How to Have a Healthy Heart

 A healthy lifestyle will make your heart healthier. Here are 12 things you can do to look after your heart.

1.Give up smoking

If you're a smoker, quit. It's the single best thing you can do for your heart health.

Smoking is one of the main causes of coronary heart disease. A year after giving up, your risk of a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.


2.Get active

Getting – and staying – active can reduce your risk of developing heart disease. It can also be a great mood booster and stress buster.

Do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week. One way to achieve this target is by doing 30 minutes of activity on five days a week. Fit it in where you can, such as by cycling to work.

3.Manage your weight

One of the keys to have a healthy heart is to keep moderate weight. If you are overweight, start a weight loss regime immediately. This is not to say you have to be thin, but the extra weight carried around the midsection of your body is some of the most damaging to your heart health. According to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, too much weight in the midsection will raise blood pressure, have damage to the heart, and raise your blood lipids in a negative way. Begin an exercise program focused on losing the fat of this section right now.

4.Eat more fiber

Eat plenty of fibre to help lower your risk of heart disease – aim for at least 30g a day. Eat fibre from a variety of sources, such as wholemeal bread, bran, oats and wholegrain cereals, potatoes with their skins on, and plenty of fruit and veg.

5.Cut down on saturated fat

Eating too many foods that are high in saturated fat can raise the level of cholesterol in your blood. This increases your risk of heart disease. Choose leaner cuts of meat and lower-fat dairy products like 1% fat milk over full-fat (or whole) milk.

6.Cut down on salt

To maintain healthy blood pressure, avoid using salt at the table and try adding less to your cooking. Once you get used to the taste of food without added salt, you can cut it out completely.

Watch out for high salt levels in ready-made foods. Most of the salt we eat is already in the foods we buy. Check the food labels – a food is high in salt if it has more than 1.5g salt (or 0.6g sodium) per 100g. Adults should eat less than 6g of salt a day in total – that's about one teaspoon.

7.Eat fish

Eat fish at least twice a week, including a portion of oily fish. Fish such as mackerel, sardines, fresh tuna and salmon are a source of omega-3 fats, which can help protect against heart disease.Pregnant or breastfeeding women shouldn't have more than two portions of oily fish a week.

8.Read the food label

When shopping, it's a good idea to look at the label on food and drink packaging to see how many calories and how much fat, salt and sugar the product contains. Understanding what is in food and how it fits in with the rest of your diet will help you make healthier choices.

9. Reduce the Stress

People that react frequently with anger are five times more likely to have a heart attack before age 55. Also,these people are three times more likely to have heart disease. Do anything to reduce the stress levels. Listening to music, participating in yoga or watching a movie or show that makes you laugh will help a lot.

10. Maintain Oral Health

Keeping oral hygiene helps keep your teeth white and glistening. What's more, according to Harvard researches,some heart diseases, such as coronary artery disease which is a kind of cardiovascular disease, may have connection with oral health.

11. Check Blood Numbers Regularly

Regularly checking your blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar is another healthy heart tip. Learn the optimal levels and never forget to have a regular checkup with your doctor. This is another tip on how to have a healthy heart.

12.Eat Dark Chocolate
Chocolate. Dark chocolate is not only delicious, but researches have shown that the flavoring in dark chocolate also can help avoid heart diseases. This has been published on the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers like John Hopkins also suggest that chocolate can have a positive effect on blood clotting.