Heart-healthy diet

Since the 1920s, the increase in the incidence of cardiovascular disease has been enormous, to the point that during the 1970s represented more than 30% of the total mortality in industrialized Western populations.

In the case of cardiovascular disease (CVD), we know a number of risk factors, and fortunately, many of them are modifiable. The major cardiovascular risk factors are hypertension, hyper cholesterol (high blood cholesterol), smoking, obesity,diabetes and physical inactivity.



The scientific evidence on the importance of diet in the prevention and development of cardiovascular disease, and other chronic diseases, has been accumulating in recent decades, providing expert scientific support to establish recommendations aimed at achieving a healthy diet, whereas one of the fundamental pillars for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases is a proper diet call heart-healthy diet.

Recommendations General diet heart healthy are the same as those referring to the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in olive oil, nuts and fish.

Consumption of olive oil, nuts and fish you has been attributed the status of preventive factor against these diseases. Olive oil is one of the most characteristic of the traditional Mediterranean diet, and its consumption is linked to the vegetables,beans and fish. For its composition, olive oil is considered as another preventative factor, due to its high content of mono unsaturated fatty acids (AGMI), polyphenols with a role very important as an anti-inflammatory and vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxidant.

Diet healthy heart, how to do it
  • Reduce salt intake.
  • Avoid animal fats (saturated), such as red meat, pastries and sausages.
  • Avoid industrial food (ready meals, calorie refreshments, industrial pastry).
  • Limit the amount of calories consumed.
  • Moderate alcohol consumption (totally avoid distillates and high ranking).
  • Increase intake of foods rich in fiber (whole grains, vegetables and large quantities of vegetables).
  • Increase foods with "good" fats (unsaturated) as olive oil, oily fish and nuts.
  • Drink plenty of water every day.
  • Take the two pieces of fruit recommended daily, which give us a good dose of vitamins and minerals and are rich in antioxidants.
  • Avoid fried foods, is recommended to cook grilled, roasted, boiled, microwave or foil;for cooking, always use Virgin olive oil and remove the visible fat from meat before cooking and skin to the birds.
  • Follow these rules, along with other healthy habits, how to maintain the proper weight,soft exercise daily and not smoking will help you keep your heart in good shape.