Heart disease is an umbrella term for a wide range of related conditions that affect the heart. Coronary heart disease is one example, resulting from plaque build-up on the inner walls of arteries – this reduces the blood flow to the heart and thereby increases the chances of experiencing a heart attack or other complication. Other common heart conditions include:
Brugada Syndrome
This is a condition that affects the heart rhythm by restricting the sodium ions in heart cells, which causes a disruption in electrical signals, and the results can be fatal. Part of the treatment for this condition is replenishment of potassium and sodium levels through diet and supplements.
Angina
Angina is commonly experienced as discomfort or pain in the chest area and can be caused by coronary disease. People often experience the pain in their neck, arm, stomach or jaw as well. The chest feels heavy and there is a shortage of breath. The condition is caused by restriction of arteries carrying blood to the heart, and treatment involves reducing cholesterol and controlling weight through exercise and healthy eating, reducing alcohol intake and generally adopting a healthier lifestyle.
Arterial fibrillation
AF is one of the more common causes of an irregular heart rhythm that may result in a stroke. The electric impulses that set the heart’s pace become irregular or disorganized, firing from different parts of the atria. Factors causing AF include high blood pressure and cholesterol, being overweight, diabetes and smoking, and an improvement in diet and lifestyle as well as appropriate medication is the usual remedy.
A healthy diet
For anyone with a heart condition, therefore, diet is hugely important. In conjunction with the adoption of exercise and other healthy habits, an appropriate diet can slow down or even reverse the narrowing of arteries. The general idea will be to adopt diet and lifestyle changes that can lower cholesterol and blood sugar, and promote weight loss.
Grains and vegetables
Plant-based foods are rich in fiber and contain other nutrients and can be incorporated in salad dishes while avoiding cheese and fat. There should be five portions of vegetables and fruit each day in the diet, and these can be frozen, fresh, tinned or dried. Beans, pulses and unsweetened fruit juice also count as a portion, counting a maximum of one of the five. One portion could be a pear, seven strawberries, three tablespoons of carrots or four florets of broccoli, for example.
Control the calories
The saturated fat which is commonly found in animal products needs to be limited, and the destructive artificial trans fats avoided wherever possible. Labels that indicate the presence of “partially hydrogenated oils” should be checked. When fats are added for baking and cooking, monounsaturated fats, such as those found in peanut and olive oil, are the preferred options, or the polyunsaturated fats of corn, soybean and sunflower.
Proteins
Meals should be appropriately balanced by incorporating a range of natural proteins such as those found in vegetables, fish and lean meat.
Carbohydrates
Blood sugar levels can be controlled or at least stabilized by eating sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa and oatmeal regularly, and these will also provide the necessary intake of fiber. Sugary foods should be avoided as much as possible.
Cholesterol
The high blood pressure often associated with heart conditions is caused by the constriction or thickening of arteries, and cholesterol is one of the major culprits here by adding to the interior linings of blood vessels. It can be limited by avoiding high-fat dairy products and red meat.
Salt
Salt has a bad effect on blood pressure, one of the main contributory causes of heart disease in the developed world. There are many alternatives readily available such as spices, herbs and various condiments.
Regular eating
Eating the proverbial “three square meals a day” rather than arbitrarily snacking or bingeing at irregular intervals helps the body to regulate levels of cholesterol and burn fat efficiently.
Hydration
Keeping well hydrated encourages less eating and provides the moisture needed for the cells of the body to perform their chemical tasks most efficiently. The recommended intake of water is one or two liters per day for the normal, healthy individual.
Portions
The use of smaller sized plates and glasses often has a positive effect on intake volume simply by limiting the available volume of servings. Food labels can also be checked to see what constitutes one serving, as most people know that it’s absurdly easy to consume more than you imagine.
Planning the diet
As the numerous heart conditions that exist demand a range of specialist treatments, no one case is the same as another, and medical advice needs to be sought on an individual basis. However, common sense in drawing up a dietary plan based on the above guidelines will certainly help prevent such conditions arising and control them to some extent where they already exist. With this in mind, the following scheme is suggested for one day of a heart-healthy dietary regime that adds up to an intake of no more than 1,200 calories.
Breakfast
A cup of skimmed milk followed by a medium orange and a bowl of cereal is ideal for breakfast. About mid-morning, a snack of cantaloupe melon is permissible.
Lunch
Turkey and lettuce wraps can constitute the main lunchtime item, accompanied by a cup of skimmed milk and four ounces of fresh pineapple. In mid-afternoon, four ounces of carrot sticks and two tablespoons of hummus should help control any hunger pangs.
Dinner
A typical dinner could include a small cup of steamed spinach and another of cooked brown rice to accompany a thick cut of marinated, tender steak.
These are simply suggestions based on the known effects of different foodstuffs on the health of the average heart. As over 600,000 people in the US die every year from heart disease, usually related to dietary and other lifestyle issues, the individual should make every effort to combat this “silent killer.” A good place to start is by taking a few sensible and informed steps with diet.
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