Have you ever been told that certain foods are good for your heart? Or wondered why Cheerios advertises that they “can help lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet*”? Well, I am going to tell you!
Importance of Heart Health
It is important to have a healthy heart because the heart is central to your overall health! When you have a healthy heart you can avoid cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and maintain normal cholesterol levels in the body. While there are genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the likelihood of you developing heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, there are things you can do to keep your heart healthy and avoid these diseases.
The best things you can do to keep your heart healthy are to…
· Eat adequate fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean meats, and fish
· Limit foods high saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, and sodium
· Increase physical activity
Types of Fat
Your body has two different types of cholesterol in the blood – high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). HDL carries cholesterol from the blood back to the liver so it can be removed from the body. LDL has the opposite effect. Instead of removing cholesterol from the body it carries cholesterol that sticks to the walls of the arteries and creates plaque, which can block blood flow to the heart. So to keep it simple, HDL is "good" and LDL is "bad."
Your diet affects the levels of HDL and LDL in your body which contributes to your overall heart health. So, what types of fat should you eat?
Fats to Increase
· Monounsaturated fats: these fats help lower your LDL and increase HDL
o Sources: olive and canola oil, avocados, nuts, and pumpkin seeds
· Polyunsaturated fats: these fats help lower LDL and include essential fatty acids that cannot be made in the body
o Sources: sunflower and corn oil, walnuts, flax seed and fish
Fats to Decrease
· Saturated fats: these fats increase the LDL. Recommendations are to get less than 10% of your daily calories from saturated fat
o Sources: coconut oil, animal products, whole milk, and butter
· Trans fats: these fats should be consumed as little as possible because they increase LDL and lower HDL
o Sources: hydrogenated oils, margarine, shortening, snack and baked goods
As you can see, a lot of foods contain fat, some better than others. Fat is an essential nutrient in our diets that provide essential fatty acids, help with vitamin absorption, provides energy and helps with satiety. Here are some tips for how to consume more of the the "good" fat that will keep your heart healthy:
1. Consume lean meats that are low in saturated fat (lean cuts of meat, skinless chicken breast, lean pork)
2. Use less butter, margarine, and shortening (applesauce can be a great substitute in some baked goods)
3. Use plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream
4. Top your toast with jam, avocados, or hummus instead of margarine
In summary, try to consume as much of your fat from nuts and plant sources! Limit your consumption of processed fats such as what is found in margarine, baked goods and many snack foods.
If you apply these tips, limit your sodium intake, and increase physical activity, you will be helping to keep your heart healthy so you can continue to live a long, healthy life!
What other questions do you have about heart healthy foods? Let me know!
I'm here for you and I believe in you!
*This claim can be seen on many packaged foods - in order to have a heart healthy check mark the food must contain either: Total Fat: Less than 6.5 g. Saturated Fat: 1 g or less and 15% or less calories from saturated fat. Trans Fat: Less than 0.5 g. Cholesterol: 20 mg or less.
Comments