Over the past two decades, Canadians have madesignificant changes in lifestyle and, as a result, the risk of heart disease has gone down. Paying more attention to the foods you eat is one simple step that you can take to help keep your heart healthy.
Heart healthy eating involves making food choices that help to decrease blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a hard, waxy substance that is made by our bodies using certain types of fat found in foods.
Cholesterol can attach itself to our blood vessel walls which makes it difficult for blood to flow normally and strains the heart. Choosing lower fat foods can help to keep your blood cholesterol levels in check.
Heart healthy eating also means choosing foods that will reduce your blood pressure and decrease your body weight (if you are overweight or obese).
Choosing foods that are high in salt can increase blood pressure, as can being overweight or obese. High blood pressure can damage blood vessels and increase your risk for heart disease.
Avoiding foods that contain large amounts of salt and achieving a healthy body weight help to prevent high blood pressure and heart disease
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