Does What You Eat Really Matter?
Yes, what you eat makes a big difference to your heart, because fat and cholesterol are linked to heart disease. So is salt if you have high blood pressure. But the good news is, you can eat healthy for your heart and still enjoy foods you like.
What Are Your Risks?
Some things are known to put you at a higher risk for heart disease or a heart attack. Have you ever been told that you have any of the following?
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Excess weight
- Diabetes (high blood sugar)
Any one of these can increase your chances of heart disease. Still, you can lower the odds by changing the way you eat. Even if heart disease runs in your family, cutting down on fat, cholesterol, and salt reduces your risk. Losing excess weight also lowers your risk. Eating right and losing excess weight helps control diabetes and prevents damage to your blood vessels.
There are other risks for heart disease you can lower, too. If you smoke, you can stop. If you are under a lot of stress, you can learn to relax. And you can do simple things to be more active. Being physically active helps lower your cholesterol and blood pressure and control your weight. Plus, it helps you feel better.
What Is a Healthy Diet?
The American Heart Association and the National Cholesterol Education Program have set guidelines for a healthy diet. Each day your diet should have:
- 30 percent or less of total calories from fat
- No more than 7 percent to 10 percent of total calories from saturated fat
- Less than 200 to 300 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol
- No more than 2,400 milligrams of sodium
Learning how to eat within these guidelines may take a little time and effort. Your health care provider and articles like this and others on Belly Bytes can help. But the choice to eat a healthier diet is yours.
Why Eat a Healthy Diet?
- It lowers your risk for heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
- It lowers your risk for colon cancer, breast cancer, and some other cancers.
- It helps you maintain a healthy weight. Your health care provider can help you set a good weight for you.
- It gives you more energy.
What Are You Doing Now?
You may already be doing smart things for your heart. Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day?
- Do I choose lean cuts of meat and low-fat or non-fat dairy foods?
- Do I compare food labels for fat, cholesterol, and sodium when I shop?
- Do I eat mostly fresh foods?
- Do I get some physical activity on most days?
Did you say, "YES" to any of these questions? Pat yourself on the back. You are already doing something healthy for your heart. But what about your "NO" answers? Do you see ways you might make small changes?
