Maybe your most recent backyard barbecue or that second piece of wedding cake left you thinking about making healthy changes to keep your heart ticking strong. You've heard it before -- high intake of sodium contributes to high blood pressure, while heart-unfriendly saturated and trans fats result in high cholesterol in the body. Fortunately, by eating more whole and unprocessed foods, you can reduce sodium and fat intake for blood pressure and blood cholesterol control.
Fruits, Vegetables and Legumes
Fruits and vegetables contain a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber. While insoluble fiber provides bulk to stool, soluble fiber traps cholesterol by forming a gel-like substance. Once soluble fiber binds to cholesterol, it works to prevent cholesterol absorption and promote cholesterol excretion. Apples, citrus fruits, grapes, prunes, strawberries, carrots, eggplant, okra, beans and peas are good sources of soluble fiber. Using canned beans is a quick way to incorporate soluble fiber in your diet -- just remember to look for the "no salt added" label and rinse before eating to minimize sodium intake.
Eating plenty of whole grains can also boost soluble fiber intake. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming half of all daily grains from whole grains. Choose whole-grain oats, barley, quinoa and rye products. Check the first ingredient on the nutrition label to make sure it begins with "whole." To get out of the breakfast oatmeal rut, soak barley in water overnight in the refrigerator then heat the next day in the microwave; top with apple slices or strawberries.
Omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish like tuna, salmon, halibut, sardines and whitefish decrease total cholesterol and the "bad" cholesterol, or low density lipoprotein. Most people should aim for two 3.5-ounce servings of fatty fish per week. At this intake, the heart-friendly benefits outweigh the risks of mercury exposure. According to the American Heart Association, women who are or may become pregnant should avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish, and eat no more than 6 ounces of albacore canned tuna per week due to mercury exposure. For sustainable options, choose U.S. Pacific halibut, Alaskan wild salmon, U.S. Pacific sardines, U.S. farmed rainbow trout and Canadian and Pacific albacore tuna. To keep sodium down, pick fresh, frozen, or canned fish with "no salt added" on the label.
Unsalted Nuts and Seeds
Many research studies have found higher intake of nuts can protect the heart through lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. Nuts and seeds are good sources of heart-friendly fats and fiber. Walnuts and flaxseeds are some of the only plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Aim for two to four 1/4-cup servings of nuts per week. Try adding a handful of unsalted nuts to oatmeal, tuna salad and steamed vegetables. Unsalted sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds are nice additions to salads and grain dishes.
Intake of sodium-rich foods like processed meats, plus some frozen and some canned products can contribute to high blood pressure. But adding more potassium-rich foods into the mix helps reduce sodium and improve blood pressure. Maintaining a 2-to-1 potassium-to-sodium ratio -- getting about 4,700 milligrams of potassium daily to 2,300 milligrams or fewer of sodium -- can actually increase sodium excretion from the body. Potassium-rich foods include fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish, poultry, meat, nuts and seeds.
Articles For Your Diet
- MayoClinic.com - Dietary Fiber Essential for a Healthy Diet
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010
- American Heart Association: Frequently Asked Questions About Fish
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch: West Coast Sustainable Seafood Guide
- The Journal of Nutrition: A Macadamia Nut-Rich Diet Reduces Total and LDL-Cholesterol in Mildly Hypercholesterolemic Men and Women
- The British Journal of Nutrition: Tree Nuts and the Lipid Profile: A Review of Clinical Studies
- Tufts University: Fiber
- Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology: Association of Urinary Sodium/Potassium Ratio With Blood Pressure: Sex and Racial Differences
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