The cardiac diet is often prescribed for people who are at imminent risk
of a heart attack. The cardiac diet is a healthy eating plan to follow,
even if a person does not have any of these health conditions, and may
be followed as a preventative management program or as part of a heart
healthy treatment plan.
When the cardiac diet is prescribed as part of a treatment plan, it is
often individualized for the patient by a dietician and follows basic
guidelines that promote good cardiac health.
1. Reduce the intake of food which contains animal fat.
2. Use
trans fat free margarine instead of butter
3. Read labels and note the amount of trans fat contained in the food item, it should be “0″
4. Eat more fruits and vegetables
5. Reduce sodium intake.
6. Add fish to the diet
7. Eliminate caffeine
REDUCE FAT INTAKE
A key component in the cardiac diet is reducing the intake of harmful
fats. Eliminating all fat is not healthy. It is important to understand
what foods contain healthy fat and which foods contain fat that harms
the arteries.
Polyunsaturated fats: This is a healthy type of fat that should be
included in the diet. This type of fat can be found in fish and grain
products.
Monounsaturated fats: These fats lower artery clogging
cholesterol levels. They can be found in nuts, avocados, and olive oil.
Saturated fats: This type of harmful fat is found in meat, cheese, coconut oil and palm kernel oil.
Tran’s fat: These fats are chemically engineered and are used to
hydrogenate oils. This process gives foods a longer shelf life, but they
are not processed well in the body. These fats are found in packaged
food items as well as many fried foods from fast food restaurants.
RED MEAT
Limit meat to 3-4 times per week.
Choose leaner cuts of meat like sirloin or round.
Choose meats that are at least 90% lean.
Make sure to rim away visible excess fat before cooking
FIBERS
Eating more fiber offers many health benefits. High fiber intake as part of the cardiac diet
lower bad cholesterol levels in the body to increase health heart and reduce the risk of
heart attacks. In addition to the cardiac benefits, fiber also aids digestion and reduces instances of constipation.
Women under 50 years of age should consume 25 grams of fiber per day,
while those 51 and older should have 21 grams of daily fiber. Men under
50 years old should eat 38 grams of fiber and men over the age of 51
should take in 30 grams of fiber each day.
Fiber can be found in many foods
1. Whole grains
2. Legumes
3. Vegetables and fruits
4. Nuts and seeds
PRACTICE HEALTHY HABITS
In addition to following a healthy cardiac
diet eating plan, there are other things you can do to keep your heart healthy.
One can enhance the effectiveness of this diet’s basic guidelines by not
adding additional salt to foods, cooking with healthy oils such as
olive oil, and exercising portion control to reduce caloric intake for
weight management.
Get adequate exercise to keep your heart muscle strong and to
lower cholesterol levels in the body. Getting 30 minutes of moderate exercise three to four times per week is usually adequate for heart health.
Avoid stress and develop coping skills to help you relax when stress is
unavoidable. Being in a tense state is not good for cardiac health.
Relaxation is also an important component in maintaining a healthy
heart.
DIETARY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CARDIAC PATIENTS
General Guidelines:
1. Lower the amount of total fat in your diet by eating fewer high fat
foods. High fat foods often contain large amounts of saturated fat (most
undesirable fat source).
2. Lower the amount of saturated fats while increasing the amount of polyunsaturated fat in the diet.
3.
Lower cholesterol intake. Eat more fruit and vegetables and less animal products.
4. Eat more complex carbohydrates (starch and fiber). Foods high in
complex carbohydrates are usually low in fat and contain no cholesterol.
5.
Lose weight, if overweight, by decreasing the number of calories taken in and increasing the number of calories used.
To Eat Less Total Fat:
1. Within any food category, there are high fat and low fat items. Read labels to learn which foods are low in fat.
2. Sausage and most processed luncheon meats are high in fat and saturated fat.
3. Cream, sour cream, ice cream, butter, and many cheeses are high in fat and saturated fat.
To Eat Less Saturated Fat:
1. Steps you take to reduce total fat will also reduce saturated fat.
2. Most animal fats generally contain high proportions of saturated fat,
whereas the fat in chicken and fish contains higher proportions of
polyunsaturated fat.
3. The vegetable oils from palm kernel, coconut, and palm, and cocoa fat contain large proportions of saturated fat.
4. Vegetables oils with the highest proportions of polyunsaturated fat
are safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean, and cottonseed oils.
5. Many margarine's are lower in saturated fat and higher in unsaturated fats than butter.
To Eat Less Cholesterol:
1. Cholesterol is found in high amounts of red meats, organ meats
(liver, kidney, sweetbread, brain), and egg yolks. Shrimp is also
high in cholesterol.
To Eat More Complex Carbohydrates:
1. Vegetables, fruits, cereal grains, dried peas and beans, rice, and
pasta contain complex carbohydrates, little or no saturated fat, and no
cholesterol.
To Help Lose Weight, If Overweight:
1. Fats are high in calories. Fat and oils supply 9 calories per gram as
compared to protein, and carbohydrates, which supply only 4 calories
per gram.
WHICH PEOPLE NEED TO ADHERE TO THE ABOVE ADVICE?
1. Everyone, the younger you start healthy eating habits the better.
2. Patients with a history for hypertension, congestive heart failure,
coronary artery disease,
stroke, peripheral vascular disease, or diabetes MUST make an extra
effort to watch what they eat to lower their risk of atherosclerosis.
