Heart health and diet - Bupa/media/images/health... · 2018-09-07 · it’s never too late to...
Transcript of Heart health and diet - Bupa/media/images/health... · 2018-09-07 · it’s never too late to...
Heart health and dietOur Bupa nurses have put together these simple tips to help you eat well and look after your heart.
What you eat can have an impact on the health of your heart. Eating a healthy diet and being physically active can help you to maintain a healthy weight, blood pressure and level of cholesterol. It can also help to reduce your risk of developing diabetes – all of which are important for a healthy heart. And it’s never too late to start practising healthy habits. A good diet and regular exercise can help look after this important organ even if you already have a heart condition. Here are some of the choices you can make everyday to help keep your heart healthy.
A balanced diet It’s important to eat a range of healthy foods to make sure you get all of the nutrients your body needs.
A heart-healthy diet includes:
fruit and vegetables pulses, nuts and wholegrains lean meat, poultry, white fish and oily fish low-fat and low-sugar dairy products or dairy alternatives like soya vegetable-based spreads and oils such as olive oil and rapeseed oil wholemeal and wholegrain starchy foods such as brown bread and pasta
It should also be low in saturated fat, salt, sugar and alcohol.
Enjoy a colourful variety of fruit and vegetablesEating enough fruit and vegetables is important for your health. Having a diet high in fruit and vegetables may help to reduce your blood pressure, and lower your risk of heart disease and some types of cancer.
Try to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Aim to eat different types to make sure you get a variety of vitamins and minerals.
One portion is 80 grams – that’s roughly one handful or:
one apple, orange or pear two satsumas, kiwis or plums three heaped tablespoons of vegetables a dessert-sized bowl of salad
Fresh, frozen, tinned and dried varieties, fruit juice, smoothies and pulses all count towards your daily intake of fruit and vegetables. But be sure to limit dried fruit to one heaped tablespoon (30g) and fruit juice and smoothies to one small (150ml) glass per day because these can be high in sugar.
Try to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day
Cut back on salt Eating too much salt can play a role in raising your blood pressure, which increases your risk of developing heart disease. Aim to eat no more than six grams of salt a day – that’s roughly one teaspoon. Most of the salt we eat has been added to food during processing; examples are soups, sauces and ready meals.
You can reduce the levels of salt in your diet by:
limiting salty foods such as crisps, salted nuts, bacon, cheese, ready meals and smoked fish checking the traffic light labels on packaging and choosing food that lists salt as a green category not adding salt to meals or when cooking – try adding other herbs and spices to season your food instead or gradually reducing how much salt you add by measuring it out
Did you know that a single slice of bread can contain 0.5g of salt?
SALTHigh
1.5g
SALTLow
0.3g
Add oily fish to your dietOily fish is high in omega-3. This is a group of good fats (polyunsaturated fats) that help to keep your heart healthy. Aim to have two portions (140g each) of fish each week, and make one of these oily fish.
Examples of oily fish include fresh tuna, salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines, kippers, pilchards and herring. But keep an eye on how your fish is prepared. Some fish is smoked, which means it contains high levels of salt, which can increase your blood pressure.
Understand the different fats Fats are an important part of your diet because they provide energy and essential fatty acids and transport vitamins around your body. There are three different types of fat and each of these can have a different effect on your health.
Saturated fat Eating too much saturated fat may increase your levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) – ‘bad’ cholesterol – which is harmful for your heart. Saturated fats are found in fatty and processed foods, such as red meat, sausages, dairy products, butter, ghee and lard. They’re also found in pastries, cakes, biscuits and coconut oil.
Trans fat Eating too much trans fat may be linked with an increased risk of heart disease. Trans fats are found in processed foods such as cakes, biscuits, takeaways, and animal products.
Unhealthy fats are
found in processed
foods, takeaways,
cakes and biscuits
Unsaturated fat Unsaturated fats are good fats which come from oily fish, plants, nuts and seeds. Eating these types of fats can increase your level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) – ‘good’ cholesterol – which is beneficial for your heart health.
