Keeping heart attacks at bay

Nowadays, lifestyle related stress has become the biggest reason for heart attacks at an early age. Heart attacks are not just due to the genetic element, but there are innumerable factors which may clog your arteries and result in stroke. Food and diet however, play a humongous role when it comes to heart health or dealing with lifestyle and stress, says, Tripti Gupta, the founder of iPink and a certified nutritionist in healthy cardiac diets by International College of Cardiology.

Here are a few common reasons for heart attacks:

Poor Dietary Lifestyle: Eating oily, fried processed food has become a convenience today. Always avoid having packaged foods, energy bars, canned juices and ready to eat foods which contain hidden saturated fats, added colour, preservatives. Also avoid foods which are loaded with baking soda and sodium. These so called low fat dressings are loaded with salt and sugar which play havoc on your blood pressure levels and eventually adds load to your heart function.

Mismanagement of meals/extremely erratic timings: Even if we eat healthy food, it could be starving through the day and then ending with massive dinner which can mess with your heart health. You are only playing with your metabolism with such huge gaps in your meals. Your heart and brain need a constant supply of essential fatty acids, sugar, hydration and minerals. If any of these are incorrect, the damage has already begun. 80% cause of all lifestyle diseases stem from poor eating habits.

Excess Weight: With poor dietary habits the first thing which is triggered off is accumulation of bad fats in the body leading to increased cholesterol levels. The excess weight adds pressure to lung function and breathlessness, heart needs to pump more blood to meet the supply and the result is again an overload.

Lack of adequate activity: When we talk of cardio workouts that means you need an activity to improve your overall cardiovascular health. Exercise on a regular basis for our heart muscles to remain strong and healthy.

Poor Medical Reports: Ignoring your medical reports or delaying your tests is a huge factor. Your heart needs plenty of essential fatty acids in the form of omega 3 along with fat soluble vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A,D,E,K , calcium, magnesium, zinc etc. If any of these are imbalanced they increase your risk. Similarly, iron, folic acid and B12 play a huge role to your blood health. Keeping a balance is extremely essential to ensure your heart function is smooth.

Stress: If any of the above factors are not taken care of, then stress ensures the damage is done. Hypertension, excess weight, improper food choices and habits topped up with a stressful lifestyle are the perfect combination for cardiac arrest.

Stress today is beyond control for most of us, hence the least one can do is eat right and stay active. Here are few pointers one can keep in mind for their heart health

Include essential fatty acids such as nuts, oilseeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, olive oil, pure ghee etc in your daily diet.

Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables, red and orange fruits/vegetables. Vegetable juice is a great option to meet B12 and folic acid needs. And don't forget to hydrate your body with natural salt and sugar in the form of coconut water, buttermilk etc.

For non-vegetarians, it's a good idea to choose more lean meats such as chicken, fish, and egg whites. Avoid organ meats, shell fish, red meats, egg yolks etc which can increase your cholesterol levels thus putting your heart to risk.

Any form of activity whether it's a walk, climbing stairs, skipping, cycling, swimming or any of your favourite sport is beneficial for your heart.

Include yoga and meditation, if not every day, even doing it on weekends can make a great difference. Calming the mind and relaxing your muscles with improved flexibility further improves your blood circulation.

Include happy foods in your daily regimen. Dried berries, raisins, yoghurt, lime juice, cocoa, fruits, fresh fruit juices and salted nuts works very well to calm your body and mind, helping you de-stress.

Choose drinks which are low on caffeine and rich in antioxidants such as green tea, white tea, and chamomile, herbal infusion as these will help relax your senses.