Top 10 healthy heart tips

 A healthy lifestyle will make your heart healthier. Here are 10 things you can do to look after your heart.

Give up smoking

If you're a smoker, quit. It's the single best thing you can do for your heart health.

Smoking is one of the main causes of coronary heart disease. A year after giving up, your risk of a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.

You're more likely to stop smoking for good if you use NHS stop smoking services. Visit the Smokefree website or ask your GP for help with quitting.

Get active

Getting and staying active can reduce your risk of developing heart disease. It can also be a great mood booster and stress buster.

Do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week. One way to achieve this target is by doing 30 minutes of activity on five days a week. Fit it in where you can, such as by cycling to work.

Manage your weight

Being overweight can increase your risk of heart disease. Stick to a well-balanced diet low in fat and sugar and high in fruit and vegetables, combined with plenty of physical activity.

Find out if you are a healthy weight with the BMI calculator. If you are overweight, download the 12-week weight loss plan.

Eat more fibre

Eat plenty of fibre to help lower your risk of heart disease – aim for at least 30g a day. High-fibre foods can also help you avoid gaining weight. Eat a mix of types like wholemeal bread, bran and wholegrain cereals and plenty of fruit and veg.

Cut saturated fat

Small changes to your diet can have positive health benefits. Choose semi-skimmed over full-fat milk and leaner cuts of meat; steam or grill foods, rather than frying them.

Read the facts about fat.

Get your 5 A DAY

Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. They're a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals. There are lots of tasty ways to get your 5 A DAY, like adding chopped fruit to cereal or including vegetables in your pasta sauces and curries. Get more 5 A DAY fruit and veg tips.

Cut out salt

To maintain healthy blood pressure, stop using salt at the table and try adding less to your cooking. Once you get used to the taste of food without added salt, you can cut it out completely.

Watch out for high salt levels in processed foods. Check the food labels – a food is high in salt if it has more than 1.5g salt (or 0.6g sodium) per 100g.

Eat fish

Eat fish twice a week, including a portion of oily fish. Fish such as mackerel, sardines, fresh tuna and salmon are an excellent source of omega-3 fats, which can help protect against heart disease.

Drink less alcohol

Alcohol can be fattening. Five pints of lager a week adds up to 44,200 calories over a year – equivalent to eating 221 doughnuts. Stick to the recommended daily alcohol limits to reduce the risks to your heart health from alcohol.

Read the food label

When shopping, look at the food label on food packets to see what the product contains. Understanding what is in food will help you make healthier choices

(sourch by : http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Healthyhearts/Pages/Healthy-heart-tips.aspx)