Diet and Exercise are two things that are well in your control which can defend you against the potential cardiovascular diseases. But maintaining a healthy diet by making a few changes can pay rich dividends and more importantly, it is way easy compared to that of exercise and also simple to stick with.

So here are the three core diet changes that can drastically reduce the risk of heart disease:

Diet Change 1: Reduce Trans & Saturated fats and Increase Unsaturated fats:

Foods with high levels of saturated fats increase the total cholesterol levels in the body, particularly the LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) whose high levels are strongly associated with an increase in the risk of heart diseases. If Saturated fats are bad for health, Tran’s fats are even more harmful as they not only increase the bad cholesterol but also decrease the good cholesterol

At the same time, foods high in unsaturated fats increase the HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) and help in decreasing the total cholesterol levels helping your heart in the process. So increasing the unsaturated fats at the expense of Trans & Saturated fats to get the right amounts of calories is the key here. Here is a simple guide for you to accomplish this:

Diet change 2: Eat less salt

Salt increases blood pressure which is a major risk factor in heart diseases. Most of the people consume more salt than required without being aware of it. Fast foods, packaged food are the main sources of high salt and these unhealthy habits can put a toll on your heart by increasing the blood pressure. Anything more than one teaspoon is considered excess and you can make sure stay in healthy salt range by reducing the fast food takeaways and avoiding the packaged food with added salt it.

Eat more fruits and vegetables:

This is no longer a tip but an essential food habit that everyone must inculcate in their daily routine. They an extraordinary source of antioxidants that help heart prevent the heart disease and are a great source of fiber that helps lower the cholesterol levels in the body. All this by making your stomach full and providing low calories to help you maintain your weight: a complete package. Spinach, Tomatoes, Broccoli, beans, peas, red grapes are some of the must eat fruits and vegetables that are found to help the heart. So make sure you get at least 3 servings of different fruits and vegetable in a day to ward off the risk of heart disease.

Remember folks, it’s the simple choices that peddle a host of health benefits. Make this three simple changes and your heart will thank you.