|
The key to heart healthy eating is lowering your cholesterol intake. The following tips will help you have a happier, healthier heart and essentially live longer by eliminating your risk for heart disease.
Heart Happy Diet
Cholesterol comes from the fats in our foots, carbohydrates and protein. Specifically from animal products such as meat, eggs and high-fat dairy. Your total fat intake should be less than 30% of your daily calories. Avoid saturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and monosaturated fats. These should be in less than 10% of your daily calorie intake. Limit your sodium intake to less than 3,000 milligrams a day. Avoid caffeine, MSG, and other food additives.
Understanding Cholesterol
There are both good and bad cholesterols in your body. The good cholesterol (HDL) keeps your hormones and nerve cells functioning properly and cleans your artery walls. The bad cholesterol (LDL) causes plaque to build up on your artery walls and cause a condition known as atherosclerosis – a hardening and narrowing of the blood vessels. Plaque build up and the shrinking of vessels lead to heart attack, heart disease and stroke.
Cholesterol Levels
If your cholesterol level is less than 200 mg/dL then you are minimal risk for heart problems. If your total cholesterol level is between 200 and 239 mg/dL, then you have borderline high cholesterol and are at increased risk of heart problems. If you have a total cholesterol level of 240 mg/dL or more, then you are facing extreme health risks.
Other Heart Healthy Habits
In addition to eating right, cholesterol levels can be controlled with exercise, not smoking and losing weight if you are overweight.
|
