Need help getting started on a heart-healthy diet? Here are the best nutrition guidelines to follow for your heart.
While you may know that eating healthily is necessary, it doesn’t make it any easier to change habits. However, one thing that can help is knowing what to focus on when improving your diet. For this reason, we provide these 5 nutrition guidelines to follow for your heart and overall health.
1. Portion Size
Controlling how much you eat and making sure you’re consuming a healthy-sized portion is just as managing what you eat. If you want to improve your diet through portion control, consider using a smaller plate or bowl. You can also eat higher amounts of nutrient-rich foods (fruits and veggies) and fewer amounts of high-calorie foods.
2. Vegetables and Fruits
There’s a reason nutritionists recommend eating more fruits and veggies: they’re great sources of vitamins and minerals. In addition, they are lower in calories, rich in dietary fiber, and contain substances that prevent cardiovascular disease. When shopping, choose fresh or frozen produce while limiting any fried or breaded vegetables and fruit packed in heavy syrup.
3. Whole Grains
Start eating whole grains if you want foods that provide fiber and other nutrients that help regulate heart health. To start, you can make simple substitutions like using whole-wheat flour instead of white, refined flour. If you’re not the baking type, you can eat whole-grain bread, high-fiber cereal, brown rice, whole-grain pasta, and oatmeal.
4. Unhealthy Fats
If you want to reduce your cholesterol and lower your risk of heart disease, you need to limit your fat. Specifically, make it a goal to consume less than 11 to 13 grams of saturated fat daily and avoid trans fat altogether. Some simple ways you can cut back are by trimming the fat off your meat, eating lean meats, and using less butter and margarine.
5. Low-fat Protein Sources
When choosing protein, go for lean meats like poultry and fish or low-fat dairy products. For example, instead of eating fried chicken patties or whole milk, consume skinless chicken breasts and skim milk. Furthermore, you can eat legumes (beans, peas, and lentils) as well as fish if you want healthy protein sources.
The Outlook
By following these simple nutrition guidelines, you can start improving your diet little by little. As you follow a healthier diet, you’ll be improving your heart health and reducing your risk of heart disease.
In addition to a more nutritious diet, you can give your health an extra boost by taking HeartBeet Complete. As a daily heart supplement, it effectively promotes your blood pressure, circulation, energy levels, and more. Give your heart the support it deserves by eating healthily and taking HeartBeet Complete.
