Diet Plan for Heart Diseases

Heart diseases is a broad term comprising of spectrum of diseases associated with disorders of circulation, heart muscle and vessels of the heart. There are many types of heart diseases which affect different areas of the circulatory system. The common causes of heart disease are high cholesterol level, obesity, diabetes, hereditary, smoking, high- fat and high – sodium diet. So, the diet should be low in fat, especially saturated fat and low in sodium in case of Heart problems.

DIET CHART FOR HEART DISEASES

EARLY-MORNING

Have ash gourd soup in the morning after passing stool and brushing teeth well.

(It helps in strengthening the body muscles)

Or

Have lukewarm water + rock salt empty stomach

(It stabilizes kapha dosha)

BREAKFAST

Broken wheat porridge / Veg Semolina (veg upma) / Veg Vermicelli / Veg poha (Rice flakes) / Veg Idli / Veg Oats / Besan pancake (Gram flour) / Missi Roti / Chapati with Veg or Dal /Skimmed Milk / Egg white

(Having light breakfast is good for maintaining strong digestive fire)

MID-MORNING

Fruit / Fruit or vegetable juice / Herbal tea

(They provide essential nutrients to body)

LUNCH

Chapati + Brown rice + Salad + Vegetable + Dal / steam chicken

(A light lunch is also very important to maintain adequate nutrition levels in body)

EVENING

Roasted chana/ Rice flakes/ Homemade soup / Vermicelli / Herbal tea

(Having these food articles are very beneficial to avoid long hours of empty stomach)

DINNER

Chapati + Vegetable + Dal

(A nutritious yet light dinner helps in proper digestion of food articles and also avoid indigestion associated with constipation)

DIET INSTRUCTIONS

CEREALS

Cereals to be consumed

Wheat, Quinoa, Buckwheat millets, Brown Rice, Oats, Sorghum, Corn, Finger millet, Foxtail millet, Little millet, Barley

Flour Composition – Wheat flour (70%) + barley flour (30%)

(They are light to digest and in addition do not cause accumulation of endotoxins)

Cereals to be avoided

Refined Cereals, white refined flour, pasta, white rice, freshly harvested rice

(They cause endotoxin accumulation and leads to diminisition of digestive fire)

FRUITS

Fruits to be consumed

Apples, Cherries, Apricot, Avocadoes, Raspberries, Banana, Black grapes, Peaches, Kiwi, Squash, Pomegranate, mangoes, muskmelons, amla (1-2 in a day), papaya

(These fruits are very beneficial and provide the body with adequate nutrition. They add fibre to the digestive system and hence helps in digestive fire ignition if taken in adequate amounts)

Fruits to be avoided

Canned fruit, citrus fruits like oranges, raspberries, barries, grapes, lemons, strawberries, kiwi etc.

(They causes pitta aggravation, canned or frozen items contain preservatives and have excessive added sugar which is not good for health)

VEGETABLES

Vegetables to be consumed

Broccoli, Sweet potatoes, Spinach, Asparagus, Onions, Garlic, Ginger, Beans, Pumpkin, Zucchini, Peas, Carrots, Potatoes, Snake gourd, Bitter gourd, Mushroom, Bottle gourd,  Turnips, pumpkin, ash gourd, cauliflower, ginger, tomato, garlic

(The vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals. They nourishes the body and provide body with strength)

Vegetables to be avoided

Canned vegetables, frozen vegetables, eggplant, capsicum

(They are not good for digestive fire and hence helps in endotoxin accumulation)

PULSES

Pulses to be consumed

Yellow Lentils, Green lentils, Soybeans, Horse gram soup, tuvar dal (Pigeon peas), chana dal (Split black gram), whole black gram (limited), Pink lentils

Pulses to be avoided

Black lentils, kidney beans

(They weakens the already diminishing digestive agni)

DAIRY PRODUCTS

Dairy Products to be consumed

Low-fat milk, Cow’s ghee (Limited)

(They are easy to digest and controlled intake of cow’s ghee help in agni balancing)

Dairy Products to be avoided

Full fat milk, Cheese, Yogurt, cheese, Condensed milk, icecreams, butter, paneer

(They all are to be avoided as they are a high source of fat which is difficult to digest. Thus causing accumulation of endotoxins and aggravation of symptoms)

OILS

Oils to be consumed

Olive oil, Cow ghee, Soybean oil

(Do not hamper the digestive fire, do not result in accumulation of dosha)

