5 Natural Ways to Cut Your Risk of Heart Disease By 81%
Want to reduce your risk of heart disease naturally, without resorting to drugs? Try these 5 simple tips.
As we mentioned last week, heart disease is NOT caused by high cholesterol.
So what is it caused by?
Well, diet is a large part of it. While this may not be what you want to hear, what you eat does impact your health, and it certainly impacts the health of your heart.
The good news is, this means there is something you can do about it!
Whether you are already experiencing symptoms, or heart problems run in your family, or you just want to take preventative measures early and avoid having to worry about it, changing the way you eat can have a significant impact on your heart health, and may reduce your risk of heart disease.
In fact, according to this article, recent research has shown that making specific dietary changes can reduce your risk of heart disease by 81% – without taking any drugs at all!
The Archives of Internal Medicine has just published the results of its “EPIC” study. Researchers took 23,000 people and studied their risk factors for heart disease. They found that changes in diet reduced heart attack risk by 81 percent.
How could such simple changes deliver such amazing results? By lowering blood pressure and reducing inflammation.
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Here’s a step-by-step guide to what you need to do:
1. Make omega 3 fatty acids part of your daily diet.
So much scientific evidence shows that omega 3s are vital to heart health. And there are plenty of good sources to choose from. There’s no good reason not to enjoy omega 3s.
Your best sources for these fatty acids include:
- Sardines
- Tuna
- Wild salmon
- Grass-fed beef
- Milk
- Cage-free eggs
Be sure when choosing fish that you avoid the farm-raised variety. It’s better to go for cold-water wild fish. That’s because they have a proper ratio of omega 3 to omega 6.
Dr. Lundell says you need to eat at least two to three servings of fresh fish each week.
Another easy option for getting omega 3 into your diet is a simple fish oil supplement.
“Supplement your diet with at least 3 grams of high quality pure fish oil,” says Dr. Lundell.
2. Cut out omega 6 from your diet.
Too much of this fatty acid will do serious harm. So try to keep your omega 3s high and your omega 6s low. It’s pretty easy to do with a little effort and well worth it. Just make sure you avoid the worst foods. These include:
- Grain-fed beef
- Grain-fed chicken
- Processed foods
- Fried foods
- Vegetable oils
3. Try to get more healthy saturated fats into your diet.
These can really help to reduce inflammation.
Great sources include:
- Olive oil
- Walnuts, pecans, and almonds
- Avocados
4. Slash sugary and starchy carbs from your diet.
These are the worst offenders for raising blood sugar and insulin. That process wreaks havoc on long-term heart health. Worst offenders include:
- Bread
- Pasta
- Rice
5. Look to enrich your diet with antioxidants.
There are so many to choose from. Even foods like dark chocolate and red wine are loaded with them. Some of the best antioxidants include:
- Berries
- Broccoli
- Grapes
- Spinach
Mealtime Tips:
You can easily combine all of these suggestions into simple meal plans. For breakfast, switch out bagels and cheerios for yogurt, hard boiled eggs, and a handful of almonds.
When you’re on the run, try combining your healthy snack foods to enjoy vital omega 3s and antioxidants in one go. A grab-bag of walnuts, blueberries, and grapes packs a powerful punch. A don’t forget to wash it down with some antioxidant-rich green tea.
You can’t beat broccoli and grass-fed beef for dinner… or spinach and wild salmon… for a powerful combination of health benefits. And for dessert, you can help yourself to a glass of red wine (loaded with youth-preserving resveratrol) and a square or two of dark chocolate.
Check out the full article at HealthierTalk.com to learn more…