Unsaturated fats are found in oils like olive, rapeseed and sunflower oils, nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts, and in avocados, seeds and oily fish.
Swap saturated and
trans fats for
unsaturated varieties
wherever possible.
Do eggs raise cholesterol levels?It was once thought that eating eggs could raise your cholesterol levels and that you should limit how many eggs you eat per week. This is because eggs contain dietary cholesterol. But recent research has found that the amount of saturated fat you eat has a much bigger effect on your blood cholesterol level than the cholesterol that is found in eggs. So it’s better to focus on cutting down on the total amount of saturated fat in your diet. You can eat eggs as part of a balanced diet.
Get enough fibre Eating high-fibre foods may also help to lower your risk of heart disease. For example, it’s thought that high-fibre foods like oats may help to reduce your cholesterol levels. You may also find that eating foods high in fibre help you to manage your weight, because they help you to feel fuller for longer.
Good sources of fibre include:
wholemeal and wholegrain carbohydrates nuts and seeds fruit and vegetables beans and pulses
Limit your alcohol intakeAlcohol contains lots of calories and drinking too much can harm your health, for example by raising your blood pressure. Both men and women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week. It’s best to spread these out over the week and have a few alcohol-free days too.
On average:
one small glass (125ml) of 14% wine = 1.8 units one single (25ml) serving of spirit such as gin or rum = 1 unit one pint of 4% beer = 2.3 units
The exact alcohol percentage can vary between drinks, so it’s best to check the label to be sure.
Sterols and stanols Sterols and stanols, which are found
naturally in many plants are now
added to some food products, like
spreads, yoghurts and drinks. Some
studies have shown that eating
these foods could help to lower
your level of ‘bad’ cholesterol. But
at the moment, there’s not enough
evidence to know for sure if eating
foods with added plant sterols and
stanols can reduce your risk of heart
disease.
If you do decide to eat these
products, they need to be eaten
every day in the right amount.
So check the instructions on the
manufacturer’s label to make sure
you’re getting the dosage of sterols
and stanols needed to have any
effect on your cholesterol level.
Food products with added sterols
and stanols aren’t suitable if you’re
pregnant or breastfeeding, nor
for children under the age of five.
They shouldn’t replace healthy diet
and lifestyle changes. For more
information on products with added
sterols and stanols, speak to your GP
or a dietitian.
BEER
Spirits
Pre-mix
Strong
BEER
Eat less sugarEating too much sugar can make you gain weight, which is linked to health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Adults should aim to eat no more than 30g of free sugars a day – that’s about seven sugar cubes.
Free sugars are sugars that are added to food and drink and include the naturally occurring sugars found in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit juice. So try cutting down on things like fizzy drinks, sweets, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, ice cream and jam.
Make some simple swaps Sometimes all it takes is a few easy swaps to boost how healthy your meals are. Here are a few simple ideas for healthy swaps.
Fats such as:
butter
ghee
lard
suet
hard margarines
coconut and palm oil
Fatty meat and processed meat products such as:
sausages
salamis
canned meat
full fat milk and yogurts
cream
canned coconut milks
semi-skimmed or skimmed milk
cakes, desserts and chocolate (especially cream and butter-based)
coconut (fresh, dried, desiccated)
food roasted or fried in butter, lard, other animal fats or coconut oil
Vegetable spreads and oils such as:
olive
rapeseed
sunflower
soya
Remove all visible fat from meat and skin from poultry.
Have red meat less often
(no more than 500g raw weight per week).
Have more poultry and fish.
Have meat-free days – use beans, pulses or soya mince/ chunks instead.
plant-based drinks such as almond, hazelnut,
rice or soya alternatives fortified with calcium
Use vegetable oil instead.
Try other cooking methods without fat
(for example, boiling, grilling, steaming).
Foods Healthier alternatives
plain buns such as currant/ hot cross buns, scones or plain biscuits
fruit
low-fat yogurts or soya alternatives