Do you know who the “number one killer” of health is?Not the cancer that everyone fears, but.cardiovascular disease.Recently, the American Heart Association (AHA).Made a love “heart” meal order.Dietary Guidelines for Improving Cardiovascular Health 2021 Edition.(hereinafter referred to as the “Guide”).Gives 10 tips on what to eat.It can help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
01 Balance your energy intake and maintain a healthy weight.
Vernacular: eat balance.
The question is: How can you tell if you are at a healthy weight?
Look at the body mass index (BMI), calculated as weight in kilograms ÷ height in meters squared.
So, what is the best energy intake?
The guide doesn’t give specific answers because it’s too personal. But consider the Chinese pagoda of balanced diet, which is suitable for most people.
One thing is certain: at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week helps with energy balance.
What is moderate intensity exercise?
Just one criterion — activities that require a little effort but allow you to talk easily, such as brisk walking, dancing, playing tennis, doing chores (mopping the floor, hand-washing large clothes, etc.).
Eating less is also important, the Nutrition Society recommends. Keep a scale at home and weigh yourself on an empty stomach before breakfast. Adjust your eating and exercise balance as you go.
02 Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Especially dark fruits and vegetables (such as dark green, red, orange, Burgundy, etc.).
For example, spinach, rape, water cabbage, leeks, broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, purple cabbage and so on.
Pay attention! Fruits and vegetables are best eaten whole. They have more fiber than fruit and vegetable juice and are more filling.
The Nutrition Society recommends that healthy adults eat at least 300 grams of vegetables a day, half of which are dark vegetables and 200 to 350 grams of fruit.
It is better to have more than 4 kinds of fruits and vegetables per day and more than 10 kinds per week.
Remember a word: fruit every day, vegetables every meal.
Fruits and vegetables of all types (fresh, frozen, canned, sun-dried) have cardiovascular benefits. Fruit crackers and freeze-dried fruits are delicious and healthy. But keep an eye on the ingredients list for too much salt and sugar.
03 Choose whole grains over refined grains.
In plain English: eat more coarse grains.
Common whole grains are: brown rice, millet, rhubarb rice, corn, sorghum, black rice, buckwheat, oats, quinoa, Job’s tears and so on.
The Nutrition Society recommends that adults consume 200 to 300 grams of cereal a day, including 50 to 150 grams of whole grains and beans, and 50 to 100 grams of potato.
Equivalent to two to three fist sized steamed buns (cooked), add one fist size of mixed grain mixed bean rice (cooked), and add one fist size of potatoes or sweet potatoes.
04 Choose healthy sources of protein.
Eat more beans and their products and fish.
(This is a long but important part, so be sure to finish it.).
(1) Choose good plant protein and eat more beans and nuts.
Tofu, dried beans, soymilk, soy beans, black beans, chickpeas, green beans, etc., can eat a little.
Pay attention! When choosing “vegetarian meat,” check the ingredient list and avoid products high in salt, sugar and fat.
The Nutrition Society recommends that adults consume 25 to 35 grams of soy and nuts per day, including about 70 grams of nuts per week. It is equivalent to eating 20~25 grams (about a handful and a half) of shell sunflower seeds every day, or 2~3 walnuts, preferred original flavor.
(A handful of sunflower seeds is about 20-25 grams.).
(2) Eat fish or seafood every week, preferably non-fried.
The Nutrition Society recommends that you consume 280 to 525 grams of fish per week, which is 40 to 75 grams per day. You can choose boiling, steaming, frying and other cooking methods. Preferred steaming, can be steamed after pouring juice.
(A palm-sized piece of raw fish, or a handful of shrimp in one hand, has about 50 grams of edible parts.
(3) Drink milk every day.
Whole milk is preferred as long as it is not fat.
If you love to drink milk, will drink more than 500 ml a day, it is recommended to choose skim or low fat milk.
The Nutrition Society recommends at least 300 milliliters of milk per person per day.
(4) Eat less red meat, mainly pig, cow, lamb or offal.
It is recommended to control the amount of red meat.
The Nutrition Society recommends consuming 40 to 75 grams of animal meat per person per day, and cutting down on fatty meats, smoked and cured meat products. Meat can be fried, roasted, stewed, steamed, fried and stewed.
05 Use vegetable oil instead of animal fat.
Eat less butter, lard, and tropical vegetable oils (coconut, palm).
Recommended oils: soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, walnut oil, flaxseed oil, canola oil, olive oil, camellia oil, etc.
Deep-sea fish and nuts also contain heart-healthy oils.
Nutrition Society recommends: oil intake per person per day is 25 to 30 grams, as little as possible to use the method of frying.
06 Eat as little ultra-processed food as possible.
In plain English: The more it does not look like the raw material, the less recommended you eat it.
What is ultra-processed food?
The most popular understanding: add a lot of spices, pigments, emulsifiers, flavor enhancers, etc., are processed to even the mother do not know, is ultra-processed food.
Here’s a simple example:
Fresh blueberries are a natural food;
When made into blueberry jam, it belongs to processed food;
Blueberry-flavored cookies are ultra-processed foods.
What you can eat:
Natural or minimally processed foods: fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, fresh pasteurized milk, unsweetened yogurt, tea and coffee, etc.
Processed cooking materials: vegetable oil, salt, sugar, lard, honey, etc.
Eat as little as possible:
Processed foods: With light processing, it’s easy to identify the ingredients, such as canned fruits and vegetables, sweetened or salted nuts, freshly baked bread or cheese.
Best not to eat:
Ultra-processed foods: soft drinks, sweet and salty snacks, sweets, chocolate, ice cream, bagged cakes, biscuits, sweet cereal breakfast, milk drinks, fruity yogurt, processed meat products, etc. If you really want to eat, try to choose low sugar, low salt, low fat.
07 Keep sweet drinks and sweets to a minimum.
In plain English: Happy water, donuts, take them all.
Take a look at the ingredient list. If there’s glucose, sucrose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc., and the amount isn’t low, it’s best to control yourself.
The Nutrition Society recommends limiting your daily intake of added sugars to 50 grams, preferably 25 grams.
The sugar content of sweet drinks is about 8%~11%, some as high as 13%, drinking a bottle (500 ml) will exceed the standard.
08 Cook and buy food with little or no salt.
In plain English: Less salt, less salt, less salt!
If you can’t control your salt hands, it’s a good idea to substitute low-sodium salt for regular table salt.
The Nutrition Society recommends limiting salt intake to less than 5 grams per day [3].
When cooking at home, use a limited salt spoon.
Supermarket to buy packaged food to look at the table, try to choose low salt or no salt. If the package contains more than 30NRV (nutrient reference value), it’s best not to buy it.
09 If you don’t drink, don’t try it; Those who drink alcohol should also drink as little as possible.
Wine is not a good thing. You’d better not drink it!
There is no benefit to drinking alcohol, which is not recommended by the guidelines and is best avoided at all.
The Nutrition Society recommends that children, teens, pregnant women, and lactating mothers avoid alcohol.
If you enjoy a single drink, you should consume no more than 15g of alcohol that day, equivalent to 450ml of beer (about 500ml for a bottle of beer), 150ml of wine, 50ml of 38-proof liquor, or 30ml of 52-proof liquor.
10 This guide should be followed whether you’re eating out or cooking at home.
In plain English: listen to me, guarantee your heart health.
Food is not a soulless number made up of cold nutrients, but the tip of our tongue to enjoy.
So, the guidelines want people to focus on eating a balanced diet, not overeating, not picky or partial food, rather than trapping you in certain foods or nutrients.
Just remember these 9 things before you put your food in your mouth, and eat everything and nothing.
