How to reduce your risk of heart disease?

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in the United States according to the Center for disease control and prevention. Common risk factors for cardiovascular disease include: hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, family history, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, metabolic syndrome, and physical inactivity.

From that list, there are plenty of risk factors that are deemed, modifiable, which means you can make changes to reduce your risk. For many people quitting smoking, eating healthier, losing weight, or getting more exercise are more difficult than they sound. It takes a lifetime to develop bad habits, so it’s not surprising that it’s difficult to change.

Summary of steps to lower your risk of Cardiovascular Disease:

1. Achieve and maintain ideal body weight
2. Include a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, soy products, and low-fat dairy products in your diet.
3. Eat baked or broiled fish at least twice per week
4. Limit intake of saturated fat and trans fat/ try to consume food rich in omega-3 fatty acids
5. Limit alcohol intake (less than 2 drinks per day for men / 1 drink per day for women.
6. Reduce salt intake (< 2400 mg/d of sodium)
7. Exercise – Walking 30 minutes per day can reduce your risk of MI by as much as 50%!!!
8. Quit Smoking
9. Talk to your doctor about Aspirin use (risk of bleeding) but effective for reducing risk of MI.
10. Proper medical care for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.

Good food for the good heart

Here's a conundrum: While experts agree that high cholesterol and blood pressure are crucial heart disease risk factors, many people who suffer chest pain or even heart attacks have levels that are perfectly normal. This puzzle has prompted researchers to scour the body for other cardiovascular villains. Several have emerged in recent years, but the one that stands out the most is inflammation. 
The latest studies suggest that chronic inflammation of the lining of arteries is an important factor in the development of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. What causes this inflammation is not clear, but the good news is that (1) the advice that is given for lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and triglycerides also works fine for fighting inflammation; and (2) you can tackle all 4 culprits with the help of dietary weapons. In fact, you can plan your war against heart disease in your kitchen. Here is how: 
1. Think like an artist when you choose fruits and vegetables: Eat those with the brightest colors. They have the most heart protective antioxidant pigments. A diet high in fruits and veggies also provides another important heart benefit, salicylic acid, which is the same anti-inflammatory compound created when aspirin is broken down in the body. 
2. Increase food sources of omega-3 fatty acids which target high triglycerides in the blood. Good sources of omega-3s include fish such as sardines, mackerel; nuts and seeds; green leafy vegetables; grains like wheat, bajra; legumes like rajma, cowpea, and black gram. 
3. Reduce the amount of meats you eat, especially red meats, and always select lean cuts. Use meat as a seasoning for vegetable dishes rather than the focal point of a meal. 
4. Cut down on salt and instead use herbs and spices like ginger, garlic, turmeric and fenugreek liberally in your cooking; the first three are naturally anti-inflammatory and the last has soluble fibre which helps sweep away cholesterol from the arteries. 
5. Shift to groundnut, mustard, rice bran and olive oils which contain monosaturated fatty acids that help lower (bad) LDL and maintain levels of (good) HDL cholesterol. Drastically limit margarine, vegetable shortening, butter and all products made with partially hydrogenated oils. 
6. Fruits and vegetables, whole grains (wheat, brown rice, oats), beans and pulses, are also great sources of soluble and insoluble fibre, which trap LDLs and usher them out of the body.