Ten nutritional tips to improve your cardiovascular health

“A full belly, a happy heart”Says an old saying. But the American Heart Association (AHA) has other criteria.

This medical union, one of the most influential in the United States, has published its 2021 dietary guide, the most up-to-date “to improve cardiovascular health ”.

It is the first time in more than 15 years that the AHA updates its recommendations and, as he said, seeks to adapt them to current eating habits, marked by “the trend, aggravated by the pandemic, of more fast food options, such as home delivery, meal kits and pre-prepared foods ”.

The new suggestions seek to make them more functional for anyone, regardless of dietary restrictions or cultural adaptations you want to implement, reports BBC Mundo.

The AHA recommends incorporating these long-term healthy habits, rather than making drastic changes based on fad diets.

These are the 10 recommendations of the AHA to keep your heart healthy.

1. Adjust energy intake and expenditure to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight

According to the American Heart Association, maintaining a healthy body weight throughout life is an important component of reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

And more in a time when food intake and sedentary lifestyle have increased.

The report clarifies that energy needs vary widely depending on the age, activity level, sex and size of an individual.

However, during adulthood, energy needs decrease between 70 and 100 calories with each decade of life.

“A clinical and public health approach to promote the adoption of a healthy dietary pattern (…) concurrent with portion control and energy balance is essential to reduce weight gain and CVD risk”, It indicates.

2. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables (and a variety)

The AHA report recalls that most of the fruit and vegetable subgroups have been associated with a reduction in mortality.

“Consuming a wide variety of these food groups provides the proper essential nutrients and phytochemicals. All forms of fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, canned, and dried) can be incorporated into heart-healthy dietary patterns”, He says.

Cardiologists especially recommend brightly colored fruits and vegetables and eat them whole, rather than juiced.

It also recommends limiting those to which salt and sugar have been added.

3. Eat foods made with whole grains instead of refined grains.

The AHA report indicates that various studies reaffirm the benefits of eating whole grains instead of others that have been previously refined.

In general, they recommend products made with at least 51% whole grains.

4. Choose healthy sources of protein

According to the AHA, you should choose mainly protein sources based on plant proteins, such as legumes and nuts.

Soybeans (including edamame and tofu), beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas are common types of these legumes.

“Notably, replacing animal-based foods with whole, plant-based foods has the added benefit of reduce the carbon footprint of the diet, thus contributing to planetary health”, He says.

However, it warns about the consumption of meat of vegetable origin, since they are currently ultra-processed products and contain added saturated sugars, fats, salt, stabilizers and preservatives.

“Currently, there is limited evidence for the short- and long-term health effects of these plant-based meat alternatives.”Says the AHA.

Recommends in that sense:

• Regular consumption of fish and shellfish
• Low-fat or fat-free dairy products instead of whole dairy products
• If you want red meat or poultry, choose lean cuts and avoid processed forms

5. Use liquid vegetable oils

The AHA ensures that so-called tropical oils (coconut, palm, etc.) should be avoided, as well as animal fats (butter and lard) and partially hydrogenated fats.

Instead, he recommends using the oils of soy, corn, safflower and sunflower, walnuts and flax seeds. Also those of canola, olive, walnuts and those that come from peanuts and most of the nuts and their butters.

6. Choose minimally processed foods over ultra-processed foods

The report alerts, like others of its kind, that the consumption of many ultra-processed foods is of concern due to its association with adverse health effects, including overweight and obesity, cardiometabolic disorders (type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease) and increased of mortality.

“A general principle is to emphasize the consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed foods,” he says.

7. Reduce your intake of drinks and foods with added sugars

Another recommendation on which the AHA returns is to limit the consumption of sugars added to food or beverages, whether glucose, dextrose or sucrose or other types of sweeteners such as corn syrup, honey, maple syrup or fruit juice concentrated.

Likewise, it suggests limiting the consumption of low-energy sweeteners and low-abundance mono and disaccharides, whose potential benefits have not yet been determined.

8. Reduce or eliminate salt intake

As a classic of cardiologist recommendations, the AHA suggests limiting salt intake.

On this occasion, it not only refers to the one that we add to the food, but also to keep an eye on processed foods, those prepared outside the home or canned and packaged.

“A promising alternative is regular salt replacement with potassium-enriched salts, especially in food preparation settings.”, He says.

9. If you don’t drink alcohol, don’t start drinking; if you choose to drink alcohol, limit your consumption

A difficult recommendation for many, the AHA itself recognizes that the relationship between alcohol and cardiovascular disease is “complex”, since “the risk appears to differ according to the amount and pattern of alcohol intake; age and gender”.

“The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 continue to recommend no more than one glass of alcoholic drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men”.

10. Follow these tips, regardless of where food is prepared or eaten

According to the AHA, these recommendations should apply to all foods and beverages, regardless of where they are prepared, purchased, and consumed.

“Policies should be enacted that encourage healthier food choices, such as making whole grain products available instead of refined grains and minimizing the sodium and sugar content in products”, He says.