10 Tips For a Healthy Heart

10 Tips For a Healthy Heart


10 Tips For a Healthy Heart
10 Tips For a Healthy Heart

It is essential to have a healthy heart. Whether you're eating enough good foods or giving up bad habits, there are many ways to take care of your heart. There are some tips to help maintain a healthy heart and circulatory system: here are some changes you can make now to your diet and lifestyle that can make a difference.



How to keep your heart healthy: 10 tips

Be active.

Exercise is one of the best solution to keep a healthy heart and increase the rate of "good" HDL cholesterol   in the blood. To keep a heart healthy, WHO   recommend doing at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.

If you have a busy life and you do not know how to keep your heart healthy by exercising, do not worry: there are many ways to be more active every day. Consider going to work by bike or on foot and enjoy your lunch break to do some more sporting activities. With a coach or in a group, there is a multitude of sports, be it running, hiking, water aerobics or rollerblading. By choosing the sport that you like, you will remain more easily motivated.

Heart health: replace saturated fatty acids with unsaturated fatty acids in your diet.

It is important to eat fat, but the type of fat you consume can have an impact on your cholesterol, which in turn will affect your heart health. There is evidence that replacing saturated fatty acids with unsaturated fatty acids in the diet can help lower LDL cholesterol, one of the risk factors for heart disease *.

When shopping, read the labels to determine the amount of each fat in the food and focus on foods that contain unsaturated or reduced fat. You can also consult our guide on   saturated fatty acids   and unsaturated to know more.

Heart, health and maintain an ideal weight.

Being overweight increases your risk of having high levels of LDL cholesterol and low HDL cholesterol. A healthy heart can be achieved by healthy diet and some exercises. Check out the   sports section   from ProActiv's Golden Fruit Youtube Channel and get inspired by the videos to play sports every day!

Eat less salt.

To have a healthy heart, monitor your sodium intake. Avoid adding salt to your dishes and check the labels of the products you buy to avoid foods with high salt content (more than 1.5 g of salt per 100 g).

Consume   plant sterols .

Daily consumption of 1.5 to 2.4 g of plant sterols can reduce blood cholesterol by 7 to 10% in 2 to 3 weeks when consumed as part of a diet and lifestyle healthy, with enough fruits and vegetables *.

Even though plant sterols are naturally present in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables, these foods will not bring you the amount needed to lower cholesterol. Opting for products enriched with plant sterols, such as those in the ProActiv Fruit d'Or range is a simple way to get the necessary amount that will help you actively reduce cholesterol.

Stop smoking.

Quitting smoking has a number of benefits to your health (and your wallet), including taking care of your heart. Staying motivated should not be an additional challenge (to help make the process easier, consider stopping with a friend or check out the   Ministry of Health ). Your doctor will be able to guide you to give you the necessary resources.

It can also be interesting to recognize the factors that trigger the urge to smoke. Whether it's stress or seeing other people smoking, knowing how to recognize these signs could help you avoid situations where it would be difficult for you not to smoke.

Heart healthy: eat fish.

Try to eat fish twice a week, including fatty fish once. Salmon, trout, herring, mackerel and sardines are fatty fish rich in omega-3s, which help the heart function properly. Fruit d'Or's ProActiv site offers several recipes to inspire you, including   mackerel in escabeche   and some   salmon steak with tarragon sauce . You will find other fish recipes here.

Adopt a healthy and balanced diet.

You are what you eat (figuratively) and the foods you eat have an impact on your health. Make sure your diet is varied and includes 5 fruits and vegetables a day as well as a lot of fiber. To learn more about what a balanced diet is and how to make healthy food choices for your health and heart, read our article here.

Limit yourself to a reasonable consumption of alcohol.

We often get conflicting messages about alcohol and its effects on the heart, but if you consume it, the main thing is to consume with moderation. Public authorities and public health organizations agree that you should not consume more than 3 glasses of alcohol per day for men and 2 drinks per day for women.

Learn to relax.

When you're stressed, you're not in top shape and this can increase your attractiveness for bad habits like smoking, drinking or overeating. Try to take time each day to relax and free your mind, or find something you like: walking, swimming, yoga, art and meditation are good options.

If you're wondering how to have a healthy heart, the tips above are a good start. It is essential to consult your doctor: whether it is about food, alcohol or smoking, you may be surprised by the variety of help and advice available to you. Heart health is important and it's never too late to start taking care of yours, so why not make a change now?
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