6 attitudes to have a healthier heart –

Some habits like spending the whole day sitting, not taking care of food and not practicing physical activity, can harm your heart and unfortunately even cause death. Cardiovascular diseases are responsible for 30% of deaths registered in Brazil every year. The main causes are heart attack, stroke (Cerebral Vascular Accident) and sudden death. “The main care with heart health is directly related to behavioral factors, habits that can be incorporated into our daily lives and that cost nothing, unless determination”, emphasizes cardiologist Luiz Pereira de Magalhães, President of SOBRAC.

1. Take care of food!

Avoid fried foods and excess saturated fat, sugar and sausages. Prefer so-called “good” fats, present in olive oil, soy and corn oil and in their derivatives, such as vegetable creams. Add fruits, vegetables, greens to the menu, as they are good sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber. “Oatmeal is a great option to be included throughout the day, as it contains soluble fiber that helps reduce cholesterol absorption,” comments nutritionist Bianca Chimenti.

2. Get moving at work!

Sitting for most of the day is fattening, is bad for the spine, hinders circulation, causes varicose veins and can complicate the health of the heart. The tip is to get up from the chair every 40 minutes to go to the water fountain (avoid leaving the bottle on the table) and drink at least 100 milliliters of water. With this, you dilute the blood and reduce the risk of thrombus formation (blood clots in the bloodstream). Go to the bathroom whenever you feel like it. Thus, you avoid holding pee for a long time, which increases heart rate and blood pressure and stresses the cardiovascular system. You can also take the opportunity to stretch your legs and stimulate circulation: “Standing up and down your heel, leaning on your fingertips to stimulate the calf muscles and improve the return of blood to the heart. Repeat for 30 seconds on each side, morning and afternoon”, suggests cardiologist Janieire Alves, from the Cardiovascular Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology Unit of the Heart Institute of the Hospital das Clínicas of FMUSP (Incor).

3. Bet on the Mediterranean diet

Science has proven what experts have been advocating for years: the Mediterranean diet is good for the heart. A menu rich in fish (salmon, tuna), extra virgin olive oil, fresh fruits and nuts, vegetables and legumes – foods consumed in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea – reduces by 30% the risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes. The diet also suggests moderate consumption of cheese and red wine. These and the other items above are found in Brazil, but you can replace them with more affordable options, without compromising the beneficial effects of the original menu.

4. Moderate on salt

If you’re a fan of instant soup and noodles, be careful: they have a lot of sodium – a substance that, in excess, becomes the enemy of the heart (and the flat stomach!). So, moderate consumption and read the label, as some brands have up to seven times more sodium than others. The good news: by definition of the Ministry of Health, manufacturers have until 2014 to reduce this item of instant products and 15 other food categories, such as corn snacks, straw potatoes and stuffed biscuits. But right now you can save on table salt. “Two grams of this spice (the equivalent of a coffee spoon) have about 400 milligrams of sodium (almost 1/5 of the maximum daily dose for a healthy adult)”, says Roseli Rossi, nutritionist at Clínica Equilíbrio Nutricional, in São Paulo. . Adhering to light salt and herbs can help you on this mission.

5. Practice physical activity and fight high cholesterol

A balanced diet and the regular practice of aerobic physical exercises, at least three times a week, are important measures to maintain heart health. In addition to helping to improve the body’s conditions, performing physical activities favors the decrease of bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases the level of good (HDL) in the blood. “Choose a physical activity that gives you pleasure and practice regularly. Anything goes: swimming, running, cycling and so on”, says the cardiologist at Hospital Niterói D’Or Rafael Vilanova.

6. Escape from smoking

Smokers are 70% more likely to suffer a heart attack compared to non-smokers, because cigarettes open the doors of the body to risk factors for the disease: it promotes the deposit of cholesterol on artery walls and its oxidation (facilitating the formation of clots that can even cause a stroke) and facilitates blood clotting (difficulting circulation). “More than half of patients with coronary diseases are smokers”, points out cardiologist Ricardo Pavanello, from Hospital do Coração (HCor), in São Paulo. If you take birth control pills then the danger increases. “The estrogen present in the medicine makes the blood clot faster, increasing the risk of thrombus formation”, says vascular surgeon Ricardo Aun, from Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, in São Paulo.