its water, known as pectin.  It stops the risk of suffering from some diseases related to the heart.  It has been proven that eating apples reduces to some extent, the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

Other fruits rich in soluble fiber include pears, peaches, apricots and bananas.

8. Grapes

Grapes contain flavonoids, which are antioxidant elements used to fight against cancer, while at the same time proving effective as anticoagulants.  This helps prevent heart attacks.  In order to take advantage of  the nutritional values in grapes, we advise drinking freshly made grape juice.  If eating the fruit, eat the skin as well.

9. Garlic

This is because it acts as an antithrombotic (prevents the blood from coagulating and improves circulation), as a blood pressure normalizer, helps reduce lipid and cholesterol levels in blood, and eating garlic also promotes the immune system.

10. Table wine

One glass of wine a day reduces the risk of a heart attack by up to 40%.  This is because of ethanol, a component which increases HDL levels, along with good cholesterol, which slows the formation of atheromatous plaque.  Just be careful with caloric intake when drinking alcoholic beverages.

Intense exercise to prevent a heart attack

You should do some sort of moderate physical exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, no exceptions, to protect your heart.  There are lots of options to get this sort of regimen of activity going, including walking around the park, or taking a light stroll nearby, or even jogging through the park.  You could even ride your bike, or even just play with your children.

The most important of all of these recommendations, however, is just to help take care of this organ, which will lead to a fuller life.

Also, make sure you consume nutrients with antioxidant properties, which help fight cellular aging.  For example, try nuts, which are rich in vitamin E, like pecans, almonds, wheat germ and walnuts.

Revised by: Dra. Loredana Lunadei on 12/29/2017

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