Do you know your heart ?
How the Heart Works ?
The heart consists of 4 chambers :
2 upper chambers called Atria which receive the blood.
2 lower chambers called Ventricles, which push the blood out from the organ.
The Atria and Ventricles alternately contract and relax, to pump blood through the heart, to the rest of the body.
The heart Beats —- are electrical impulses. A normal range for resting heart rate is 60 —80 beats per minute. But over 80 beats per minute, may be a underlying heart disease. The normal conduction of electric impulses and normal heart muscle contractions, depend on the level of various electrolytes in the body. Impulses are generated due to the movement of electrolytes through passages called Ion Channels, present in the heart cells.
The chief Ions required for generating electric impulses are :
- Sodium
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Magnesium
Inadequate levels of these Ions, may result in the development of various disorders such as arrhythmias or palpitations.
But Heart Arrhythmias can be a form of heart disease and many conditions can cause arrhythmias, including:
- Smoking
- Alcohol abuse
- Excessive caffeine use
- High blood pressure
- Atherosclerosis
- Stress
- Drugs abuse
- Congenital heart defects
- Valvular heart disease….
Heart Disease is the leading killer of man and women. Being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease can take an emotional toll, affecting your mood and quality of life.
While weight control and regular exercise are very important for keeping your heart healthy, the food you eat have a big impact. With other healthy lifestyle choices, a heart healthy diet may reduce your risk of heart disease by 80%.
Who’s At Risk ?
Having high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels or diabetes will increase your risk of having a heart attack. These risk factors, are influenced by genetic. If you have someone in your family who has had a cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure you may also be at risk. But knowing your history you can prevent these diseases and others , through the Diet, and lifestyle changes.
A Healthy Heart Diet consists:
| Eat More | Eat Less |
| Health Fats : raw organic nuts, olive oil, fish oils, flaxseeds and avocados | Trans Fats : from hydrogenated or fried foods, fast foods |
| Colourful fruits and vegetables | Packaged Foods |
| High-Fibre cereals and legumes | Refined pastas or rice and sugars |
| High Quality Protein fish and poultry | Processed Meat bacon, sausage etc.. |
| Organic Eggs from pastured chickens | Processed Cheese |
Some improvements you can make to your diet:
Cut out trans fats because raising your LDL cholesterol (bad) and lowers the HDL cholesterol (good ), can put you at increased cardiovascular risk. Trans fats are found in vegetables hydrogenated oils, fried food, baked goods, even if it claims to be “trans fat-free”.
Satured fats found in dairy products, red meat, skin chicken.
Eat more healthy fats like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats ( olive oil, flaxseed oil) coconut oil, avocados, nuts.
Don’t replace fat with refined carbs and sugars. Your body doesn’t need any added sugar, because it gets all it needs from the sugar that naturally occurs in food.
Avoid sugary drinks, pasta, pizza and others refined grains.
Focus on high-fiber foods, which can help to low bad cholesterol and lose weight. Since fiber stays in the stomach longer than other foods, and maintain the feeling of fullness for much longer. Fiber is not digested by enzymes in the small intestine and don’t cause a peak in blood glucose. It reduces the risk of Diabetes, Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke in 10% with higher intake of fibre per day.
We have 2 types of fiber:
Soluble fiber or viscous fiber , form a jelly like mass in the digestive system. Fermentation of viscous fibers by gut bacteria produce short chain fatty acids, that provide energy in the body.
Exemples: fruits, nuts, oat, legumes and some vegetables.
Unsoluble fiber or non viscous fibers enhance satiety and slow gut transit time. Whole grains and Bran products lower the risks of cardiovascular disease.
Home Cooking
It’s very difficult to eat a heart healthy Diet when you are eating out a lot, ordering in, or eating microwave dinners and other processed foods. Because have too much salt intake (bad quality) sugar and hydrogenated oils. Without saying, that the food is not organic, the use of tap water which is not recommended.
Cooking at home will give you better control over the quality and nutritional content of your meals. You can choose where to buy good products. Making heart-healthy meals is easier and less time-consuming than you may think. You should preparing your ingredients in healthy ways. This means that you can bake, broil, roast, steam, poach or sauté your ingredients. Use olive oil or flaxseed oil, without heat, preferable in salads or over food.
About Supplements For Heart :
According to Dr. Stephen Sinatra I selected some good supplements for a healthy heart:
Fish Oil—–Is the number one supplement for heathy heart, because contain Omega 3 fatty acids, recognized for reduces inflammation in the body.
Magnesium —–is the most important supplement. All people needs magnesium because the soil is deficient, and you don’t get sufficient amounts from diet. The body needs magnesium for more than 300 biochemical reactions and is essential to regulate heart rate.
Probiotics—- Microbiome are essential for gut health, but it can also affect the heart health .
Vitamin D3 and K2—-acts together to maintain calcium in the bones and not in the artery wall. As a result it can affects the heart, when deposits of calcium enter within the arteries and can block blood flow, causing a heart attack.
Potassium—-is important for cardiac electrical stability. Deficiencies can lead to arrhythmias.
Coenzime Q10—- the best form is Ubiquinol. It is a powerful antioxidant and component of cellular energy production. Helps as anti-arrhythmic effect.
Resveratrol—–is a polyphenol , found in grapes, with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
L Carnitine—– is a water soluble compound found in meat. It plays a role in ATP production, and it’s the only molecule in our cells to move fatty acids into the mitochondria.
D Ribose—-is a naturally occurring sugar derivative of ATP, that helps fuel the regeneration of energy when your body can’t create. It’s good to take prior to activity. Recommended by Dr. Stephen Sinatra.
EXERCISE IS MORE POWERFUL THAN A DRUG !
Just moving 30 minutes a day, is the best way to preserve your heart healthy, and :
- Increase your metabolic rate.
- Reduce high blood pressure.
- Protect against osteoporosis
- Lower risk of stroke.
- Lower blood sugar
In conclusion :
Not only for heart healthy, but for overall health, you should considerer change your lifestyle choices. For example eat organic vegetables and fruits, drinking pure water and sleep better. Also supplementing with vitamins and minerals, fatty acids such as Omega 3.
Don’t take supplements before talking with your doctor !
by Helena
Naturalize Yourself !
Ref:
Dr. Stephen Sinatra.com
Lifeextension.com
Helpguide.org
learn genetics.utah.edu
Dr. Lair Ribeiro.com
Click here and buy the best supplements for your heart!
