THE 9 RULES OF HEART- HEALTHY DIET

1. Balance your caloric intake with your physical activity:

Weight gain is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and taking in more calories than you burn off leads to weight gain

2. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables:

Consuming a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables which are full of nutrients and many types of beneficial plant molecules, is linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and early death.

3. Choose whole grain foods and products:

Examples of whole grains include whole wheat bread and brown rice and others and of refined grains include white bread and white rice etc. Eating whole grains every day is linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke and diabetes.

4. Choose healthy proteins: these are mostly plant proteins such as nuts, legumes (Beans, Lentils). May add fish two or three servings per week. They are all linked to low cardiovascular risk. And while it is still debated, the new guidelines recommend replacing full-fat dairy products with low-fat dairy.

5. Use liquid plant oils:

Liquid plant oils are olive, canola or safflower oil where as tropical oils are coconut or palm oil. Thy liquid plant oils replace saturated fats found in red meat and tropical oils with unsaturated fats.

6. Choose minimally processed foods:

The guidelines note that eating ultra-processed foods such as processed meats, frozen meals, ready-made baked foods, chips etc are loaded with salt and added sugars, fats and preservatives and are therefore linked with increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and death.

7. Minimize your intake of foods and drinks with added sugars:

Consuming sugary foods and drinks has consistently been associated with elevated risks for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and weight gain. Always scan Nutrition Facts labels for added sugars in the list of ingredients.

8. Choose or prepare foods with little or no salt:

Eating too much salt may increase blood pressure which is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke. Extra salty foods include restaurant fare and processed foods. Salt even hides in salad dressings and whole wheat bread.

9. Quit alcohol consumption. If you don’t drink don’t start:

Alcohol is linked many grave diseases like heart disease, liver failure, brain diseases and seizures etc.

POSSIBLE RISE IN BLOOD CLOT RISK WITH BINGE-WATCHING OF TELEVISION:

Watching television for four or more hours a day, is linked to a higher risk of developing dangerous blood clots, new research suggests. The study included more than 131,000 people, all ages between 40 and older and without any prior history of clots in their veins. The formation of clots is called Venous Thromboembolism (VTE). This includes two serious conditions: 1. Clots going into the lungs called, ‘Pulmonary Embolism” (PE) and 2. Clots in the deep veins of legs called Deep Vein Thromboembolism (DVT). Participants who reported watching television at least four hours a day were categorized as ‘prolonged viewers’ while those who watched less than 2.5 hours as ‘seldom viewers’. During the followed up for over 5 years to 20 years, the prolonged viewers were 1.35 times more likely to develop clots either in their legs or in the lungs, compared with seldom viewers.