Why Your Diet May Be Hurting Your Heart
Excellent heart health is a vital component to total body health. In fact, it is estimated that approximately one-third of adult deaths in the United States are directly related to coronary heart disease. The heart is responsible for distributing a healthy supply of oxygenated blood to all areas of the body, including to the brain. Your diet plays a direct role in heart health in numerous ways, including in relation to weight, cholesterol, blood pressure and more. When you learn more about the many ways your diet may be hurting your heart and placing you at a higher risk of experiencing serious or fatal heart problems, you can make educated decisions about how to improve your diet going forward.
Caloric Intake and Weight
Being overweight or obese can dramatically increase your risk of stroke and heart attack. One of the reasons for this is because a healthy body weight enables your heart to more easily circulate oxygenated blood throughout the body as needed. Diet directly contributes to body weight. Each person needs to consume a different number of calories each day to sustain their current body weight. While 2,000 calories is the typical number that is used to describe healthy caloric intake, keep in mind that your current weight, body mass index, activity level and age can all play a role in the ideal caloric intake for you specifically. You can consult with a nutritionist or even use an online calculator to better estimate your ideal caloric intake for weight maintenance. If you are overweight, you can reduce your calorie intake slightly to reduce your weight. Remember that all calories are not the same, and you ideally should eat a healthy, balanced diet within the constraints of a reasonable and individualized caloric intake for optimal heart health.
A Poor Balance of Polyunsaturated Fats
The two most common types of polyunsaturated fats that you may consume frequently are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These are called essential fatty acids because they are essential for your body's health, but your body cannot produce them on its own. Your diet must include essential fatty acids for optimal health, but keep in mind that these two essential fatty acids are not the same. Omega-3 has anti-inflammatory effects, but omega-6 has pro-inflammatory effects. You may think that loading up on the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids is a smart idea, but this is not necessarily true. After all, some inflammation is healthy. The reality is that consuming too much of either of these essential fatty acids throws the balance off-kilter and cause serious issues. Today's estimated balance between omega-6s to omega-3s is believed to be approximately 16:1. Some sources indicate that our ancestors had a balance closer to four-to-one, but there is variation based on the location and time period. Rather than increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids to create more balance, it may be wiser to keep both of these levels at a low, balanced level.
An Excessive Amount of Processed Versus Natural Foods
One of the reasons why many people struggle with weight and eventually develop heart issues is because of the health content of their food. The preparation of food is also an important factor to look at. For optimal heart health, your diet should consist of many fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, healthy oils, whole grain wheat, low-fat meat products and organic dairy foods. Unfortunately, many diets consist of a large amount of processed or pre-packaged foods as well as restaurant foods. These foods often are high in trans fat and saturated fat. They also may be high in sugar and salt. When you consume too much processed or restaurant food rather than natural foods, you are choosing flavor and convenience over giving your body the nutrients that it needs from food.
High Sodium Intake
You may have heard that some sodium or salt is essential for health. The heart's function is based in part on the sodium content in your body, but the actual amount that most people need for optimal health is between 1,500 and 2,300 milligrams. This equates to approximately one-quarter to one teaspoon of salt each day. Many Americans consume more than 3,400 milligrams of salt daily. Keep in mind that many foods naturally contain sodium, and many processed or restaurant foods contain an excessive amount for flavor. Many people are in the habit of adding extra salt to their foods for flavor, but this is often not necessary or healthy to do. Monitoring and adjusting sodium intake is an excellent idea.
You can see that your diet affects your overall heart health in numerous ways. There are several easy-to-use apps that can help you to monitor your nutrient and calorie intake. You can simply scan barcodes with some of these apps, and they will track your intake of different types of fats, sodium calories and more. By using one of these apps for a few days, you may spot a trend in your diet. This information can help you to determine which areas you specifically need to adjust to improve your heart health going forward.