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Monday 14 August 2023

Cardiovascular Disease, Top Foods to Support your Heart



Introduction

What is cardiovascular disease:  this is a general term used to refer to all kinds of heart-related issues. There are different types of heart disease.  some maybe related to the veins,  the arteries, capillaries the rhythm of the heart, the blood vessels and various other aspects that may be malfunctioning.  so it is this malfunctioning of the Heart in various forms that are generally referred to as cardiovascular disease some of them as a result of the malfunction could lead to heart attack if undetected,  heart failure and other heart conditions.  It could lead to heart attack  and sometimes sudden death due to the malfunction of the heart in various forms.  this is just my own  simple definition of what cardiovascular disease  is all about then what are the symptoms of Heart disease or heart problems.

Symptoms:

There are varying  symptoms of heart of heart disease depending on the cause as there are also different causes. Varying with individuals some people experience pains , some does not come with pain maybe with some kind of an attack or the hearts inability to to to relax after  constricting, after stressful exercise and sometimes lack of magnesium or calcium also could make heart problems worse and that is why it is important to ensure that we get daily calcium in our diet because it is an electrolyte if we have sufficient calcium and magnesium in our diet  case or symptoms of heart problems may be reduced. some symptom ranges from irregular heartbeat, sometimes the beating is above normal or below normal so some of these symptoms also may show up when a test is done to check for the blood pressure the blood pressure instrument  sometimes detects an underlying or impending.  Maybe will some of the hidden symptoms that  have not manifested by showing the reading of the heart.   It is important to always also look at it because this shows also the symptoms that are hidden even when it is not manifested or known to us yet.

Those at Risk of Heart Disease

Those at risk of heart disease are usually the older adult but there are also those that may have  heart problems or disease or related issues as a result of obesity Gene genetic factor,  gender,  Others at risk  are the Diabetics, Prediabetics,  High blood pressure, On the gender aspect,  women are more likely to have heart disease or heart related issues especially menopausal women.  these women are the ones after the monthly periods have stopped, the heart seems to have much work to do because the usual waste  that goes out monthly has  stopped so it is important at this critical stage in the life of such women who are in the menopausal stage to ensure to include blood thinning foods in their diet regularly to reduce incidences of heart disease and also to include foods like garlic on a daily basis and other blood thinners to help support the heart it is also important to be mindful of daily calcium and magnesium these are top nutrients that helps to maintain the heart beat and rhythm.  Though I do not recommend taking calcium supplement., because they are mostly carbonated.  There other sources like soyabeans, chia seeds, tigernut and engaging in moderate exercise.

Worst Foods for your Heart:  

There are foods that helps to support a healthy heart and it's important for us to know these foods and include them moderately  in our diet.  The heart is a very delicate organ and must be guarded because once it stops working, life ends with the person so that is one of the reasons why we should endeavour to keep our hearts healthy.   Other habits that can endanger our heart is being overweight,  engaging in too much stress consuming fried foods and  consuming too much calorific foods and then also consuming too much of processed foods and sugary foods.   These are among the foods that does not support a healthy heart in addition to this we also need to reduce as much as possible trans fats in our diet,  too much cholesterol,  animal protein,  too much  refined table salt in the diet is bad for the heart.   A more plant-based diet is healthier for the heart and poor  hydration, poor  sleep.  Insufficient sufficient sleep are all very dangerous and does not support a healthy heart. 

Another food that I have noticed that is very bad for the heart is filled with so much omega-6 fats like peanuts specially when taking too much,  too much of caffeine is also bad for our heart too  Avoiding these things and maintaining a healthy body weight will help us maintain a healthy heart.

Best Foods for your Heart:

Here are top best and common foods for your heart:

 low calorie foods fruits. 

Soyabeans, 

Pectin in some fruits like apples, oranges. Fibre in moderation and vegetables too.  seed and spices in moderation

Tomatoes,  source of Lycopene 

Green vegetables, Folate 

Onions, garlic

Cinnamon, cayenne pepper šŸŒ¶ 

Nuts like Almond rich in magnesium and calcium 

Seeds sesame seed, pumpkin seeds, 

Green tea

Oats

Fish oil or fatty fish

Black seeds

Bitter cocoa, source of magnesium

Dates fruit 

Alligator pepper

cloves

carrots, low in calorie rich in nutrients 

Beans and legumes in moderation

Kudin tea and neem tea

Pomegranate, Hibiscus flower tea, beets root tea and all the red fruits like berries are all great for heart health.

Best Vitamins and Nutrients for the heart:

Calcium

Magnesium 

Folate

Lycopene

Omega 3

Vitamin C and E

Polyphenol

Antioxidants

Tips to Help Keep our Heart Healthy

Reduce stress

Include red drinks and fruits 

Sleep sufficiently about 8 hours

Include green vegetables daily

Occasional soyabeans if you are not allergic

Daily Water Therapy

Include more low calorie fruits and vegetables especially those with soluble and insoluble fibre like bitterleaf as they also help tackle dangerous cholesterol that may be harmful to our heart.

Summary:  It is important to consume variety of foods in moderation especially those with vitamin E like walnuts, soyabeans and olive oil.  Vitamin E is one of the most powerful antioxidant for the heart and include antioxidant rich foods in moderation in other to help  keep our hearts healthy.



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