Your Guide to Improving Your Heart Health

The most important lifestyle change you can make is to quit smoking, but there are other adjustments you can make to keep your heart healthy.

There are many steps you can take to help protect your health and blood vessels. Avoiding tobacco is one of the best.
In fact, smoking is one of the top controllable risk factors for heart disease. If you smoke or use other tobacco products, the American Heart Association (AHA)Trusted Source, National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteTrusted Source (NHLBI), and Centers for Disease Control and PreventionTrusted Source (CDC) all encourage you to quit.

It can make a huge difference to your heart and overall health. However, other lifestyle changes, especially those related to diet, exercise, and mental health, can also help improve your heart health.

Heart-healthy diet changes Manage excess body fat
Research in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has linked excess belly fat to higher blood pressure and unhealthy blood lipid levels. If you’re carrying extra fat around your middle, it may be time to make lifestyle adjustments. Eating fewer calories and watching your portion sizes more can make a big difference.

Include fiber into your diet
According to the Mayo Clinic, a diet rich in soluble fiber can help lower your level of low-density lipoprotein, or “bad cholesterol.” Sources of soluble fiber include beans, oats, barley, apples, pears, and avocados.

Make time for breakfast
The first meal of the day is an important one. Eating a nutritious breakfast every day can help you maintain a healthy diet and weight.
Eat fishEating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can also help ward off heart disease. Many fish, such as salmon, tuna, sardines, and herring, are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

Eat nuts
Almonds, walnuts, pecans, and other tree nuts deliver a powerful punch of heart-healthy fats, protein, and fiber. Including them in your diet can help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Limit your salt intake
If the entire U.S. population reduced its average salt intake to half a teaspoon a day, it would significantly cut the number of people who develop coronary heart disease every year, report researchers in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Reduce your saturated fat intake
Slicing your saturated fat intake to no more than 7 percent of your daily calories can cut your risk of heart disease, advises the USDA.

Drink tea
No magic is needed to brew a cup of green or black tea. According to the AHATrusted Source, drinking one to three cups of tea per day may help lower your risk of heart problems. For example, it’s linked to lower rates of angina and heart attacks.

Eat dark chocolate
Incorporating exercise into your routine
Move your body throughout the day
Practice yoga
Takeaway
There are many changes you can make to help keep your heart healthy and strong. Improving your diet, engaging in physical activity, and taking care of your mental health can all help with heart health.

If you aren’t sure where to begin, speak with a medical professional about your concerns, and they can help create a treatment plan that works for your needs and lifestyle.