safefood offers practical tips for a healthy heart ahead of World Heart Day

With Irish Heart month being celebrated in September and World Heart Day taking place tomorrow (29th September), it’s time to remind ourselves that our hearts play a vital role every single day of your lives.

safefood is an all-island body, set up under the British-Irish Agreement Act 1999. Their role is to promote awareness and knowledge of food safety and nutrition on the island of Ireland.

It’s important we look after and protect our heart and safefood has four practical tips on how you can love yours.

Staying physically active is extremely important. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity every week with muscle strengthening exercises at least two days a week.

Another tip is eat a balanced diet. Everyone should aim to eat a diet that is low in saturated fat, filled with high-fibre foods such as wholegrain or wholemeal cereals, breads, potatoes, pasta and rice, fruit and vegetables.

You should also includes moderate amounts of reduced fat or low-fat milk and dairy products. Having some meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans and nuts is also important. Make sure to include oily fish once a week and limit processed meats like sausages, bacon or ham.

You should avoid foods and drinks high in fat, sugar and salt (not every day). They are not needed for good health.

Lowering your salt intake to 6g a day or less is the third practical tip from safefood. It can help lower your blood pressure, meaning your heart doesn’t have to work overtime. A lot of the salt we consume is already added to processed foods and sauces so try to cut down on those. You know foods are low in salt if the label says it contains “less than or equal to 0.3g salt per 100g”. Foods are high in salt if the label says “greater than or equal to 1.5g salt per 100g”.

The fourth and final tip from safefood is to quit smoking. Smoking is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke. By not smoking or quitting now, you can protect your heart, lungs and blood vessels from damage. The good news is that there is great support from the HSE to help you quit. Get in touch with the National Smokers’ Quitline on 1800 201 203 or visit www.quit.ie.

You can help reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) by following these healthy tips but if you have any concerns about your heart health, please always visit your GP.

Cardiovascular disease is when your arteries begin to develop fatty plaques which reduce the amount of blood that can get through – this can lead to the development of a blood clot, heart attack or stroke.

Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death on the island of Ireland and worldwide so it’s really important we do what we can to protect our hearts and keep them strong and healthy.

Some other risk factors that may increase your risk of developing CVD include being over 40, being male, having a family history of heart disease or being from certain ethnic backgrounds. These are factors we have no control over so it is important we do all we can to keep our heart healthy.

For more ways to reduce your salt intake and healthy recipes, visit safefood.net