Healthy Heart
Tips on How to Have a Healthy Heart, How to Prevent Heart Disease
You can prevent heart disease by following a heart-healthy lifestyle. Here are five strategies to help you protect your heart.
1. Don't smoke or use tobacco
To handle this heat onslaught and ensure your body is as cool as it can possibly be, we suggest a few measures that are easy to follow:
1. Eat light, small, frequent meals.
2. Include salads in your diet.
3. If you get burnt (sun stroke or heat stroke),
4. To cool the body through sweating,
5. Hydrate your body.
6. Wear loose, full-sleeved cotton clothes.
7. Stay indoors.
You can prevent heart disease by following a heart-healthy lifestyle. Here are five strategies to help you protect your heart.
1. Don't smoke or use tobacco
- Chemicals in tobacco can damage your heart and blood vessels, leading to narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
- Narrowing your blood vessels and increasing your heart rate and blood pressure.
- Carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke replaces some of the oxygen in your blood.
- This increases your blood pressure by forcing your heart to Women who smoke and take birth control pills are at greater risk of having a heart attack
- Getting some regular, daily exercise can reduce your risk of fatal heart disease.
- Physical activity helps you control your weight and can reduce your chances of developing other conditions that may put a strain on your heart.
- Try getting at least 30 to 60 minutes of moderately intense physical activity most days of the week.
- The diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products, which can help protect your heart.
- Beans, other low-fat sources of protein and certain types of fish also can reduce your risk of heart disease.
- Limiting certain fats you eat also is important. Fat increases the risk of coronary artery disease by raising blood cholesterol levels.
Major sources of saturated fat include:
- Red meat
- Dairy products
- Coconut and palm oils
- Deep-fried fast foods
- Bakery products
- Packaged snack food
- Excess weight can lead to conditions that increase your chances of heart disease
- Men are considered overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (101.6 centimeters, or cm)
- Women are overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (88.9 cm)
- Reducing your weight by just 10 percent can decrease your blood pressure, lower your blood cholesterol level and reduce your risk of diabetes.
- Regular screening can tell you what your numbers are and whether you need to take action.
- Blood pressure.
- Adults should have their blood pressure checked at least every two years. You may need more-frequent checks if your numbers aren't ideal or if you have other risk factors for heart disease.
- Optimal blood pressure is less than 120/80 millimeters of mercury.
- Cholesterol levels.
- Adults should have their cholesterol measured at least once every five years starting at age 20.
- You may need more frequent testing if your numbers aren't optimal or if you have other risk factors for heart disease.
- Some children may need their blood cholesterol tested if they have a strong family history of heart disease.
- Diabetes screening.
- Since diabetes is a risk factor for developing heart disease, you may want to consider being screened for diabetes.
- Depending on your risk factors, such as being overweight or a family history of diabetes, your doctor may recommend first testing you for diabetes sometime between ages 30 and 45, and then retesting every three to five years.
Summer Care - Beat the heat
1. Eat light, small, frequent meals.
- Start the morning with a sweet, juicy fruit at breakfast. Ripe summer fruits - peaches, plums, melons and pears, are exactly what your skin craves for in the hot season. Citrus fruits are also very cooling. Eat whole or extract their juice, store in the refrigerator and sip often throughout the day.
2. Include salads in your diet.
- Consuming leafy lettuce and summer greens, corn on cob and cucumbers, in salads are delicious ways to stay cool. These foods contain a significant amount of water and can actually thin the blood, which has a cooling effect. Onions too are great in the summer, because of their ability to beat the heat and provide relief from summer ailments. So, throw in some washed onion slices onto a sandwich, or in your salad.
3. If you get burnt (sun stroke or heat stroke),
- Seek relief by sipping on green tea or take a spoon of onion juice. They are potent antioxidants that can neutralize cellular damage caused by the sun's rays.
4. To cool the body through sweating,
- Add small amounts of hot spices to food while cooking. Hot peppers, fresh ginger, and black pepper are all great spices to make it really hot for you and then to cool you down.
5. Hydrate your body.
- Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water a day. Water is the best drink as it doesn't contain any sugars that can add up to unnecessary calories. For a change, a lemon and honey drink can also instantly replenish your body's lost fluids and work as an energizer. Drink fluids even if you are not yet thirsty. Once you have the feeling of being thirsty means you are already dehydrated.
6. Wear loose, full-sleeved cotton clothes.
- To protect the body from the sun and to aid evaporation of sweat. Use a hat to protect your head from the sun you go out
7. Stay indoors.
- Restrict outdoor activities to the cooler parts of the day - early mornings before 10.30am or late evenings after 5.30pm.
