Kerala has the highest prevalence of coronary artery diseases in India today, thanks to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, high-stress work environments, lack of proper exercise, unhealthy, irregular eating habits and smoking.
Responding to the situation, Aster Medcity, on World Heart Day, launched a dedicated Aster Heartline – adults and children with heart ailments can now call 8111998111 for emergency assistance as well as advice.
With the right kind of medical care and attention, fatalities can be avoided and cardiac patients can be assured of a good quality of life – especially through early detection and individualised treatment. The Aster Heartline will help patients understand the disease and its treatment modalities, in addition to helping them handle emergency situations.
Here are a few tips for a healthy heart:
Exercise, everyday
Eat healthy food
Quit smoking
Control risk factors like Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar & Cholesterol
Keep away from stress inducing factors
Reduce intake of salt
Do regular health check-ups
Try to stay happy and tension-free
A healthy diet is what keeps the heart healthy
Indulge in
Pulses (gram, dhal, sprouted pulses)
Food rich in fibre like green leafy vegetables
Raw-vegetable salads
Fruits, mainly those with edible skin
Clear vegetable soups, plain soda water, lime juice
White meat, without fat
Fish rich in Omega 3
Green tea
Ground nuts, almonds and walnuts
Avoid
Oily food
Ghee, butter, vegetable fat
Red meat – beef, mutton, ham
Shellfish- prawn, crab, mussels
Organ meat such as liver, brain
Food containing Maida
Egg yolk
Fast food
Chocolates/ snacks with trans fats
Pickles
Carbonated drinks
Make sure you always have food that’s low on oil, especially fried food, food made with thick coconut milk and ghee
Ideal cooking
Use very limited quantity of oil for cooking
Use cooking oils that are high in PUFA, and also high smoking point
Use combinations of different cooking oils instead of using only one type of oil – e.g. corn/rice bran/ canola/ sunflower
Remove the skin before cooking chicken to reduce the fat content further
Opt for healthier methods of cooking like roasting, steaming, baking and boiling instead of frying.
To keep your heart healthy, you need to maintain your
Blood Pressure at 120/80
Cholesterol below 200 mg%
Fasting Sugar below100 mg%
Postprandial below160 mg%
And yes, make sure you exercise for at least thirty minutes everyday.
Remember, a healthy heart means a healthy you.
