To be clear: If your heart gets sick, you may die. So, in order to have a healthy heart you need to live a healthy life.
While there an endless number of opinions and perspectives on what constitutes a healthy lifestyle and the means of achieving these definitions, maintaining a healthy heart is never on the list of controversial topics. This is because we should all be able to agree that in the absence of a functioning cardiovascular system, there is very little importance left of the need to further discuss what any form of a “healthy” lifestyle may be.
Although the understanding that maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system is mandatory for any interpretation of a healthy lifestyle, there does seem to exist some debate on how to make that happen.
However, it should be obvious to all of us that getting enough exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight, and following a well-balanced diet are all irreplaceable factors when it comes to our heart health.
The purpose of this article will be focused on the latter, diet. More specifically, the role that dietary fats play in affecting heart health.
In years past, there seemed to be an all-out war on dietary fats. The general consensus was that a healthy diet should include as little fat as possible. In more recent times, we have come to understand that fats are essential to many vital bodily processes and that there are different categories of fats, both harmful and helpful.
While the full rationale and differentiation between these two types of fats is by no means unimportant, our discussion will center around what forms of dietary fat should be avoided to maintain a healthy heart.
Let’s get one thing straight, the body actually does need some fat to live, fat is needed by the brain, for energy and for cell growth.
The key is which fats you eat, and how much fat you eat. Healthy fats, which include unsaturated varieties like, poly and mono which come from avocados, olive oil and other oils should be eaten daily.
It is the unhealthy fats that we need to be more wary of and discriminate about (https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/dietary-fats).
Trans Fat
To be clear, there are two types of trans fat. One form in naturally occurring in certain animal products and, while not completely irrelevant, will not be the focus of this discussion.
The other form, however, has been present in a large amount of food products until it was actually banned in the United States because it was so bad for the health of the consumer.
This form of trans fat enjoyed a surge in its overall usage when distributors realized that by turning certain oils into solids and then adding them to food products that they could extend the shelf life of these products tremendously. Not to be overly dramatic, but trans-fat is used for no other purpose than to embalm (preserve) food so that is takes much longer to spoil.
Upon learning the origin of trans fat and its usage, it is unsurprising that this added ingredient is terrible for a person’s health. Other than offering zero nutritional benefit, trans fat is associated with a long list of health conditions, heart disease being on this list.
Staying on the subject of heart health, trans fat causes in increase what is known as LDL, commonly referred to as the unhealthy form of cholesterol. In excess, LDL causes a plaque-like material to stick to the walls of arteries. This mechanism restricts the flow of blood, causing the heart to have to work harder to pump.
The American Heart Association reports that even 2% of your daily calories from trans fats increases your risk of heart disease by as much as 23%.
Saturated Fat
If trans-fat should be avoided like the plague, saturated fat probably needs to be avoided like the coworker that takes up half of your morning discussing their kid’s soccer game last weekend. Though not as harmful as trans-fat, this type of dietary fat still needs to be kept to a minimum.
Saturated fats are still present in many food products, especially in the western diet. Many dairy products, desserts, and meat products such as those offered at fast-food restaurants contain this form of fat.
In excess, saturated fats also have the ability to affect cholesterol levels in much the same way as trans-fat. However, when only allowed to make up a small percentage of your diet, the risk is relatively low.
How Much Fat Should You Eat?
The Cleveland Clinic reports that fat should make up around 20 to 35% of your total calories:
- Trans fats – 0%
- Saturated Fats – less than 10%
- Monounsaturated Fats – between 15 and 20%
- Polyunsaturated Fats – between 5 and 10%
Conclusion
Just about all heart conditions that you can have come from how you choose to live your life.
Eat right and exercise. It is fairly easy when you make your mind up to make the right choices and then act on your choices.
Take care of your self. Take care of your heart.
Be A Man – Do The Right Thing. It’s Your Life. It’s Your Choice. Take Care Of Yourself. Eat Right And Exercise.
BAM!!! Be A Man! Do The Right Thing.
Be the DtRTy Guy!