Defeat Heart Health Problems
By: Adam W. Porter | Posted: 10th March 2010
Aerobic exercise is an important factor in heart health. These exercises develop great endurance and that is very important for the body to help the heart stay healthy. But diet is also an important factor in maintaining, regaining, or improving heart health. Healthy heart tissue lends itself many more heart beats and a lot more energy. A full, healthy life awaits you, when you can manage to make the heart's job as easy as possible.
Exercise alone cannot repair the damage that a diet full of trans-fat or high-cholesterol foods can cause to your system. Dr. John Cooke, a head of Stanford Medical School's vascular unit says that the goal is to consume nutrient-dense foods high in antioxidants, including Vitamins B, C, and E and folate. These foods have properties that improve nitrate acid levels, and thus, your cardiovascular health.
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past ten years or so, you know that high-cholesterol foods include eggs, dairy products, and beef. While cholesterol is not directly related to a food's flavor, a link can be made as follows: the better food tastes, the higher the cholesterol. Potato chips, candy bars, cake, and ice cream are all high-cholesterol foods. To clarify the rule we made above, the fat itself carries most of the blame for the good taste, and of course high fat content typically leads to higher cholesterol levels.
I can hear your sigh from here. I know you're thinking that you'll starve trying to incorporate healthier foods into your diet, aren't you? Not so fast. This will be easier than you think. You can have fresh fruit and fresh vegetables - and fruits and vegetables do taste good. To reduce your beef intake, substitue it with more chicken and fish. Save the steak (as lean as you can find) for rare occasions. For your carbohydrates, it is best to replace your white, refined foods with a brown or whole-grain option. This includes brown rice, whole grain breads and flours, and unrefined sugars. Stick to canola oil, olive oil, corn oil, walnut oil, and avocado oil, and avoid butter and lard.
Eating a heart-healthy diet means that you might have to give up (or at least drastically cut back on) some of the foods that have dominated your diet. Even altering recipes to substitute healther choices can take you a long way. The substitutions are tasty and the rewards are many. Your cholesterol numbers will reach a better balance as you commit to sticking with this diet, leading to better health and a longer life. Take care of your heart, as it is the only one you have.
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Adam Porter is a fitness enthusiast, and has been keeping fit and healthy with easy diet and exercise for over a decade. He is the co-owner of www.WhipWeightLoss.com, where he teaches you how to keep your diet healthy and fit through a free newsletter.About the Author
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Tags: fruits and vegetables, potato chips, cholesterol levels, vegetables and fruits, aerobic exercise, rare occasions, refined foods, candy bars, acid levels, whole grain breads, healthier foods