Find out which are the best and worst foods for the heart – 09/29/2023 – Balance

Every year, World Heart Day, celebrated on September 29th, reminds us that we must take care of this essential organ for life.

Weighing just 300 grams, it pumps five liters of blood per minute. This blood transports nutrients and collects waste from our busy daily activities.

Diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels, known as cardiovascular diseases, are the main cause of mortality worldwide.

They kill 17.9 million people a year, 400,000 of them in Brazil.

Among the countless pathologies classified in this group of illnesses, the most lethal are ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), popularly known as strokes.

The main risk factors that we can modify are a sedentary lifestyle, tobacco and alcohol consumption and unhealthy diets.

Overweight and obesity also pose a risk.

Fatal plaques in blood vessels

Over time, these formations can grow and narrow the vessels, blocking blood flow.

This increases the risk of rupture or clot formation, with potentially fatal consequences.

Can we do anything to prevent the appearance of atheroma plaques?

Yes – and a lot. Eating as little saturated fat and trans fat as possible is a good start. This reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and mortality.

Trans fats are in all processed foods that contain partially hydrogenated oils or fats. We can detect them by consulting the list of ingredients. They tend to be low-quality snacks or pre-cooked products.

In turn, saturated fats are found in meat, dairy products, chocolates, sauces, coconut or palm oil. For this reason, it is recommended to reduce the consumption of meat, especially red and processed meat, and full-fat dairy products (including cheese). As for the other foods on this list, it is best to eliminate them from our diet.

Against hypertension, less salt and more potassium

The likelihood of death from cardiovascular disease increases with high blood pressure. Higher salt intake and lower potassium intake are associated with a higher risk of hypertension and cardiovascular problems.

We should halve the salt we eat, which is not just what we add to food. In fact, most of it comes from processed foods. It’s even in sweet products.

The processed foods that contain the most salt are salted meats, sausages, sauces and appetizers. But there’s also a lot of it in widely consumed foods like bread or cheese.

Increasing your potassium intake can help reduce blood pressure and, as a result, reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.

This mineral is mainly found in natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts.

The true benefits of fiber

Fiber has numerous beneficial effects for us, although not as miraculous as advertising campaigns would have us believe.

The truth is that people who consume more of this nutrient have a lower risk of mortality from any cause, including cardiovascular disease, incidence of coronary disease, heart attack and massive heart attack.

We can find fiber in foods of plant origin, and it is always better to ingest it from natural foods.

Legumes contain the most fiber, followed by whole grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables and greens.

Other heart-healthy foods

As for other components of the diet, recent studies have reviewed a lot of research that links different types of foods to the risk of death from cardiovascular causes.

The results show that people who ate a large amount of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and nuts for a long time had a lower risk of death from cardiovascular causes.

For every 10 more grams of whole grains people consumed per day, their risk decreased by 4%.

On the other hand, this risk increased with the consumption of red or processed meat: 1.8% more for every 10 grams added to the daily diet.

Mediterranean diet

In 2013, an article about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet went around the world.

Until then, she had little credibility.

This research, carried out in Spain, analyzed elderly people at high cardiovascular risk.

The conclusion was that following this type of diet protects against the risk of heart problems.

The Mediterranean diet includes a high consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish and virgin olive oil.

And, on the other hand, it greatly limits the intake of red and processed meats, carbonated and/or sugary drinks, savory snacks and fats other than olive oil.

Healthy habits

We can do a lot to reduce the risk of heart disease. Improving our diet is fundamental and for this we must focus on natural foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and, as the main fat, virgin olive oil.

Avoiding alcohol, stopping smoking and doing physical activity daily are other habits that help us take care of our heart.

*Ana Belén Ropero Lara and Ana Belén Ropero Lara are professors of Nutrition and Bromatology at the Miguel Hernández University, in Spain

Silvia Guillén García is a professor of Medicine at Miguel Hernández University, in Spain.