You may have already heard of antioxidants and their beneficial effects on inflammation and the body. These chemicals are created when our body converts food into energy.
One of the easiest ways to lower your salt intake is by cooking more often with herbs and spices, such as black pepper and paprika. You should also try to limit the use of high-salt foods like processed meat, burgers and pizzas. Instead, use other flavorings such as lemon juice, dill, garlic and turmeric to add flavor to food. Avoid salty foods and try to replace them with low-sodium versions of popular foods.
Increase your vegetable intake
Although you should aim for no more than 2,000 milligrams of sodium daily, people with heart failure or high blood pressure should be cautious and reduce their intake by 50 percent. Very low sodium levels can even lead to worse outcomes. Make sure to discuss your sodium intake with your healthcare provider to determine whether you should make any changes to your diet. Salt is only a small part of the sodium in your diet, most of it comes from packaged and prepared foods.
Reduce your red meat intake
Despite the recent study, this advice may be oversimplified. While it may help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, the research shows that the health benefits of vegetables are far reaching. Besides being rich in nutrients, vegetables are naturally low in sodium and saturated fat, two factors known to raise the risk of heart disease. So, it is important to include a wide variety of vegetables in your diet.
The study was not designed to determine the effects of a particular diet change, but it was based on naturalistic observation and included people who ate the same foods. Therefore, it's impossible to make a conclusive judgment about the effects of changing your diet. However, there are other considerations to keep in mind when reducing your red meat intake: first, cut the amount of red meat you eat. The researchers noted that eating red meat in moderation may be beneficial for your heart and brain. If you must eat red meat, make sure that you choose lean cuts, and limit the amount you eat.
Chronic heavy drinking weakens the heart muscle. The weakened heart can't contract properly, resulting in a heart condition called alcohol-associated cardiomyopathy. The weakened heart ventricle dilates and stretches, preventing it from pumping blood effectively. In severe cases, the heart can fail or stop beating. If treatment is delayed, it could lead to life-threatening heart conditions.
Reduce your sodium intake
Research shows that the American Medical Association recommends limiting sodium intake to 1,500 mg a day. This simple change can prevent more than one hundred thousand deaths from heart disease and stroke every year. However, many foods are already high in sodium. You can't eliminate salt entirely, since most salt has sodium chloride. Instead, use herbs and spices to add flavor to your foods. In addition, don't forget to rinse canned foods before consuming them.
Sodium can be found in many foods, including processed and packaged foods. It is difficult to know which foods contain too much sodium. Even foods with minimal sodium content, such as nuts and seeds, can accumulate a high amount of sodium over a day.
Reduce your saturated fat intake
Cutting out saturated fat completely from your diet is nearly impossible. However, you can minimize its intake by reducing portion sizes, watching portion sizes, and substituting with healthier options. All fats contain a mixture of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated fatty acids. They are classified according to their percentage of saturated fat. Olive oil is mostly monounsaturated, while butter is mostly saturated.
