This is an automatically translated article.
Diet is an extremely important factor in preventing and supporting the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Regularly adding heart-healthy foods to the menu will help us protect ourselves and our families against the risk of cardiovascular disease and blood pressure.
1. Take care of your heart
Caring for the heart first needs to consider the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. However, most of these factors can be actively prevented by changing lifestyle and living habits such as: Smoking, inactivity, high blood cholesterol level, overweight... Controlling The above risk factors are the best way to protect yourself against cardiovascular diseases.
Caring for the heart is not just about avoiding risk factors, but also about providing the heart with the best energy to function properly. Therefore, a scientific diet with heart-healthy foods is an extremely important factor for a healthy heart and stable blood pressure.
2. Principles of good eating for heart and blood pressure
2.1. Good portion control In the daily diet, the amount of food eaten is as important as the choice of food. Overeating will create a burden on the stomach, causing weight gain, which is one of the important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and blood pressure. Therefore, the habit of eating slowly, chewing thoroughly, eating just enough, stopping eating feels that the stomach is about 70-80% full.
2.2. Include a diet rich in green vegetables and fruits Vegetables and fruits are a great source of vitamins, minerals and fiber, but contain few calories. We need to add about 500 grams of vegetables and fruits to the body every day, so we should eat a variety of vegetables and fruits and reduce high-calorie foods such as red meat, fatty foods, foods. Eat fast. In addition, vegetables and fruits are also a source of natural antioxidants, which are one of the factors that contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Add vegetables and fruits to the diet with soups, salads, eat them raw, blend them, juice them... should give priority to fresh vegetables and fruits, avoid using frozen vegetables and fruits. , canned or dried.
Bổ sung những thức ăn tốt cho tim mạch là một yếu tố vô cùng quan trọng
2.3. Add whole grains Whole grains are a good source of fiber, especially soluble fiber, beta glucan, which helps lower cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure, so increase your intake of whole grains. instead of refined grain products.
Grain products to choose: whole-grain oatmeal, brown rice, barley, quinoa, bread made from whole grains... Grain products to limit: White flour, refined, cakes white noodles, white rice, donuts, cookies, instant noodles/pho/vermicelli, popcorn... 2.4. Limit intake of saturated fat and trans fat Saturated fat and trans fat (trans form) is a group of bad fats, not good for heart health and greatly affecting blood pressure. pressure. Saturated fat is often found in animal fat, while trans fat is often found in processed products that have been fried at high temperatures, margarine.
When cutting these types of bad fats in the diet, it will contribute to reducing the amount of bad cholesterol (LDL-C) in the blood, thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction). , stroke...). The American Heart Association recommends that we completely cut out trans fats and eat only very limited amounts of saturated fat, replacing it with unsaturated fats with 1 or more doubles.
Cut down on saturated and trans fats through the following measures:
Opt for lean white meats (skinless chicken breast); Use olive oil, canola oil, nuts, avocado... However, all fats are found in high-calorie vegetable oils and nuts, so it's good. above all, we should not abuse, only eat in moderation to protect the best heart health; Do not eat processed foods, fried foods at high temperatures; Check product labels when buying to see if trans fatty acids exist in foods, it's best not to choose foods that contain trans fatty acids; Vegetable oils should be used to perfectly replace sources from animal fats, margarine...
Các loại ngũ cốc nguyên hạt là 1 trong những thức ăn tốt cho tim mạch
2.5. Choose a low-fat protein source What's good for the heart and blood pressure? Fish, poultry (skin removed), lean meat, low-fat dairy products (skim or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese), eggs... are good sources of protein that we should choose. choose. In particular, fish contains a lot of omega-3 fatty acids that help protect the heart and reduce blood triglycerides. The richest source of omega-3 is in salmon, mackerel and herring, we should eat fish at least 2 times a week.
Proteins of plant origin are abundant in legumes such as peas, lentils... they contain quite little fat and do not contain cholesterol, these are worthy substitutes for meat, copper and copper. It also helps to increase the amount of fiber in the body.
2.6. Reduce salt intake Eating salt is also a cause of high blood pressure and is a risk factor for heart disease. So cutting back on salt is an important part of learning about heart-healthy foods. According to the American Heart Association: healthy adults should not consume more than 6 grams of salt a day, while patients with cardiovascular disease or risk factors should not consume more than 4 grams of salt a day. day.
Currently most of us are eating twice the amount of salt allowed (>10 grams / day), so when processing food we should practice the habit of lighter seasoning, diluting dipping sauces... Processed canned foods often contain a lot of salt and preservatives, which are not heart-healthy foods. Try to cook by yourself to control the amount of salt in the diet of yourself and your family.
