Healthy eating vital for keeping a hardy heart

By Clare E. Urwin

This is the first of three articles on keeping your heart healthy. The writer is a nutritionist and health advisor based in Surabaya. All the writer's articles are interactive and readers are encouraged to ask questions or comment through the writer's e-mail address: clareu@attglobal.net.

SURABAYA (JP): The heart is an amazing organ. It's a muscle about the size of your fist, weighing approximately half a kilo, and is located behind and slightly to the left of your breastbone. This incredibly hard working, pumping wonder sends 10,000 liters of blood circulating around your body every single day.

Being very sensitive, your heart can rapidly adjust its rate of pumping when required. For instance, during strenuous exercise, within a matter of seconds, your heart can increase the amount of blood it pumps by 400 percent.

The blood acts as a carrier. It delivers necessary nutrients and oxygen to all tissues, muscles and cells throughout your body, simultaneously removing waste products and carbon dioxide.

The function of the heart is simple. Being the big boss of the cardiovascular system, it makes sure the blood flows regularly and constantly through an intricate pattern of blood vessels, called arteries, veins and capillaries.

Maintaining the health of your heart is crucial if you want to lead a long, active and happy life. By looking after it, you can preserve your fitness level, live life to the full and keep busy and content right into very old age.

Unfortunately, any warning signs that something is going wrong with this marvelous pump and its transport system are often ignored.

The early stages of heart disease have very few symptoms. Sadly, most sufferers are unaware of any problems until they experience a heart attack.

Heart disease is now the major source of death in developed countries. It is also the greatest single cause of premature death in men. Approximately one in three men and one in four women die from the disease.

But, and here is the good news, research shows that the heart is capable of recovering from damage. Most heart problems can be prevented, avoided or significantly improved by making certain changes to your diet and lifestyle. Why not start right now?

There are eight dietary and lifestyle factors necessary for having and keeping a healthy heart. Numbers one to four will be addressed here, in Part 1. Next week, in Part 2, numbers five to eight will be discussed. Part 3 is about planning, managing and maintaining those changes.

1). Eat a low fat diet and especially cut down on saturated and trans fats.

2). Eat a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and grains.

3). Eat foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, essential fatty acids, zinc and selenium.

4). Avoid foods high in sugar and salt (sodium), and refined carbohydrates.

5). Drink alcohol and caffeine in moderation only.

6). Do not smoke.

7). Take regular exercise and maintain a healthy weight.

8). Manage stress sensibly.

These dietary and lifestyle changes are not intended to stop you enjoying your favorite foods, forcing you to eat things you don't like or to turn you into a gym junkie. On the contrary, they will bring big health benefits, help balance your eating and exercise habits and improve your overall wellbeing.

Eating low fat foods is essential in the prevention and treatment of heart disease. Consuming too much fat is a major cause of being overweight and a diet with too many saturated fats tends to raise blood cholesterol levels. High blood cholesterol is one of the significant risk factors in heart disease.

Saturated fats are found primarily in animal products, although tropical oils such as palm and coconut are highly saturated as well. Eating too many trans fats also increases the risk of heart disease. Most commercially produced foods, such as hard margarines, cakes, cookies and junk foods, contain trans fats.

However, it should be noted that some fat is necessary for good health and fat is essential for healthy development in children. E.F.Ams (Essential Fatty Acids), are extremely beneficial and do protect the heart. Good sources are oily fish, nuts and seeds, oil derived from them and some vegetable oils.

The best of these vegetable oils are olive oil, corn oil, canola oil (rapeseed oil), soybean oil, safflower oil and sunflower oil. While these are unsaturated and won't raise blood cholesterol, please remember they should be eaten in limited quantities only, because they are very high in calories.

A little olive oil is good for your heart. Too much olive oil makes your belly, thighs and bottom fat.

Vegetables, fruits and grains are the foundation of a healthy diet and keep the heart in the best possible condition. They are rich in vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals and by eating a wide variety of these foods, you increase your chances of getting the maximum nutritional benefit.

As an added bonus, vegetables, fruits and grains have little or no fat and many are very good sources of fiber. Dietary fiber is imperative in maintaining healthy heart function. Apart from controlling blood glucose levels, it is required for the removal of excess cholesterol in the digestive tract.

Vitamin C is one of the most powerful nutrients for combating cardiovascular disease. It lowers blood cholesterol, helps regulate blood pressure by thinning the blood and has powerful antioxidant properties. Good sources are fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, papaya, kiwifruit, peppers (capsicum), chilies, bok choy and broccoli.

Vitamin E fortifies blood vessels, reduces blood viscosity (fluidity) and regulates the heartbeat. Foods rich in Vitamin E are wheat germ, oily fish, nuts and seeds, oils derived from them, avocados, eggs and green vegetables.

Beta-carotene (a form of Vitamin A) strengthens blood capillaries and is an important antioxidant. Good sources are red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables such as mangoes, papaya, apricots, plums, berries, carrots, pumpkins, tomatoes and peppers.

Selenium and zinc are needed to produce antioxidants which protect against heart disease, cancer and other degenerative diseases. Good sources of selenium are liver, fish, sesame seeds, whole grains, onions, garlic and Brazil nuts, while foods rich in zinc are shellfish, whole grains, pecans and almonds.

Although there is no direct link between sugar and heart disease, too much will cause weight gain. Bad news for the heart. Sugar adds empty calories while rapidly increasing blood glucose levels. Enjoy sweets occasionally and not regularly.

Most of us consume far too much sodium. So, leave that salt shaker alone. Excess sodium can lead to high blood pressure, increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Processed and fast foods usually contain large amounts of sodium.

Because there is such a strong link between diet, lifestyle and heart disease, it's common sense that we would all benefit from making certain changes. Cardiovascular disease can strike you in the prime of your life. Trying these changes is definitely worthwhile.