Oils to be avoided

Palm oil, Coconut oil, Hydrogenated oil

(They are the reason for endotoxins accumulation,diminishing agni and hence dosha aggravation resulting in diseased condition)

SPICES

Spices to be consumed

Turmeric, Fenugreek, Cardamom, Cumin, Coriander, Cinnamon, Black pepper, dried fenugreek leaves, coriander leaves

They help in managing agni at desirable levels thus enhancing metabolic activity and balances dosha)

Spices to be avoided

Table salt, Red chili powder, green chilli, excessive use of cooking masala

(They are known as vishtambhi in Ayurveda and are very potent in suppression of agni and thus causes aggravation of symptoms)

DRINKS

Drinks to be consumed

Coconut water, homemade soups like ash gourd soup or horse gram soup, Green tea, Soy milk, Herbal tea (Arjuna Tea), Beetroot juice, Pomegranate juice, Amla juice

(They help in strengthening body as well as heart)

Drinks to be avoided

Whole milk drinks, Caffeine, Alcohol, Sweetened drinks, carbonated drinks, Packaged soup and Canned fruit juices, Coffee, Tea, Soya milk

(They are not good for digestive fire as well as has bad effect on rasave strotas thus affecting heart functioning)

FLESH FOODS

Flesh Foods to be consumed

Egg white, Grilled Salmon and Rohu, Shredded chicken soup.

(They are to digest and are balya hence provide strength to different body metabolisms)

Flesh Foods to be avoided

Red meat, Canned and smoked fish, Smoked meats like liver, Branded meats, Glandular meat (brain, liver, kidney), prawns, lobster, crab, lean beef, pork, lamb, ham, rabbit, Egg yolk, fish roe, sausages, mutton, salami, bacon, Salami, duck, goose, meat pies, chicken skin, liver, kidney, chest, Sea food fish, Processed meat

(They unstabilize the digestive agni and hence causes dosha aggravation which is responsible for various metabolic symptoms and also have bad effect on heart)

DRY-FRUITS / SEEDS

Dry Fruits to be consumed

Flax seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Chia seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts, Almonds, Soaked raisins

(They provide the body and digestive system with bala. Strengthening body means strengthening heart)

Dry Fruits to be avoided

Cashew nuts, Pistachio, Peanuts

(They do not have a very great impact on agni and also hampers its healthy working)

SWEETENERS

Sweeteners to be consumed

Jaggery

(Do not cause kapha aggravation)

Sweeteners to be avoided

White refined sugar, artificial sweeteners

(They are not good for digestive fire as they cause kapha aggravation resulting in diminishing of digestion power thus causing metabolic symptoms)

OTHER FOODS

Other Foods to be consumed

Homemade only

(Homemade foods are best to use as they do not have any preservatives, are best for digestion and do not cause dosha aggravation if ingested carefully)

Other Foods to be avoided

Bakery products, processed foods, Mayonnaise, Chutneys, Pickles, Junk food, Deep fried foods, excessive spicy, salty food items, Fruit jellies, Cream soups, Dark chocolate, Butterscotch, Coconut bar, Chutneys, Fiber bars, Miso, Pickles, Junk food, Deep fried foods, Spicy foods and Too much salty food.

(These all products are to be avoided because they behave as a toxin inside of body and also diminishes the agni)

HOME REMEDIES

CORIANDER SEEDS

Soak around 10-20 coriander leaves in water overnight. Strain and drink it the next morning on an empty stomach.

HERBAL TEA

Boil ½ tsp each of fennel, coriander, cumin in 3 cups of water till it’s reduced to 1cup.

TULSI GINGER TEA

Boil 1-2 ginger slices, 4-5 holy basil leaves, ½ tsp of turmeric in 2 cups of water till it’s reduced to 1 cup.

DIET AND LIFESTYLE TIPS

• Whole fruit should be preferred to fruit juices.
• Skipping meals should be avoided, especially breakfast.
• 2-3 Soaked Almonds per day Water intake should be increased to at least 8-10 glasses regularly
• Herbal Tea – Boil ½ tsp each of fennel, coriander, cumin in cups of water till it’s reduced to half. Let it cool down and drink.
• Wake up early in the morning and avoid late night sleeping.
• Try to eat as healthy as you can and do a regular check over your symptoms.
• Avoid having any kind of junk food, fried oily and difficult to digest food articles.
• Avoid getting over exhausted physically. This can put excessive pressure on your heart.