2.7. Drink enough water Providing enough water for the body will help us feel full of energy, thereby contributing to reducing the amount of food we eat, in other words drinking more water will help us eat less. Not only people with cardiovascular problems, anyone should get enough 1.5-2.5 liters of water a day from filtered water, unsweetened juice, broth, soup..., should not drink carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, canned juices... The American Heart Association recommends that we should not consume more than 1 liter of soft drinks in a week.
Ăn gì tốt cho tim mạch và huyết áp là thắc mắc của nhiều người
3. Specific suggestions for foods that are good for the heart and blood pressure
3.1. Chocolate The cardiovascular protective role of cocoa (a high proportion of chocolate ingredients) is being noticed by scientists: Eating a lot of chocolate reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by 37%, reducing by 29%. stroke risk. This is explained by cocoa's high flavonoid content, which is an antioxidant that has the effect of lowering blood pressure, reducing bad fat and increasing good body fat.
It can be seen that chocolate is beneficial for the heart, but this benefit comes from the cocoa component in chocolate, so we should only use dark chocolate that contains a lot of cocoa (>70%). Besides, some types of chocolate contain a lot of sugar and fat with high calories, easy to make us gain weight quickly, so chocolate should only be eaten in moderation and in balance with other foods.
3.2. Tea Drinking tea as a drink every day has a protective effect on the body against cardiovascular diseases, because the composition of tea contains many flavonoids. We better drink at least 3 cups of tea a day. In addition, green tea leaves also contain catechins, which act as a cardioprotective agent and enhance metabolism for the body.
3.3. Be extra cautious when using red wine Some studies have confirmed that wine (a type of wine fermented from grapes) contains very high levels of flavonoid and resveratrol compounds, which are antioxidants that can very effective cardioprotective effect. However, this does not mean that alcohol abuse is good for the heart, we should only drink wine in a moderate amount, according to which, men should only use < 250ml of red wine per day, while women are not allowed to drink more than 125ml of wine per day.
If there is no need to use wine, we should never try to drink alcohol, even in moderation for the purpose of preventing heart disease, because in fact there are many other measures to help control and prevent heart disease prevention is much healthier and more scientific.
Sô-cô-la là 1 trong những thực phẩm tốt cho tim mạch
3.4. Cooked tomatoes Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that reduces the risk of heart attack by up to 59%, this compound has a cardiovascular protective effect against the formation of blood clots, Prevents atherosclerosis due to fatty deposits on the walls of arteries.
3.5. Legumes and seeds Lentils, peas ... help reduce cholesterol, prevent the onset of cardiovascular disorders. They provide vegetable protein, carbohydrates with a low glycemic index and a large amount of B vitamins.
Supplementing with a handful of almonds or walnuts a day will help us maintain heart health, the These nuts provide a large amount of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, magnesium, coenzyme Q10... The appropriate dose of nuts is 30 - 60 grams of nuts per day.
Flaxseed is also a very good seed for heart health because they contain soluble fiber, alpha-linolenic acid... which works to reduce harmful lipids, prevent blockages, and heart attacks.
3.6. Avocados contain phytosterols that help regulate bad cholesterol, the oleic and linoleic acids in avocados also help control levels of good cholesterol and triglycerides that help protect the heart.
Quả bơ là 1 trong những thực phẩm tốt cho tim mạch
3.7. Oily fish Salmon, herring, anchovies, mackerel... are good for the heart thanks to their high omega-3 content, in addition to providing additional vitamins B12, vitamin D and iodine.
3.8. Fresh fruits Eating fresh fruit regularly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 40%, preventing 16% of cardiovascular deaths. Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries...) are very popular due to their high antioxidant content, low sweetness, and limited absorption of simple carbohydrates.
3.9. Black Garlic Black garlic is rich in S-AllylCysteine - a substance that protects the heart and reduces the accumulation of atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries.
3.10. Oats Oats help reduce bad cholesterol, reduce blood fat, provide rich soluble fiber and many other phytonutrients (potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, pantothenic acid .. .).
3.11. Chili powder In the composition of chili peppers contain phenolic acid compounds that increase immunity, control blood pressure stably, protect the heart, prevent the risk of diabetes.
3.12. Sweet potatoes Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, lycopene and carotenoids that help the body balance blood sugar levels and an extremely rich amount of fiber that helps reduce blood fat very well. Eating sweet potatoes every day will help us reduce the risk of blood pressure and heart disease effectively.
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