Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death on the planet claiming 17.9 million lives each year. More than 60 per cent of all deaths in India is due to lifestyle diseases and out of these, 26% deaths are because of Cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the good news is that by eating plant-based foods and by monitoring a few vital parameters regularly, we can completely prevent heart attacks.
Let us first understand 5 vital blood test parameters that we all should be checking once a year after the age of 30.
Lipid Profile: Lipid profile is generally what majority people are aware of, however they do not give much attention or importance to the good cholesterol i.e., HDL value. Majority will focus on reducing their cholesterol levels however not focusing on increasing the HDL. It is the good cholesterol that cleans the arteries and helps avoid a heart attack.
Homocysteine: One of the important blood tests that people are not aware of and Homocysteine is one of the few reasons for sudden heart attacks. It is recommended to be checked once a year. I have seen many patients whose homocysteine levels are 70-80 while normal range is below 15.
Lipoprotein (a): Under LDL or the bad cholesterol there are large and small particles. It is the small particles that cause more damage to our arteries & blood vessels and thereby increase our risk for coronary heart disease or a stroke. A way to measure those is Lipoprotein (a), a simple blood test.
C-reactive protein: One information that I want everyone to know is that coronary heart disease is completely an inflammatory disease which means that inflammation is the root cause of the disease. And one test that measures inflammation is C-reactive protein.
Omega-3 Value: Apart from homocysteine, low Omega-3 value in our body is also one of the reasons for sudden heart attack. Not many people are aware of this, even checking this is not offered in India easily. However, at Reverse Factor we help people check their Omega-3 values.
Now if most people get the above vitals checked once in 6 months or a year and eat mostly plant foods, then they are drastically reducing their probability of getting a heart attack.
Let us also now understand five best plant foods for heart health:
Green vegetables: One of the most heart friendly foods on this planet is green vegetables. Leafy and cruciferous vegetables including spinach, cabbage, broccoli to beans family like green beans, barabati, parval are excellent foods that one should consume regularly for heart health.
Beetroot: Beetroots are high in nitric oxide, a compound that makes our arteries very flexible and dilate. Hence regular consumption of nitric oxide rich foods like beets & spinach.
Pomegranate: One of the super fruits when it comes to immunity and heart health. Fresh Berries & Pomegranate are top two fruits when it comes to heart health & immunity. A pomegranate a day can keep the blockages away.
Sprouts: Foods like Sprouted moong, sprouted chana, Brussel sprouts and many more having lots of living enzymes that are extremely heart friendly and improve blood circulation.
Nuts & Seeds: Superfoods like walnuts, chia seeds and flax seeds are high in Omega-3 and many other antioxidants. They therefore become very good sources of foods to be consumed for good heart health.
Equally important, apart from eating primarily plant-based foods, is to avoid deep fried, packet foods, dairy, animal protein and stress levels all of which damages blood vessels and our arteries.
(Karan Kakkad is a Disease Reversal expert based in India. He is the Founder & CEO of Reverse Factor. To know more call: 8100550660, or visit www.reversefactor.in)
