Heart Healthy Living

Heart Healthy Living - Love Your Heart, Love Your Body

Diet: Doctors and Dietitians recommend lowering the amounts of "Bad" Fats and Cholesterol by changing your diet to consist mainly of low fat proteins, more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and reducing your salt intake. Some examples of heart healthy foods are:

Skim milk, soy products, cold water fish like salmon, and lean ground meats for low fat proteins.

Fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits, low sodium canned veggies, and canned fruit in natural juice or water.

The most important thing to remember when choosing the right heart healthy foods is to read the label. Too much of any foods can cause weight gain.

Heart healthy living doesn't have to be difficult, and everybody will slip now and then. We just have to remember, if you replace the unhealthy foods with a more heart conscious diet, not only will your body start to show it, but your heart will thank you too.

Even before the full force of the economic downturn became part of the nightly news, the levels of stress Americans were feeling about our finances were pretty intense making heart healthy living more difficult.

The wrangling and worry are chipping away at our health.

At these unhealthy (and constant) stress levels, coupled with eating fat and calorie laden foods and dropping workout sessions to take on more hours at work, we're all taking a pretty big chance with the health of one of our most vital organs - our heart.

Cooking foods at home, instead of using prepared ones or eating out, can help you save money and give your body good-for-you basics at the same time.

You also need to know the risks your body has for heart disease.

- Do you have a family history of heart disease?
- What are your cholesterol numbers?
- Do you have low enough LDL (bad) cholesterol and high enough HDL (good) cholesterol? Recognize too that the heart is a muscle, and like other muscles, to stay strong and healthy it must be exercised and exercised regularly. Almost as important, finding a way to manage your stress level is another key to keeping your heart healthy.

The American Psychological Association also offers some wonderful, common sense tips for managing your stress level during these uncertain economic times.

Good heart health also comes, as we all know, from not smoking, and avoiding second hand smoke as much as possible.

Smoking, beyond the expense, greatly increases your risk of heart problems, as well as other dangerous diseases. Did you already suffer a heart attack? It is very common now days to encounter people with cardiovascular diseases and those with high risks for heart diseases. Sadly, many people, even experts are misled in solving this worldwide health problem. What can you do to have a heart healthy living? Diabetes, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, obesity, etc are aggravating risk factors to heart attack.

Here below are five steps that you can get started with to maintain a heart healthy living:

1. Quit smoking. It is the deadliest risk factor in cardiovascular chronic disease, primarily due to toxins added to ever stick, aside from nicotine.

2. Walk a lot. A lot of people have strengthened their heart and reversed severe conditions by going outdoors and walking. Many have already recovered from severe attacks and rejuvenated their hearts simply by walking outdoor. 4. Don't undergo low-fat dieting. Get rid of hydrogenated and animal fats and take more olive oil, fish oil, coconut oil, nuts and organic eggs. Add soy milk and soy foods in your diet. Eat lots of soluble fibers (legumes, oats, apples, etc). 5. Reduce intake of refined carbohydrates, sugars, sodium, alcohol and processed foods. Organic fat burning foods will be greatly helpful. It is best to start now a weight loss diet solution program and save your heart. Your heart will last and serve you well if you start now the above mentioned steps on heart healthy living.