how to have a calm and healthy heart diet lifestyle blood tests health tips

Dietary Changes: Lower your daily sodium intake to reduce water retention and ease the workload on your heart. Opt for foods labeled ‘no salt added’ and aim for less than 1500 milligrams of sodium per day. Cut down on saturated fats, which can lead to atherosclerosis. Choose lean meats and avoid high-fat dairy products. Include heart-healthy fats like vegetable oil, low-fat mayonnaise, and oil-based salad dressings. Boost dietary fibre intake by consuming beans, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. (Image Source: Getty)

Physical Activity: Engage in regular exercise. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. Don’t forget resistance training to build strong muscles and maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure. (Image Source: Getty)

Don’t Smoke or Use Tobacco: One of the best things you can do for your heart is to stop smoking or using smokeless tobacco. Even if you’re not a smoker, be sure to stay away from secondhand smoke. Chemicals in tobacco can damage the heart and blood vessels. The risk of heart disease starts to drop in as little as a day after quitting. After a year without cigarettes, the risk of heart disease drops to about half that of a smoker. (Image Source: Getty)

Cut Down Alcohol Intake: Moderate consumption of alcohol can help raise your levels of HDL, or good cholesterol. It can also help prevent blood clot formation and artery damage. But don’t start drinking if you are not an alcoholic. (Image Source: Getty)

Maintain a Healthy Weight: Being overweight raises the risk of heart disease. Extra weight can lead to conditions that raise the chances of getting heart disease. These conditions include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. The body mass index (BMI) uses height and weight to find out whether a person is overweight or obese. A BMI of 25 or higher is considered overweight. Waist circumference also can be a useful tool to measure how much belly fat you have. The risk of heart disease is higher if the waist measurement is greater than: 40 inches (101.6 centimeters, or cm) for men, 35 inches (88.9 cm) for women. Even a small weight loss can be good for you. Reducing weight by just 3% to 5% can help lower certain fats in the blood called triglycerides. (Image Source: Getty)

Manage Stress: Ongoing stress can play a role in higher blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. Some people also cope with stress in unhealthy ways. For example, they may overeat, drink or smoke. You can boost your health by finding other ways to manage stress. Healthy tactics include relaxation exercises, yoga and meditation, through hobbies like knitting, sewing, or listening to music, dance. (Image Source: Getty)

Get Quality Sleep: People who don’t get enough sleep have a higher risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes and depression. Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night. So, make sure you get enough rest. (Image Source: Getty)

Get Regular Health Screening Tests: High blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol can damage the heart and blood vessels. But if you don’t get checked for these conditions, you likely won’t know whether you have them. Regular screening tests can tell you what your numbers are and whether you need to take action. If you’re between 18 and 39 and have risk factors for high blood pressure, you’ll likely be screened once a year. People age 40 and older also are given a blood pressure test yearly. (Image Source: Getty)

Take Steps to Prevent Infections: Certain infections may lead to heart problems. For instance, gum disease may be a risk factor for heart and blood vessel diseases. So brush and floss daily. Get regular dental checkups too. Other illnesses caused by infections can make existing heart problems worse. Vaccines help protect against infectious diseases. So stay up to date on the following shots: Yearly Flu vaccine and Pneumococcal vaccine. (Image Source: Getty)

Inputs by: Dr. Punish Sadana, Director – Cardiac Sciences and Cardiology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Dehradun (Image Source: Getty)