How Is Heart Disease Related to Nutrition & Diet?
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Processed Foods and Nutrition Content
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Your average person doesn't nearly get the required daily amounts of vitamins and minerals required by the body to function properly. For example, vitamins C and E promote a healthy heart and B vitamins help prevent heart disease. Because of the lack of vitamins we consume the heart does not get what it needs to remain healthy and function optimally. In turn the heart overworks itself to make up for the vitamins the body is lacking and things like an irregular heartbeat or a hardened heart can occur. The food we eat is primarily over-processed food (such as frozen meals, boxed meals and anything precooked or prepared), which is stripped of its nutrients during production. What's left is usually cooked out during preparation. Raw fruits and vegetables are the best vitamin-rich sources for the heart as well as fish and grains.
Salty Foods
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A diet high in sodium is dangerous when it comes to heart disease. When large amounts of salt are consumed the body retains fluid. The heart is forced to work harder to try and get rid of this fluid, and fluid can actually pool up around the heart and other organs---causing the body stress. An adult's diet should not exceed approximately 2,300 mg per day of salt. For people with heart disease, this number should be as low as possible.
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Fat Content
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A diet low in fat can decrease the likelihood that heart disease will occur. A low fat diet will prevent obesity and in doing so, keep the heart healthier. Eliminating butter, lard, fatty meats, whole milk and vegetable oils can keep the heart healthier because these foods are high in fat, so they can clog arteries and make the heart pump harder.
Trans fats are those that are usually found is greasy, oily food like fast food or processed foods. These fats can quickly clog arteries in the heart and cause heart disease. Trans fats should be eliminated from one's diet whenever possible.
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