Eat it or leave it? Making the right food choices for your heart

Tara Beecher M.Pharm (2 min read time)

What you put in your mouth may affect the likelihood of developing heart disease. Let’s be honest, 2020 has been a hard year to keep healthy with lockdowns and gym closures.  There have definitely been some quarantine eating habits that probably aren’t the best for our health.  Now is the time to get motivated, make changes to your diet and prevent more serious consequences down the track. 

There is a reason that our parents used to nag us to eat our veggies! They contain vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants and have been shown to prevent heart disease. Unfortunately, most Australians are not eating their 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit per day.

Love your carbs? You don’t have to give them up, but making smarter choices could help with heart health.  Swap refined grains such as white bread and white rice to a whole grain version for better health outcomes.  Oats and other high fibre foods have even been shown to help lower bad cholesterol levels. 

Australians on average eat twice the recommended daily intake of salt. Salt increase the level of sodium in your diet and over time can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure.  Unfortunately, salt can be sneaky and hides in processed and packaged foods, so you may not be aware of how much you are actually consuming. Be mindful of the sodium content when picking package foods or swap them for fresh fruits and vegetables instead.  When cooking at home, try using herbs and spices to make your food flavourful, rather than salt.  

Similar to carbs, fat in your diet is all about the type of fats you eat. Try to swap saturated and trans fats for healthy unsaturated fats. Healthy fat options including nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and their oils.  Omega 3 fatty acids have also been shown to help lower heart rate, decrease the risk of clotting, lower triglycerides, reduce blood pressure and delay the build-up of plaque in your arteries.   

Coffee is much debated when it comes to heart health. Interestingly, there are several studies showing that two to four cups of coffee a day may actually decrease your likelihood of developing heart disease. Obviously, watch what you put in your coffee as too much sugar and milk can negate this beneficial effect.