A healthy diet can help boost your cadiovascular health
Heart attack has become one of the major health concerns these days. There are many factors responsible for heart attacks in younger people, including changing lifestyles. A healthy diet and an active lifestyle are often recommended to keep your heart healthy. Highlighting the same, nutritionist Anjali Mukerjee shares a post on Instagram talking about an effective drink that's beneficial for your heart. In the caption, she states, "India is literally the global capital of heart disease. Changing lifestyle factors like increased smoking, alcohol intake, sedentary lifestyle, stress, poor dietary choices, etc further contribute to the genetically predisposed Indians, being all the more prone to heart disease. One problematic outcome with fatal consequences is angina, popularly known as a heart attack."
She further writes about angina, which is a type of chest pain or discomfort caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle. Angina typically occurs as squeezing, heaviness, tightness or constricting pain in the chest, she states.
"The viscosity of the blood, its stickiness and its tendency to form clots are what you need to guard against. Food has a therapeutic effect on heart disease in the sense that some foods have blood-thinning properties. We have one heart-friendly drink recipe to help through this," adds Anjali.
Ingredients you need for Anti-Angina juice
- Chopped fresh pineapple - 250 gm
- Flax seed powder (alsi seeds) - 1 tbsp.
- Lemon juice - 1 tsp
- Fresh ginger - 1 tbsp
- Rock salt to taste
This is how you can make the juice:
1. Take pineapple pieces and ginger in a mixture and blend it all. You will get fresh pineapple juice.
2. Strain it for any residues, and add rock salt, lime juice and flaxseed powder. Serve fresh and topped with ice cubes (if you want).
Anjali also elaborates on the importance of all the main ingredients that are used to prepare this drink.
1) Pineapple
For pineapple, she states that the fruit has a high amount of Bromelain, which is one of the most powerful protein-digesting enzymes. Bromelain also helps in increasing blood flow through the heart by dilating the muscles that surround major blood vessels, something very important in the treatment of angina. Pineapple has anti-clotting action that may help to prevent stroke and heart attack.
2) Alsi seeds (flax seeds)
Do you know these beneficial seeds are packed with oils that get converted to omega 3 in the body? These, in turn, help reduce clot formation and keep the blood thin. Flaxseeds are heart friendly and they are rich in essential fatty acids, or EFAs.
3) Ginger
Now, this is one of the most commonly used ingredients in every Indian household. You must know that ginger has an anti-clotting ability. Also, it plays a role in thinning your blood. The active constituent of ginger called zingiberene has blood thinning and cholesterol-lowering properties. Thus, ginger is very effective in treating heart diseases.
4) Lemon
This is an excellent source of vitamin C, one of the most powerful antioxidants and has unique phytonutrients. Vitamin C prevents the development and progression of atherosclerosis thus preventing angina, added Anjali.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.