It is very important for people suffering from heart disease to follow a balanced and healthy diet as it helps manage the condition and prevents the symptoms from worsening. At the same time, others need to maintain healthy dietary habits to prevent heart disease and boost heart health.

To do this, it is important to understand what foods to eat, which ones to avoid, and the portion sizes to be consumed at a time. Keeping these factors in mind ensures that every meal has at least some components that promote heart health. Also, avoiding the consumption of popular dishes may be difficult, but healthy alternatives can be created with heart-friendly ingredients. Following certain dietary tips helps improve overall as well as heart health in the long run, and this article will help you do just that.

Top foods to avoid to prevent heart disease
Here are some foods to leave out of your diet, along with healthy replacement options for them:

• Avoid mayonnaise and opt for low- or no-fat Greek yogurt instead. You can also spice it with up herbs and spices and use it in a sandwich or make tasty dips.
• You can replace eggs with flaxseeds in your recipes. For this, remember that one egg is equal to 3 tbsp ground flaxseeds and ⅓ tsp of baking powder mixed in water. You can use this replacement for eggs when baking cakes and muffins. Alternatively, you can use egg whites and buttermilk for a good texture for cakes.
• Ricotta is one of the top foods to prevent heart disease, so use it to replace cheese.
• Give the beef a miss and go for turkey instead.
• Skip canned and tinned fruit and opt for fresh fruit instead. Similarly, give up sugary juices and have fresh fruit.

Apart from switching to healthy alternatives, it is important to cook your food in the right way to ensure optimum nutritional benefits, so keep the following tips in mind:

• Bake or grill your food instead of sautéing and frying it.
• Cook fresh food as much as possible. If you don’t know how to cook, join cookery classes or take help from recipes on the internet. This way, you not only avoid all the processed and packaged food, but cooking can also help you beat stress and directly improve your heart health.

Another critical factor to consider when trying to prevent heart disease is the cholesterol intake as high Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol can lead to a buildup of plaque in the arteries. This, in turn, results in poor circulation and can lead to the development of heart disease, or even a stroke. So, it is best to avoid animal fat and protein, especially red meat, and opt for lean meat instead. Additionally, opting for low-fat dairy products and sources of healthy omega-3 fats like flaxseeds, walnuts, and fatty fish goes a long way in improving heart health.