Diet or Exercise which is better for your Heart

Exercise and Health

If your lungs haven’t crashed yet, your muscles have all the strength in this world because they are not flabby and weak, you are always brimming with energy and most of all if that pumping machine right in the center of your chest, your heart, is still doing its job you ought to thank that very moment you decided to exercise regularly.

Alternate of Exercise

No doubt there are zillion benefits of exercise from preventing all those menacing diseases to keeping us healthy, happy, and active. But what if you are told that there is something which yields much better results for keeping a heart healthy than exercise?

The news is going to be a treat for all the cardiac patients out there, for the food lovers and for the people who simply hate to workout. Cheers slackers!

Being physically active is important to prevent heart disease and stroke, but why bother moving a limb when you can achieve more beneficial results by just changing your diet? (Of course, that doesn’t mean you being glued to your bed and eating for the rest of your life.)

Heart Healthy Diet

Yes dear readers, your diet! If you’re looking for a heart-healthy eating plan, the Mediterranean diet might be the right choice for you. The native cuisine of Greece, Spain, or Southern Italy.

https://researchpedia.info/wonderful-top-10-nutrition-tips-improve-health/

Mediterranean Diet

In past, time and again doctors, scientists, and nutritionists alike have highlighted the importance of the Mediterranean diet and considered it as an ideal way of eating and a key to longevity. Now they have conclusive proof of all that was being said about the diet for ages.

Reduces the risk by half

According to a study to be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 64th Annual Scientific Session in San Diego, following a Mediterranean diet could reduce your risk of heart disease by humping 47 percent, beating out the exercise in this regard.

Results of Study

Researchers from Harokopio University in Athens, Greece tracked 2,500 Greek adults, aging from 18 to 89 over a decade.

By the end of the study, 20 percent of the men and 12 percent of the women who took part in the study developed or died from heart disease.

Overall, those participants who stuck to the Mediterranean diet were found to be 47 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who did not.

Diet better for the heart than exercise

The study also found that women tended to follow the Mediterranean diet more closely than men. Profoundly interesting was the result that adherence to a Mediterranean diet was more protective against heart disease than exercise

Researchers Opinion about Study

“It also reveals that the Mediterranean diet has direct benefits for heart health, in addition to its indirect benefits in managing diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), and inflammation.”

For every gender and age group:

“It shows that the Mediterranean diet is a beneficial intervention for all types of people—in both genders, in all age groups, and in both healthy people and those with health conditions,” said Ekavi Georgousopoulou, a Ph.D. candidate at Harokopio University in Athens, Greece.

Easily Obtainable Food

“Because the Mediterranean diet is based on food groups that are quite common or easy to find, people around the world could easily adopt this dietary pattern and help protect themselves against heart disease with very little cost”

revious researches have linked this mighty diet with its role of reducing the risk for diabetes and lowering blood pressure but this study was first to monitor heart disease in the general population over the course of a full decade.

Eyebrow Raiser of the Study

It was admitted by the researchers that the study was limited to Greece in the Athens area and other countries might not reflect the same pattern.

But they did point out that urbanized Greeks were eating a more western diet, similar to that of Americans.

Having said that other studies have also shown that the Greek and American rates for developing heart disease are very similar. So it would be ok to assume that a similar study with Americans might give the same results.

What is the Mediterranean Diet

All the non-Europeans reading must be wondering by now what does the Mediterranean diet consists of? Mediterranean diet consists largely of fresh fruits and veggies, olive oil, fish, beans, nuts, and unrefined grains. A balanced, heart healthy, and easily accessible diet.

Eating the Mediterranean way

Mediterranean is most of plant based diet and meat rarely so if you are interested in trying the Mediterranean diet for your heart then some of these points will help you to start your diet: Try to add more vegetables to your meal – some of the examples are tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, cucumber, mushrooms, potatoes, spinach.

Add more fruits to your diet – some of the examples are apples, grapefruit, avocados, oranges, peaches, strawberry, pears, and cherries.

You should eat fish more frequently – fish will provide you healthy protein, but avoid deep frying of fish and try to grill it.

Add whole grains – They are full of nutrients and are good for heart health. They include oat, pasta, rye barley, etc.

Choose healthy fats – Go for olive oil instead of butter for cooking your food.

Avoid red meat – Or eat very less (lean)

Breakfast – Have eggs and Greek yogurt for breakfast

Foods to avoid – Refined grains, refined oils, foods with added sugar, and processed meat.

Get Started

Try not to think of it as a “diet,” which can sound rigid and laborious. Focus on all the wine and fish you can have.

If you are already into the Mediterranean diet, Good going! If you aren’t it’s high time to consider a switch. Do that, and you’ll set yourself up for long-term health.

Exercise is also Important

Exercise helps you to strengthen your heart, not just heart but it makes the whole body stronger. Exercise helps you to maintain your blood pressure and decrease the risk of diseases of the heart. It reduces LDL (low- density lipoprotein) which is also known as bad cholesterol and is responsible to increase the risk of heart diseases (heart attack) and stroke whereas exercise increases HDL (high- density lipoprotein) which is also known as good cholesterol and helps you to prevent heart diseases (heart attack). Exercises which are good for your heart are Aerobic exercises. These exercises include walking, jogging, running, swimming, cycling, and dancing. These exercises helps you:

In regulation of respiration

Improves your blood capacity

Upgrade efficiency of your heart

Improves distribution of your blood and

Transportation of blood to your muscles.

Aerobic exercises also help you to lose weight. Make sure to exercise daily for 1.5 hours  (moderate aerobic exercise).

https://researchpedia.info/benefits-of-a-cardio-respiratory-activities/

Conclusion

Diet and exercise both are an important part of your heart health! We can’t say either thing is only good for your heart. For better heart health you need to follow both of them. A good diet and regular exercise together make your heart healthy and prevents you from the risk of certain diseases such as hypertension, obesity, heart attack, stroke, etc. What is your opinion?

Resources

https://www.yahoo.com/health/the-diet-thats-better-for-your-heart-than-112715274652.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/mediterranean-diet-better-than-exercise-at-preventing-heart-disease-regardless-of-your-age-or-gender-study-finds-10088468.html