Manage Cholesterol with a Healthy Heart Diet Plan

Heart disease is prevalent in almost all parts of the world today. In the United States, heart disease is said to be the leading cause of death. The same scenario exists in other countries. The rise in prevalence of heart disease could be due to a variety of factors, the foremost being an unhealthy lifestyle and food habits contrary to a healthy heart diet. Unhealthy cholesterol levels through unbalanced food habits mean that there is a greater risk of developing heart disease.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, in the United States, has declared this month of September 2010 as a National Cholesterol Education Month as part of a campaign to educate the public regarding the ill-effects of bad cholesterol management, which can subsequently affect the heart. Cholesterol management is an integral part of a healthy heart diet plan.

Cholesterol and Healthy Heart Diet

Many research findings have confirmed the link between high cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease. It has been found that lowering cholesterol levels, either through medicines or through healthy heart diet has a positive effect on reducing the risk of heart disease.

Cholesterol levels in our body are measured for two types, Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and High Density Lipoprotein (HDL). When the LDL cholesterol levels are high, plaque can build up in the heart arteries. This increases the risk of a heart attack. This is why LDL is also referred to as "bad" cholesterol. In contrast to LDL or bad cholesterol, High HDL cholesterol levels reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Thus HDL is also called the "good" cholesterol.

Following a healthy heart diet which manages to keep LDL (bad cholesterol) levels low, and HDL (good cholesterol) levels high, can significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes.

Follow a Heart Friendly Diet Plan with a Low Fat Heart Diet

The first goal in a heart friendly diet plan should be to lower cholesterol levels. Cholesterol recommendations in the US advise LDL levels to be below 130 milligrams and HDL levels to be above 40 milligrams.

Here are some diet tips to manage cholesterol levels in a healthy heart diet plan:

• Avoid Trans Fats in a heart friendly diet - Trans Fats are contained in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Partial hydrogenation is done to increase the durability of vegetable oil. Trans Fats cause increase of LDL levels or bad cholesterol levels and decrease of HDL or good cholesterol levels. Trans Fats are often used in processed foods. Trans fats may also be referred to as shortening.
  
• Use low fat versions of dairy products - Instead of using full cream milk or thick yoghurt and curd in your diet, use toned milk or diluted buttermilk to lower cholesterol levels.
  
• Include more fibre-based food - Food such as oats and barley are rich in fibre and therefore significantly lower LDL levels.
  
• Follow a low fat heart diet - Limit your intake of saturated fat. Saturated fat may be contained in animal products such as red meat and butter. It is also found in food such as coconut oil and palm oil. Saturated fat is known to increase cholesterol levels and should be limited by following a low fat heart diet.
  
• Eat vegetables, fruits and whole grains - Intake of fruits and vegetables has been found to reduce LDL bad cholesterol levels in the body, thus reducing the chances of heart disease.
  

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet planned by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recommends a "combination diet" consisting of the above guidelines. The DASH diet also recommends medium levels of protein intake as part of a heart friendly diet.

Pre Heart Surgery Diet

Those already with heart disease, or about to undergo a heart surgery need to observe a special pre heart surgery diet plan. Many hospitals provide guidelines to heart patients regarding dietary restrictions prior to the heart surgery. Some hospitals may even require patients to be admitted and a supervised diet to be administered to them before the surgery.

Overweight heart patients may be put on a weight loss diet a few days prior to the heart surgery. In pre heart surgery diet plans, hospitals recommend low fat, light eating. If the surgery is scheduled for the morning, doctors may advise patients not to eat after a certain time in the evening of the day before the surgery.

Alcohol intake may also be restricted a few days before the surgery due to its effect on medical procedures such as anesthesia.

Heart Patient Dietary Recommendations

Those who have already undergone heart procedures, following an appropriate heart patient diet as suggested by the hospital nutritionist will help in faster recovery and maintaining the health of your heart over a period of time. In case of recommendations for open heart surgery diet and post heart attack diet, the guidance of a nutritionist may be invaluable in helping you eat an appropriate heart patient diet.

Some general heart patient diet recommendations may include:

• Eating low fat heart diet and food which do not lead to high cholesterol levels.
  
• Eating a low sodium diet. Since salt is the source of sodium, reducing the intake of salt or using low-sodium salt would be an essential step towards lowering sodium.
  
• Maintaining an optimal weight by keeping calorie restrictions in the diet.
  

An ideal diet for heart disease patients would be both low-fat and low-cholesterol. This would help in the healing process of patients who have undergone heart surgery, as well as ensure that plaques do not build up again quickly. A healthy heart diet plan such as the DASH heart diet can be accessed at http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/apr97/Dash.htm to reduce the risk of developing heart disease.

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