Cardiovascular Disease: Good Foods, Bad Foods

Researchers at Wake Forest university School of Medicine, have found that a diet that is high in whole grain food, significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Those who consume only 0.2 servings of whole grain a day have a 21 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease, than those who consume an average of 2.5 servings a day.

Data from seven studies performed between 1966 and 2006, on more than 285,000 people, were put together to come to these findings.

Even with the evidence of the advantages of whole grain, the consumption rate is rather low. Between 1999 and 2000 a nutrition survey concluded that only 8 percent of adults in the U.S. have an intake of three or more servings of whole grain per day. A high 42 percent of adults consume no amount of whole grain on a given day.

Examples of whole grain foods include wild rice, popcorn, oatmeal, brown rice, barley, wheat berries and flours such as whole wheat. A grain is "whole" when the entire seed is together, the bran, germ and endosperm.

Nutritionists recommend that consumers should look for "100 percent whole grain," on food labels.

Whole grains are not the only foods that will help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins and nutrients, eat fish such as Salmon or Halibut at least twice a week, use soy, eat foods that are low in trans fat saturated fat, cholesterol and refined sugars.

Try to stay away from processed foods and greasy foods. instead of frying your foods, bake broil or stir fry them. Don't eat to much red meat and watch your alcohol intake.

Small reductions in salt intake can greatly lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. The American heart Association recommends that a healthy adult should not consume more that 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, that is about one teaspoon of table salt.

It is good to increase your intake of antioxidants as well as vitamins and nutrients.

It is already know that obesity itself increases the risk of heart disease. So by eating properly and getting regular exercise, people can get healthy and reduce the risk of heart disease.

A Few Facts

Cardiovascular disease includes high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarcation, angina, congestive heart failure and stroke.

One in five males and females have some form of cardiovascular disease.

32 Million women have some form of cardiovascular disease as compared to 30 million men.

sources:

news-medical.net

supplementquality.com

clevelandclinic.org