Tips for a healthy heart

On the occasion of World Heart Day (26 September), whose theme this year geared to promoting the health of workers is important to learn what they can do to improve the quality of our diets and overall lifestyle, with to obtain a more healthy heart.

These are some small changes in your daily life that will surely your heart love.

1. Increase your physical activity. Even 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day contribute significantly to maintaining a healthy cardiorespiratory system.

2. Maintain a healthy weight. Losing weight helps to better regulate blood pressure and reduce the overall risk of cardiovascular disease.

3. Measured. Check out some of the key biochemical markers in blood, measure your blood pressure regularly and visit the dietitian to assess the BMI and the ratio of waist to hip circumference. Taking into account these factors you will know your overall risk of cardiovascular problems.

4. Say no to smoking. The risk of cardiovascular disease will be reduced by half within the first year of cessation and return gradually to the level of the general population.

5. Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables! Is it time to apply in practice the rule of 5 servings a day? It’s easy if you try to eat salad with every main meal if you choose fresh or dried fruits or juices as snacks.

6. Reduce salt intake. Daily hire enough salt is ‘hidden’ in various foods. So should carefully read food labels.

7. Limit alcohol. Lower portions of alcoholic beverages consumed, and excessive intake can raise blood pressure and lead to weight gain. However, moderate wine consumption, within a balanced diet, can promote the proper functioning of the heart and blood vessels.

8. Reduce saturated fat. The over-consumption of fat and cholesterol increases the susceptibility to cardiovascular disease. So now the major health agencies recommend replacing saturated and trans fats in our diet with mono-and polyunsaturated. Therefore recommended to limit the fat red meat and prefer fish and poultry, choose milk and cheese in light versions and replace butter with olive oil, soft margarine or other vegetable oils. Moreover, a big question arises about the sausage. All our love and most of the information available daily in our diet, often with a touch of guilt. However, we can now enjoy the most comfortable, and marketed sausages with olive oil, which most of tallow, which traditionally has been replaced by containing extra virgin olive oil rich in monounsaturated fat and valuable antioxidants. Therefore, these products are a much more healthy choice is in line with modern dietary recommendations.