Dr Samim talks about the importance of healthy diet for healthy heart

High amounts of salt, sugar, saturated fat and refined carbs raise your risk for heart disease.

There are many factors that can increase your risk of heart disease. Over time, high amounts of salt, sugar, saturated fat, and refined carbs raise your risk for a heart disease. One of the best things you can do to reduce your risk is to have a healthy diet and maintain a healthy weight. Here is a list of Foods to limit or avoid or modify include

• Limit fried fast food and processed foods.
• Replace energy from saturated fats (such as butter, coconut oil and cream) with healthy unsaturated fats from seeds and plants (such as extra virgin olive oil, avocado, sunflower, canola, safflower, peanut, soybean, and sesame) and foods such as nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, and soy.
• Reduce intake of refined sources of carbohydrates with higher glycemic indices (including foods with added sugars, Sugary beverages like colas, and packaged fruit juices).
• Limit unprocessed red meats to a maximum of 350 g (cooked weight) per week
• Trim all visible fat from meat and remove the skin from poultry
• Reduce salt intake – avoid packaged and processed foods, and limit fast foods and salty foods. Check the sodium content of foods and choose the lowest sodium products.
• If you have elevated cholesterol levels, switch to low-fat or non-fat dairy products
• If you drink alcohol, discuss it with your doctor, and limit your consumption. A high alcohol intake increases blood pressure and can increase triglycerides in the blood.

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