Cut Cardiovascular Risks With Your Diet

You already know that having high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and/or blood pressure raises your odds of having cardiovascular disease (CVD), which increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, and other problems that affect your heart and circulatory system—but you may not know just how much your odds drop when you lower those numbers.

Reducing LDL cholesterol by 18 mg/dL and systolic blood pressure (BP) by 10 mmHg lowers a person’s CVD risk by almost 90 percent, according to study findings presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in August 2016. Many people with high LDL cholesterol and BP take medications to get their numbers down, but you can accomplish significant reductions in LDL and BP with dietary choices and strategies, as well.

Lowering LDL

“You can help reduce your LDL cholesterol with two changes in your diet: The first is to lower your consumption of saturated fat found in animal products, and the second is to increase your intake of unsaturated fats,” advises Jenna Rosenfeld, MS, RD, CDN, CNSC, a registered dietitian at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell.  

Saturated fat is found in beef, pork, processed meats (sausage, bacon, pepperoni, salami), poultry skin, butter, cream, whole milk, and cheese. Eating large amounts of saturated fat can increase your LDL cholesterol level. The American Heart Association recommends limiting your saturated fat intake to less than seven percent of your total daily calories; that’s about 140 calories (or 16 grams) of saturated fat if you’re consuming 2,000 calories a day, and about 112 calories (or 12 grams) if you eat 1,600 calories a day.

Unsaturated fats are found in cold-water fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, trout, sardines, and mackerel, and also in avocados. Nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, and seeds, including sunflower, pumpkin, and chia seeds, are good sources of unsaturated fat, as are most liquid vegetable oils (olive, canola, corn, sunflower, soybean, almond, and flaxseed oils, among others). By eating fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseed, and avocados, you’re also getting an added benefit of omega-3 fatty acids.

Lowering BP 

For many people, limiting the salt in their diets helps lower BP. While some sodium is necessary for many bodily functions, an excess of sodium may cause your body to retain extra fluid, which may put a strain on your heart and blood vessels. The American Heart Association advises limiting salt intake to no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) or less per day, and says the ideal limit is 1,500 mg a day.

As much as 75 percent of the sodium consumed in the U.S. comes from highly processed foods, including fast foods, frozen meals, canned foods, and condiments.

“When buying boxed, canned, or packaged foods, look for ‘sodium-free’ and ‘low-sodium’ labels,” suggests Rosenfeld. “‘Reduced sodium’ indicates only that the sodium is 25 percent less than the original product, so it may still be high in sodium: For example, if the food originally contained 1,000 mg of sodium per serving, a ‘reduced sodium’ version may still contain as much as 750 mg of sodium.”

Other foods that contribute a significant amount of sodium include breads and rolls, cold cuts and cured meats, pizza, poultry, soups, cheese, pasta dishes, meat dishes, and processed snacks.

You can also lower your BP by eating more foods rich in calcium, magnesium, and potassium. These minerals lower BP by causing arteries to dilate and relax, which helps sodium and fluids to be released from the body. Here are some sources of these minerals:

Calcium: Low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt, and cheese, canned sardines, and calcium-enriched orange juice, soymilk and other plant milks, and cereal.

Magnesium: Spinach, Swiss chard, legumes (lentils, beans, and peas), almonds, and oatmeal.

Potassium: Bananas, potatoes, avocados, tomatoes, lima and pinto beans, winter squash, cantaloupe, mushrooms, orange juice, prunes, raisins, and yogurt.

“In addition, you can lower both LDL cholesterol and BP by including more fiber-rich foods, such as vegetables, beans, oats, barley, and fruits, including apples and berries,” says Rosenfeld.

Healthy Swaps

One easy way to reduce your saturated fat intake and boost your unsaturated fat consumption is to make healthy swaps, says Rosenfeld. “For example, replace butter with olive oil or a vegetable oil-based spread, sprinkle chopped nuts instead of bacon bits on your salad, and replace beef with salmon or tuna twice a week.”

The post Cut Cardiovascular Risks With Your Diet appeared first on University Health News.

Read Original Article: Cut Cardiovascular Risks With Your Diet »

Powered by WPeMatico