Introduction
We all know that we need food daily in our lives, to carry out our day-to-day tasks or activities. But is only consuming food enough for us? Does it give the necessary nutrients to our body? Of course it does! But, it will only happen when we take food in a balanced way or in other words you can say, when we will start taking a balanced diet.
A Balanced diet means the intake of food rich in nutrients in equal proportion. A balanced diet should be a must for each and every individual whether they are children, adults or older ones. All of them need food to live. And for living a healthy life they need a balanced diet. Their balanced diets may differ because of their age.
But in today’s date there are so many kinds of foods available in the market that a large number of people consume on a daily basis which is very bad for their health, especially the heart. The heart is one of the most important organs of the body which helps in the purification of deoxygenated blood in the body. A healthy heart means a healthy body and if it is weak then, the body will also gradually deteriorate.
For keeping a heart healthy nowadays, seems like a very complicated and difficult task but actually it is not.
How? By planning and implementing a balanced diet. We will discuss in detail about the balanced diet plans for achieving a healthy heart by both men and women below.
Fundamentals of a Balanced Diet
Since we are focusing on achieving a healthy heart, we will first discuss the key nutrients that are needed in a balanced diet of a healthy heart.
So, for keeping the heart healthy or to make the heart healthy one should intake certain nutrients. The food items which includes those nutrients are:
Fibre-rich foods:
- Vegetables like, leafy greens (spinach, collard greens, kale, cabbage), broccoli, and carrots
- Apples, bananas, oranges, and grapes are some of the fibrous fruits.
- As for wholemeal, consume plain oatmeal, brown rice, and bread made up of whole grain.
Protein-rich foods:
- Consume fishes, for example- salmon which are high in omega-3.
- Lean meats like pork tenderloin, 95% lean ground beef, skinless chicken and turkey
- Eggs
- Nuts, seeds and soy products like tofu
- Kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, black-eyed peas and lima beans are some of the legumes we can consume.
Oil-rich foods (containing monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats):
- Corn, olive, sunflower, sesame, and soybean oil
- Nuts like, Walnuts, almonds or pine nuts
- Salmon and trout
- Seeds like sesame, sunflower, pumpkin or flax
- Avocados
- Tofu.
Now, we will discuss the importance of hydration and portion control of nutrients in a balanced diet.
Hydration-
Our body is made up of 70% liquid which means that most of the processes are working in our body because of the water or liquid. That’s why it is very necessary to drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water on a daily basis to keep the functioning of the body proper. If a body is dehydrated then many problems such as headache, nausea and dizziness will take place.
Portion Control-
Intake of nutrients is indeed necessary but it does not mean to consume them in bulk and when the diet is for a healthy heart then, it is all the more necessary to prepare a proper plan in which the nutrients are divided in equal proportions.
A balanced diet for achieving a healthy heart strictly limits the intake of sodium (salt), saturated fats, added sugar and alcohol.
Healthy Balanced Diet Plan for Heart Health
You know for keeping a heart healthy, you have to follow a very restrictive balanced diet. It may not be an easy diet but for the sake of living a long healthy life, it is necessary.
Always think before you eat anything, think about how the food will affect your health on a long-term basis. Many people have this motto of eating everything you can while alive which is not absolutely wrong but the food should always be consumed in small amounts because as we get older our digestive system starts working slowly and this will also give relief to our taste buds while maintaining heart health.
Still, you should consume more food like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean protein foods. These foods contain nutrients and nourish your body which those foods with amazing flavors cannot.
Now we will see the following balanced diet plan to know how much portions of these nutrients we should consume in a day to keep the heart healthy.
- Make at least half of your grains whole grains , consume 6 to 8 ounce per day
- Drink 3 cups of milk per day
- Choose the protein of your choice and consume 5.5 to g ounce per day
- Consume vegetables, 2.5 to 3 cups a day, and
- Fruits 1.5 to 2 cups per day.
- Make sure that your half portion of a balanced diet only includes vegetables and fruits.
Tailored Balanced Diet for Men (Age- 19 to 30)
Ideal balanced diet plan for men is given below:
For breakfast, consume two slices of wholemeal bread along with ½ can of baked beans, one medium grilled tomato and a glass of low fat milk.
Optional: (morning tea – one medium apple, and small to medium sized coffee with milk).
