Foods allies of the heart: we must pay close attention to nutrition to make our “engine” work well. Here’s what to choose on the table to protect it from cardiovascular disease.
Eyes are still on the football field during the European Championship match between Denmark and Finland when the Danish player Christian Eriksen, 29 years old, he collapsed to the ground: fortunately he was saved by a heart massage on the spot and then had to have a subcutaneous defibrillator implanted. Or again Albano, 78, who managed to overcome two heart attacks and was operated on; also the singer Omar Pedrini, 54 years old, he underwent an operation last June due to a congenital disease. The former Timoria leader had already undergone emergency surgery with an open heart operation in 2004 for an aortic aneurysm.
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In short, these famous cases must make us raise our attention to our heart muscle, put to the test even by the months of inactivity due to the lockdown. As the campaign reports Use your heart to stay connected with your heart – quoted in an article by Diva and Donna – in fact, cardiovascular diseases are still the leading cause of death in Italy. Yet not enough attention is paid to prevention by checking the blood pressure, triglycerides and Ldl cholesterol, blood sugar and body mass index.
In addition to all this, it is essential to pay attention to nutrition: eating well is the first step to staying healthy.
Foods allies of the heart: what to put on the table
First you need to limit frying and high-fat foods and seasonings. Then prefer fruit and vegetables, white meats, legumes. Let’s see in detail:
- fish preferably blue fish (salmon, sardines, anchovies) rich in Omega-3 fatty acids
- white meat (chicken, turkey, rabbit)
- fresh fruit such as oranges, mangoes, kiwis, mandarins, plums, apricots, blueberries, cherries, apples, melon, pineapple
- dried fruit (walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts)
- vegetables, especially spinach, red radicchio, mushrooms, zucchini, rocket, fennel
- dark chocolate in moderate quantities
As for the consumption of alcohol, a glass of wine per meal is allowed, since the polyphenols it contains have antioxidant properties that serve to counteract bad cholesterol.
However, we remind you that this is general information that has no medical value: for any eventuality it is essential to contact your trusted doctor and a nutritionist who will be able to identify the right path for you.
