The ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) said in one of their reports that cardiovascular ailments account for nearly 17 percent of all deaths in the south Asian country. On average, around 10 million people die in India every year due to heart attacks and other heart ailments. Recently, we have heard of many celebrity cases of heart attacks where they had a healthy lifestyle with a planned diet and timely workouts. Then what could be the reason? There could be different reasons for getting a heart attack. Of course, bad lifestyles and habits can contribute to many health issues, including heart attacks; however, bad stress over time, unmonitored exercise, over dieting, other health issues with organs like the kidney and liver, and heredity are all possible reasons for heart ailments. In this article, we will discuss lifestyle norms to follow and the nutrient combination to combat a heart attack.
Changes in Lifestyle
Stop Smoking and alcohol
Quitting smoking may be tougher, but not that tough when you know how bad it can be for your heart and other organs. Initially you can reduce and slowly can put a full stop to smoking.
Similarly, over consumption of alcohol can raise blood pressure, increase cardiomyopathy, increase triglyceride levels, cause heart stroke, liver cirrhosis, and other diseases. Also, excessive alcohol consumption contributes to obesity, alcoholism, and accidents.
Choose Good Nutrition
Food is the most important thing in any health issues. What we consume need to be regularised. A healthy diet is one of the most effective way to deal with cardiovascular disease. The food you eat can have an impact on other risk factors that you can control, such as cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and being overweight. Choose nutrient-rich foods which contain vitamins, minerals, fibre, and other nutrients but are lower in calories. A diet high in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, low in fat dairy products, red meat, fish, legumes, nontropical vegetable oils, sugar-sweetened beverages. Avoid sugar as too much sugar is not sweet for your heart and overall health.
Stay physically active
Going for a vigorous workout is not advisable for everybody. It is always better to get guided by an expert and combine physical workouts with mental workouts like meditation, yoga nidra, and other relaxation exercises. No or little physical activity is never good. Jogging, walking, running, climbing stairs, and doing manual labour in daily life are always helpful to stay active and fit. It helps your heart muscles to strengthen.
Maintain Healthy weight
To maintain a healthy weight, balance your diet with your level of physical activity so that you burn as many calories as you consume. Obesity can put you at risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and insulin resistance, a precursor of type 2 diabetes. All these factors are the very factors that increases your risk of cardiovascular disease. It is always suggested by doctors, fitness experts to have a track on diabetes, cholestrol and other levels in body.
Reduce Bad Stress
Stress can be good or bad. It depends on what kind of stress you have. A good stress keeps you motivated and helps you reach your goals. Whereas, bad stress can degrade your physical and mental health to any level. Hence, pause and think about what kind of stress is leading you. You need to direct the stress towards a good cause and work on it. Stress puts pressure on organs and bodily functions. Unhealthy stress for a long time can trigger and put you in any trouble. Practicing meditation can help you reduce stress and anxiety. Be positive even in a bad situation. Staying calm and hopeful makes enhances your immunity and organs way better.
Best Nutrient combo for a healthy heart
Bread with peanut butter and jam, bananas and eggs are made for each other. Some foods are just better together. The same rule is with vitamins and minerals too. Certain nutrients work together in synergy.
Here are a few vitamin-and-mineral duos that can add up to better heart health. Vitamin B6 With Magnesium Magnesium help regulate your blood pressure, keep your arteries from hardening, and keep your heart beat regular. Vitamin B6, helps your body absorb magnesium. RDA: The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for adults 19-51+ years is 400-420 mg daily for men and 310-320 mg for women. Pregnancy requires about 350-360 mg daily and lactation, 310-320 mg. Sodium and Potassium Can Help Regulate Your Blood Pressure There are many deaths in heart attack due to imbalance levels of potassium and sodium. Both are very major to be taken care. Patients of CKD and Liver ailments face the problem of imbalance pottasium and sodium levels which is fatal. They together regulate many bodily functions, including important heart numbers like blood pressure. Keep your sodium and potassium levels optimum. Omega-3s With Vitamins and Minerals for a Heart-Healthy Diet Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat that can help keep your heart healthy, particularly if you have heart disease. There are three main types of omega-3s: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are famously found in fish, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is found in certain plants and plant oils, like flaxseed and canola. Get Enough Vitamin D and Magnesium Vitamin D can help regulate blood pressure and improve your heart health, but in order for it to work, it needs magnesium’s help. Magnesium turns vitamin D into its active form, called calcitriol. Vitamin D and calcium help your heart muscles function.
B6 and B12 with Folate to Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease B vitamins like B6 and B12 work together to lower the levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to heart disease when it builds up in excess.
Precaution is always better than cure. Before a heart attack attacks you, you take these precautionary measures to have a strong heart. Change your lifestyle, have good food, check which vitamins and minerals you are lacking, and take supplements accordingly.