The heart is more or less the most important organ in a living organism’s body. It is the brain of the body and is what helps us stay alive by pumping and circulating blood throughout our blood vessels. Keeping our hearts healthy is keeping ourselves alive and we can do so by being careful of what we eat and we abstain from keeping our hearts drug-free and from being lazy.

It is essential to eat healthy food to maintain a healthy heart. It’s important to be careful of the type of fat that we consume in our meals. While saturated fat badly affects blood cholesterol levels, polyunsaturated fat in small amounts helps in reducing cholesterol. Oily fish like salmon and sardines are perfect as they contain omega 3 oils and antioxidants( In French antioxydants ) while oils like sunflower, soya and corn are good.

Excessive consumption of salt is also not good for the heart as it is linked to high blood pressure. Besides, weight control and regular exercise for at least 30 minutes are vital in getting your blood flowing and keeping your heart functional. The best advice for smokers is, no matter how difficult, to stop smoking. Smoking highly increases the chances of suffering from heart failure (In French insuffisance cardiaque ) and respiratory diseases, cancer and emphysema. It’s also highly recommended that you get regular health screenings to check your blood pressure, cholesterol levels and diabetes.

However, another extremely important preventive measure one can take to reduce the risk of heart diseases is to maintain a healthy and balanced diet . Essential nutrients and an adequate amount of water are crucial and can keep your heart strong. Consumption of whole grains, nuts, poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables is also part of a healthy diet while one should reduce on red meats, sweets and sugar.

You may also consume vegetables such as asparagus, sweet potatoes, kidney beans, carrots, spinach and broccoli as these are extremely healthy vegetables. Oatmeal, almonds, walnuts, soy milk, blueberries, brown rice, tofu, tea, dark chocolate and red wine also help in keeping a healthy heart and although most of these are expensive, in the end, it’s maintaining a healthy heart that’s important.

So go ahead and start making changes to your lifestyle. A well-balanced diet combined with regular exercise and non-consumption of intoxicants will keep you fit and have a healthy heart and will benefit your offspring as well.

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