For lunch, consume roast beef, salad and cheese sandwich (using two slices of wholemeal bread, 65 grams roast beef, one slice reduced fat cheese, one cup mixed salad). Optional: (afternoon tea – small handful unsalted mixed nuts and small to medium sized coffee with milk.
For dinner, consume 100 grams of fish with one cup cooked rice, squeeze of lemon, a small boiled potato, 1⁄2 cup cooked zucchini and ½ cup cooked broccoli. Optional: (evening snack – one cup tinned or fresh fruit salad, 100 grams reduced fat yoghurt).
As for vegetarians, they can just skip the meat part and replace them with either tofu,soya chunks and other green leafy vegetables.
Tailored Balanced Diet for Women (Age- 19-26)
Ideal balanced diet plan for men is given below:
For Breakfast consume Fruits (whole fruit = 1 cup): 2 cups, for example: 1 apple, 1 orange. Vegetables: 3 cups,for example: 1 cup of black beans, 1½ cups of leafy salad greens, 6 baby carrots.
For Lunch consume Proteins: 6 ounces, for example: ½ cup of baked beans or 1 small steak (5 1⁄2 ounces), ½ ounce of almonds. Grains (at least half should be whole grains): 7 ounces, for example: 1 cup of cereal, 2 slices of bread, 1 cup of pasta, 1 mini bag of unbuttered microwave popcorn
For Evening consume Dairy: 3 cups, for example: 1 cup of low-fat milk, 1 8-ounce container of yogurt, 1½ ounces of cheese, or equal amounts of calcium-fortified dairy-free products, Fats/Oils: 29 grams, or about 6 teaspoons , for example: 1 tablespoon of canola oil, ½ medium avocado.
As for dinner, eat a light meal which doesn’t contain fats and carbohydrates and consume them in small quantities.
Foods to Avoid for Heart Health
Since food has a direct impact on our body including heart, we should be very cautious about the food we are consuming. As for keeping a heart healthy you must follow the information given below and avoid them in your balanced diet.
- Do not eat foods that are fried and that come in packets, in other words processed food.
- Avoid or limit the consumption of saturated fats such as, butter and cream in your diet.
- If possible, completely avoid refined sources of carbohydrates such as cold or soft drinks which contain added sugar.
- Avoid eating the unprocessed as well as processed red meat or meat.
- Consume salts in limited portions in your day-to-day meals.
- Avoid consuming high sodium containing products.
Tips for Sustaining a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle
In the above we have discussed what to avoid eating and now we will discuss what to eat to keep the heart healthy.
- Consume food with unsaturated fats. For example you can take olive oil, avocado, sunflower, soybean and sesame, nuts, seeds, avocado, etc.
- Consume more vegetables, fruits and wholegrain cereals so that your body can be nourished with a variety of nutrients.
- If you eat meat, make sure that you have removed all visible fat from meat before it’s consumption.
- Baked beans, soybeans, and tofu are some of the legumes which should be included in your daily meals at least once.
- Rather than eating chips or any kind of packets you should consume a handful of raw, unsalted nuts as your snacks.
- Consume an oily fish at least once in your week and if it’s more than one, all the more better.
- For people who have cholesterol problems should consume low-fat or non-fat dairy products and only 7 eggs a week..
- As for alcohol, it’s better if you completely avoid it but if you can’t, only consume 2 standard drinks on any one day of a week. As a high alcohol consumption can damage both heart and liver..
Along with the right consumption of food, you should also focus on doing exercises on a daily basis, so that not only your heart but your whole body can function properly for a long time. It is not necessary to go for running, or do heavy exercises, you can just walk for half an hour two times a day, or do light exercises such as yoga. The best way to keep the heart healthy for a long time, yoga practises are the best for example- Vajrasana (Adamantine Pose), Malasana (Garland Pose), Santolanasana (Locust Pose), etc.
Conclusion
In today’s world where a number of diseases has born because of food that is not needed by the body, by following a strict diet we can keep our heart as well as our whole body healthy. It is not an easy task to maintain a balanced diet but it’s not impossible, all you have to do is control yourself by not getting tempted by unhealthy food.
For that you have to practice mindfulness along with yoga or exercises. All of us want to stay healthy even when we are above 60 years, and that definitely can be achieved if we work on keeping our body healthy now!