If you want to be responsible towards your family, be responsible towards your heart. Other than stress management, exercise and breathing exercise that plays a crucial role in keeping your heart healthy and happy.
As we all know, heart is the power supply of our body and without the power supply, nothing else work. The system won’t even turn on and when the heart stops beating, the power is turned off and the body starts dying. Your body need a constant supply of blood and oxygen and this important function is done by your heart. Incidence of obesity, diabetes and heart diseases is increasing in India in almost all age groups. At present obesity is a major risk factor for the heart diseases. This is so because urban population is leading a sedentary, less physical activity lifestyles and generally prefer consuming refined foodstuff.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a risk factor for chronic heart diseases. other than these the risk factor of heart diseases are family history, smoking, tobacco, alcohol. Imagine what your heart says take out some “me” time of 30 minutes in a day buddy, Main to Tumhare Leeye Pura Din Dhadkata Hu”. Take out at least 30 minutes for regular exercise or a brisk walk daily with 10 minutes of breathing exercise which will keep your heart healthy and young.
I want to burst a myth that
1. All cholesterol is bad for your heart. – No
2. You need cholesterol medicines to achieve a good cholesterol levels and a healthy heart. – No
You can achieve a good cholesterol level by making healthy food choices and getting enough physical activities. Some types of cholesterol are essential for good health as it is good for the absorption of some fat soluble vitamins, vitamin D production, fertility and the treatment of some types of cancer. HDL is called a good cholesterol which keeps your heart healthy and lower your risk for heart attack which is present in the egg yellow, nuts, seeds, etc.
1) HOW YOUR DIET AFFECTS YOUR HEART HEALTH.
Saturated fat-saturated fat is a type of fat present in food which increase your triglyceride; LDL and VLDL levels in blood which is again not good for a healthy heart which can even cause heart stroke. Saturated fat is present in butter, cheese, some types of oils, Mayonnaise, many packaged and processed foods, etc. It is never too late to take your heart health seriously and make it a priority.
2) SIMPLE CARBS AND SUGARS
High intake of simple carbohydrates and sugars can increase your triglycerides and cholesterol level which affect your heart. Simple carbohydrates are present in rice, Maida, sugar, bread, refined, processed and refined packaged food, oil, ghee, sugar, sweetened beverages, deserts, ice creams etc. Too much intake of simple carbs and sugars can cause insulin resistance in your body, which deplete or reduce vitamin B, which is very important for heart health.
3) GUT HEALTH
If your gut health is not good that means if you are facing digestive problems like constipation, gas, acidity, bloating, then it can affect ph level of your gut, which will leach calcium and magnesium in your body which is again important for contraction and relaxation of heart muscles.
4) HYPERTENSION
High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for stroke and major risk factor for heart disease.
DASH Diets for hypertension – DASH stands for ‘dietary approaches to stop hypertension. ‘ The DASH Diet is a healthy eating plan, design to treat or prevent high blood pressure.
STRESS – Stress can cause short-term spikes in BP. Taking steps to reduce stress can improve your heart health as it is a giant killer and its presence alone is enough to cause a progressive heart attack.
TIPS TO KEEP YOUR HEART HEALTHY AND YOUNG.
1) Avoid alcohol, smoking, tobacco, refined flour, sweets, beverages, processed, packaged food in your diet.
2) Limit the intake of salt, simple carbohydrates, sugar and last but not the least oils.
3) Do regular excercise or a brisk walk including 10 minutes breathing exercises.
4) Include home- made, natural and locally available fruits and vegetables in your diet
5) Include whole Grains like Jawari, bajari, oats, Ragi, Daliya, Upma in your diet.
6) Coconut water is the best option to manage your BP levels Normal.
7) Say NO to refined oils and YES to Ghee and nonrefined seed oils like groundnut, til or mustard oils which have the right omega-3 to omega-6 to omega-9 combination.
8) Drink lots of water and include probiotics like Lassi, Kanji, fermented, pickles, chutneys to keep your digestion strong as unhealthy digestion depletes Calcium and magnesium, which are necessary for heart functioning.
9) Smile , find a reason to laugh, have fun, take out “time for a stress free life”.
