World Heart Day: Ayurvedic tips by expert to maintain healthy heart, lifestyle

The healthcare crisis that we all have been living through as we struggle to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, has highlighted an urgent need to be more aware of the importance of our and our loved one’s health and World Heart Day 2021 is a step closer to bridge the gaps caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD). According to World Heart Federation, “There are 520 million people globally living with CVD that have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19 in the last year.”

With changing times, it has become even more crucial to maintain a healthy heart since it is one of the most important organs of the body without which we cannot survive. Heart attacks have taken a serious toll in the past two decades and are caused by the deposition of fatty and calcified plaque in the coronary arteries, which hinder the flow of blood.

According to Dr Smita Naram, co-founder of Ayushakti, here are some Ayurvedic tips to maintain a healthy heart and prevent any ailments caused by piling up of toxins in the artery:

1. Take antioxidants daily. Curcumin in turmeric (Haldi), helps in improving these endothelial functions. 

It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is an extraordinarily strong antioxidant. Thus, improves the flexibility and capacity of arteries, if taken daily for years and years.

2. Follow a healthy diet by including lots of vegetables such as ridge gourd (turia), bottle gourd (dudhi), ivy gourd (tendli), snake gourd (padwal), pumpkin, leafy vegetables, etc and proteins such as green gram (mung), lentils, tofu, millet, rice, barley, etc in one’s diet as they help dissolve toxins and blockages from the arteries at a fast pace.

3. One’s combination should be 60 percent vegetables, 30 percent proteins, and 10 percent carbohydrates.

4. Exclude sour foods like tomatoes and all sour fruits like oranges, pineapples, lemons, grapefruits, any kinds of vinegar, etc from your diet.

5. Avoid heavy to digest foods such as maida and red meat as they are hard to digest and increase cholesterol in the body. 

6. Remove wheat, fermented or fermentation increasing foods such as yogurt, alcohol, cheese (especially old and hard ones) from your diet.

7. One can also incorporate this simple home remedy recipe in their daily routine by consuming it twice a day to maintain a healthy heart:

Mix 1/2 tsp. Ginger juice and ½ tsp. Garlic juice with warm water.

8. To try to bring a change in lifestyle and go for a daily walk for 30-45 minutes which would improve the heart functions and also help reduce cholesterol and weight.

Dr Smita Naram asserted that following these simple tips will surely lead to a healthy heart and lifestyle. As per the World Heart Federation, World Heart Day is important as cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the world’s number one killer, resulting in 18.6 million deaths a year.

Hence, it is important to look after our heart by eating a healthy diet, saying no to tobacco and getting plenty of exercise. Remember, missing medical appointments, lack of contact with family and friends or reduced physical exercise can lead to CVD. 

So, don’t let Covid-19 stop you from attending your regular check-ups especially if you have underlying health conditions like heart disease, heart failure, diabetes, high blood pressure or obesity.

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