Good Nutrition for a Healthy Heart

Maximum heart health, you should eat a balanced diet. But what does this mean? "Try a diet low in saturated fat and high in fiber," Lisa R. Young, Ph.D., RD, associate professor in the department advises on nutrition, food safety and public health studies at New York University. Here's how such a plan in place.

Diet for a healthy heart: Get plenty of fiber
The fiber helps reduce cholesterol and the risk of diabetes (a risk factor for cardiovascular disease) and certain cancers. "We are based on 25 grams of fiber per day recommended for men a little more. It depends on your weight," says Young. "Most Americans eat a lot, lot less. If you follow a good diet, you will have enough of it, but many of us don�t."

The best way to get fiber to your diet is a variety of whole grains and a mixture of fruits and vegetables, which contain foods rich in soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber helps the cholesterol in the blood clear. Good sources of soluble fiber are oats, barley, dried beans and peas, the insoluble fiber found in vegetables such as turnips and Brussels sprouts, whole wheat bread, and to find.

Diet for a healthy heart: The role of carbohydrates
Carbohydrates should be from about 50 to 60 percent of your diet. In addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, you get your carbohydrates from vegetables, whole meal bread and pasta and brown rice. Carbohydrates from these sources as well as it nutrients, vitamins and fiber, in addition to providing calories.

However, Young said that many vehicles carbohydrates for saturated fats like butter, sour cream, cream cheese and dips and spreads. It is not good news, because saturated fat raises your LDL or "bad" cholesterol. To watch what you want on your carbs and how much you eat.

- Eat the right carbohydrates and fats right. While too much LDL cholesterol is bad news, to replace the fat in the diet with carbohydrates is not the answer. "A diet rich in carbohydrates and low in fat reduces HDL cholesterol," says Young. HDL-cholesterol in a couple of good (unsaturated) fat is really good for the heart.
- Understand the role of triglycerides. Fruits and vegetables contain carbohydrates and are packed with nutrients the body needs. Other simple carbohydrates such as bread, cakes, biscuits and white, refined flour have less nutritional value. After we eat, our body converts carbohydrates, fats and proteins to triglycerides, the chemical that cells us our energy. We need triglyceride fuel us during the day. But too much of this substance was found to reduce the risk of increased heart disease. "It depends on the type of carbohydrate," says Young. "White bread, for example, increased triglycerides." 

 

Diet for heart health: Vitamins for the heart
Although many people swear by vitamins and minerals, there is not much evidence to the idea that vitamin particular good support for the heart. "It was a much talked about vitamin E and did not really pan," said Young, "and folate, B-6, B-12 - does not work these vitamins."
"As they say, there are no quick fixes and no miracle," said Young most of us can get all the nutrients found that our hearts need a balanced diet -. Lots of fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains.