Lifestyle changes to make:
Eat a balanced diet: Focus on whole, unprocessed food, vegetables, fruit, lean protein and increase your omega 3 intake (fish, nuts and seeds).
Enjoy your food and avoid overeating: Portion with caution. Try to portion your plate according to the “plate model” where half your plate consists of non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots and so on; a ¼ consists of high fibre starches such as brown rice, whole wheat pasta, sweet potato, butternut; and a ¼ consists of lean protein such as grilled skinless chicken, fish, lean mince, ostrich meat or soya.
Eat less food with added sugar, salt and bad fats: Cut down on unhealthy saturated and trans fats, which can raise cholesterol levels. These can be found in foods such as fatty and processed meats, chicken skin, butter, ghee, cream and hard cheeses, pies, pastries, biscuits, crackers, fast and deep-fried foods. Trans fats are especially harmful as they raise “bad” cholesterol and lower “good” cholesterol.
Limit added sugars: These include sweets, chocolates, and especially sugary drinks such as sodas, fruit juices and flavoured water as they increase triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. They also contribute to weight gain.
Cut down on sodium and salt: A high salt intake is linked to high blood pressure. Reduce your intake to no more than 5g (1 teaspoon) of salt a day, from all sources. Sodium levels are high in processed food containing preservatives, so prepare home-cooked meals or look for alternatives that contain less sodium.
Avoid alcohol: Avoid the harmful use of alcohol. Recent evidence has found that no level of alcohol consumption is safe for health, and alcohol consumption increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Stay hydrated: Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
Physical activity: Aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week — brisk walking, cycling or swimming. Muscle-strengthening activity at least two or more days a week will bring additional health benefits. Increase daily movement — take stairs and do household chores to stay active.
Stress management: Practise relaxation techniques — meditation, deep breathing, or yoga. Make time for activities that bring you joy and help you relax. Get enough sleep — aim for seven to nine hours each night. Enough sleep helps regulate stress hormones.
Cut bad habits: Rather than turning to alcohol, smoking or caffeine to relieve your stress, exercise regularly and eat a healthy, balanced diet as this will help you to feel energised and more able to tackle what life throws at you.
Learn to accept the things that you cannot change: Focus your energy instead on the things that you have control over. If you are having trouble handling stress, then speak to someone, whether it’s a friend, family member or a professional such as a psychologist or social worker.
SowetanLIVE
Follow a healthy lifestyle and live longer
A sensible diet, exercise and avoiding alcohol and tobacco reduce the risk of fatal heart disease
Image: 123RF
SA is faced with a crisis of deaths caused by cardiovascular disease, says the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA.
In 2020, Stats SA highlighted that key noncommunicable diseases, namely hypertensive disorders, diabetes mellitus, heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases, added up to 17% of reported mortality cases, and were recognised in the top 10 leading causes of death in SA.
“Every day, 225 South Africans die from heart disease and stroke,” says the foundation’s spokesperson Themba Mzondi.
“Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cerebrovascular disease are the leading causes of death and disability in SA, after HIV and Aids. Rapid urbanisation in SA has seen a change in food consumption patterns where people are consuming more kilojoules, sugary beverages, processed food, and less fruit and vegetables.
“This, in combination with other rising CVD risk factors such as physical inactivity and tobacco smoking, has resulted in a steady increase in deaths due to CVD in recent years. CVD places additional pressure on an already heavily burdened healthcare system and affects the livelihood of many South African households.”
Mzondi says one should make lifestyle changes to keep your heart healthy.
“At least 80% of early deaths caused by heart disease and stroke can be avoided by following a healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, managing stress and avoiding tobacco and alcohol ,” he says, adding that smoking is a significant risk factor for heart disease.
Mzondi says one should go for regular check-ups to monitor blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index and blood sugar levels, and maintain a healthy weight.
Lifestyle changes to make:
Eat a balanced diet: Focus on whole, unprocessed food, vegetables, fruit, lean protein and increase your omega 3 intake (fish, nuts and seeds).
Enjoy your food and avoid overeating: Portion with caution. Try to portion your plate according to the “plate model” where half your plate consists of non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots and so on; a ¼ consists of high fibre starches such as brown rice, whole wheat pasta, sweet potato, butternut; and a ¼ consists of lean protein such as grilled skinless chicken, fish, lean mince, ostrich meat or soya.
Eat less food with added sugar, salt and bad fats: Cut down on unhealthy saturated and trans fats, which can raise cholesterol levels. These can be found in foods such as fatty and processed meats, chicken skin, butter, ghee, cream and hard cheeses, pies, pastries, biscuits, crackers, fast and deep-fried foods. Trans fats are especially harmful as they raise “bad” cholesterol and lower “good” cholesterol.
Limit added sugars: These include sweets, chocolates, and especially sugary drinks such as sodas, fruit juices and flavoured water as they increase triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. They also contribute to weight gain.
Cut down on sodium and salt: A high salt intake is linked to high blood pressure. Reduce your intake to no more than 5g (1 teaspoon) of salt a day, from all sources. Sodium levels are high in processed food containing preservatives, so prepare home-cooked meals or look for alternatives that contain less sodium.
Avoid alcohol: Avoid the harmful use of alcohol. Recent evidence has found that no level of alcohol consumption is safe for health, and alcohol consumption increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Stay hydrated: Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
Physical activity: Aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week — brisk walking, cycling or swimming. Muscle-strengthening activity at least two or more days a week will bring additional health benefits. Increase daily movement — take stairs and do household chores to stay active.
Stress management: Practise relaxation techniques — meditation, deep breathing, or yoga. Make time for activities that bring you joy and help you relax. Get enough sleep — aim for seven to nine hours each night. Enough sleep helps regulate stress hormones.
Cut bad habits: Rather than turning to alcohol, smoking or caffeine to relieve your stress, exercise regularly and eat a healthy, balanced diet as this will help you to feel energised and more able to tackle what life throws at you.
Learn to accept the things that you cannot change: Focus your energy instead on the things that you have control over. If you are having trouble handling stress, then speak to someone, whether it’s a friend, family member or a professional such as a psychologist or social worker.
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