According to Centre for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Every year, there are more than 610,000 deaths in the United States alone because of heart disease.
- More than 735,000 people in the U.S. suffer heart attacks each year.
Those are some serious numbers. As an individual, it has now become more important than ever to take care of our heart’s health simply because of the fact that our lifestyle habits have deteriorated over the years. So today, we are going to talk about some healthy habits you need to add to your life to keep your heart healthy (and happy!):
1. Good dental hygiene can reduce risk of heart diseases
You might be wondering what oral hygiene has to do with heart disease. Well, the fact of the matter is that the bacteria present in the mouth can lead to gum diseases that eventually enter the blood stream and lead to activation of a protein called C-reactive protein. This protein serves as an inflammation marker for the blood vessels; thereby making them prone to heart conditions. In order to stay away from the risk, practice healthy oral hygiene. And make sure to floss for goodness sake!
2. Cut down your sitting habits
Whether at your work or at home, don’t sit for too long at once. Staying seated for longer durations has a direct impact of cardiac health. In fact, studies have shown that people who sit for longer durations have an almost 150% increased chance of developing a heart condition. That’s why it is recommended to walk and stay active as much as you can. Small things like parking you vehicle further away from the entrance of a store, taking stairs rather than the elevator, standing at your workstation (if possible), can do wonders to keeping your heart healthy.
3. Know your fat before you eat
Fats are an inseparable part of our diet, but there are two types of fats – the good ones (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which include omega-3 fatty acids) and bad ones (trans and saturated fats). By clogging the arteries, trans and saturated fats increases the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), which is the most common type of heart disease according to Center for Disease Control and Prevention. So, make sure to read the labels of what you are buying to eat and avoid consuming products that have trans and saturated fats in them.
4. Make a few changes in what you comsume in general
Eating processed food, smoking and drinking sugary sodas or too much alcohol are directly related to cardiac health. To make sure that you are lowering the risk of heart diseases, start consuming healthier. Add more raw food stuff in your diet as compared to processed food. Start using olive oil to cook foods; it has more antioxidants that protect blood cells from getting damaged. Add more chocolate to your diet; it brings flavanols which cause the blood vessels to relax and thereby prevents the risk of heart attacks. There are many other things to eat that are healthy, so get busy looking into the matter further and adjust habits accordingly.
Adopting these four, small changes in your life can help your heart stay safe from the risk of suffering from major troubles. While working out, and staying active should be on top of the list of things to do to keep your heart healthy, these small things can also work great, right?
Good health!
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