The best diet and supplements for heart health
It’s estimated that 70-80% of heart disease and strokes can be prevented by your life choices and habits, especially eating a healthy diet, reports the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA). Here’s what to eat – and supplements that may help.
Making even small improvements to the way you eat can not only lower your risk of heart disease, but make a difference to your overall well-being, says Professor Pamela Naidoo, CEO of the HSFSA.
Eat more vegetables and fruit
Choose a wide variety, fresh or frozen, at least five a day. “Opt for a mix of different colours, as they provide different beneficial phytonutrients – plant chemicals that are nature’s natural defence,” says dietician Hayley Cimring, Nutrition Science Team Leader at the HSFSA.
Include legumes in meals
They are a great and relatively inexpensive source of high quality carbohydrates, protein and fibre, all of which are important for heart health; use them in dishes like soups and stews to stretch or replace animal protein.
Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy
Milk and yoghurt provide protein, calcium, minerals and vitamins, but go for plain, not sweetened or flavoured. Add your own fresh fruit if you like.
Have lean fresh protein
Eggs, skinless chicken, fish, lean mince meat and ostrich are heart-friendly sources, as opposed to fatty or processed meats such as sausages, salami, polony, viennas and sandwich ham.
Use healthy fats
Choose the likes of olive, canola or sunflower oil, nut butters, nuts, seeds, avocado and fish. Oily fish such as sardines, pilchards, mackerel and salmon are high in omega-3 fats shown to help reduce blood pressure and risk of stroke, and the HSFSA recommends eating these fish at least twice a week. Cut right back on unhealthy saturated fats (sourced from animals) and trans fats (in processed foods).
Cut down on sodium and salt
“A high salt intake is linked to high blood pressure,” Cimring says. Have no more than 1 teaspoon of salt a day, from all sources, remembering that many foods (from cottage cheese to packet soups and many breakfast cereals) have salt – read labels. For flavour, use fresh and dried herbs and spices, garlic and lemon juice.
The Mediterranean diet
These foods reflect the Mediterranean way of eating, and a number of studies have shown its benefits. A Mediterranean diet is good for heart health as it’s lower in saturated fat, sodium and added sugar, and high in nutrients and fibre, says Cimring. It may help with weight control and lower the risk for type 2 diabetes and for raised cholesterol and blood pressure, all contributors to heart disease.
“Should you find yourself in doubt as to which products to buy on shopping trips, look out for the HSFSA heart mark logo – a red circle with a white heart, fork and knife inside, and the words “approved as part of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s eating plan,” she says.
If for any reason you struggle to get the nutrients, oils and fibre you need from food, don’t self-medicate, especially if you have a heart problem or are at risk of one, she says. “Speak with your health provider or a dietitian first about taking a supplement.”
Supplements commonly used for heart health
Fibre: If you can’t get enough from your diet, there’s some evidence that blond psyllium husk (used in many fibre supplement) can help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and raise “good” HDL type. If you take a fibre supplement, increase the amount gradually to help prevent gas and cramping, and drink lots of liquid.
Sterols and stanols: These occur in nuts and grains and can help reduce the cholesterol your body absorbs from food. They’re also available in supplements.
Coenzyme Q10: This is made in small quantities by your body, and taken as a supplement, may help lower blood pressure.
Fish oil: A 2019 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that for patients with elevated levels of triglycerides (blood fats) despite using statins, the risk of cardiovascular death was “significantly lower” among those taking a supplement. Johns Hopkins researchers noted: “For those who don’t get enough omega-3 in their diet, (fish oil) supplements may be helpful”.
Also read: Tips for a healthy heart
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