Heart disease kills millions of people annually. There are factors that we cannot control, but put us at increased risk for heart disease. These factors include increasing age, being male, and having a family history of heart disease. Fortunately, one of the things that we can control when it comes to heart disease is eating a heart-healthy diet. This diet is good for everyone, not only people who have heart disease.
Choose foods that are low in saturated fats and trans fats – Saturated fats are most often found in dairy products, as well as coconut and palm oil. choose unsaturated fats, but you still want to make sure that you are not eating too much fat. Unsaturated fats are found in foods such as nuts and seeds, olive and canola oil, safflower and soybean oils.
High-sodium diets are the enemy of a healthy heart. It is essential that you keep your sodium intake as low as possible. For starters, cut down on sodas (including diet sodas), salty snacks and any other obviously-salty items.
Next to salt, sugar is your second-biggest enemy for your post-heart surgery diet. Avoid all products with high doses of sucrose, high fructose corn syrup and other sugars. Doing so will be much easier on your heart.
Increase your fiber intake – We should be getting twenty-five to thirty-five grams of fiber every day. Fiber is beneficial in promoting regularity, lowering cholesterol, and controlling blood sugar levels. You will find fiber in fruits and vegetables, whole-grain breads, and in beans and bran to name a few.
For the plan to produce results, it’s important to keep hydration levels up by drinking plenty of water: 6-8 cups is recommended. This also aids digestion. Some concerns about this diet stem from the restricted levels of calories and nutrition. As the calories provided in this diet are so low, it’s is likely that followers will feel hunger pangs and lower energy levels, especially by the third day. Vitamins and minerals are also low so that probably a multi vitamin supplement should be recommended as an additional source.
The cabbage soup diet is a great morale booster. And you don’t just eat cabbage soup either. You get a set food plan for each of the seven days of the plan. Over the week you get a variety of foods including fruits, vegetables, meats, even bananas one day. Plus all the soup you want each day. And you can vary the soup to suit your tastes. Cabbage soup isn’t necessarily bland. You can spice it up as you like.
But alas, no pastries or bread for the week. No brownies, peanut butter cookies or sweet potato casserole! No sweet desserts. But it wouldn’t be a diet without a little hardship would it.