We hear a lot about what we should eat or not eat to keep our heart healthy. Load up on vegetables and fruits, eat adequate amount of fiber and steer clear of trans fats & cut down on saturated fats.
But, less often we talk about what should we drink and not drink. In this article, you will find the best heart-healthy drinks – what should we drink & what we should avoid drinking for a healthy heart.
Drinks Good For Your Heart
Drink Water
There’s none better than plain old water for overall health, including your heart. Your body needs it. It has no calories and in fact, when you are not adequately hydrated, your body’s organs and systems don’t function effectively.
Blood circulation is also hampered in a dehydrated body. To make up for this, your heart is stressed as it has to work harder and beat faster to pump blood all through your body.
That explains why it’s important to drink enough water every day. How much to drink varies from person to person. A general way to ascertain your need for water is to watch your urine color – if it’s clear or straw-colored your body is properly hydrated, but in case it’s dark – you need to drink more water.
Common Drinks (Other Than Water)
In addition to water, you may have these drinks in MODERATION:
(i) PLAIN soda water
(ii) Unflavoured, unsweetened (less sweetened) milk
(iii) Herbal tea, tea or coffee (preferably decaffeinated) with or without milk.
Although it’s better to eat your fruits and vegetables whole, sometimes you may also have a small glass (125ml or about ½ cup) of 98 per cent fruit or vegetable juice. Consider adding still or sparkling water to make the drink last longer.
Unhealthy Drinks – Drinks Bad For Your Heart
Sugary Drinks
Sugar-sweetened drinks are very high in sugar and calories. They contain little to no nutritional value. I strongly recommend that all people restrict sugary drinks like soft drink, cordial, fruit drinks (that are less than 98 per cent fruit), and energy and sports drinks.
Ways To Cut Down On Sugary Drinks
(i) Get a reusable water bottle, so that you can take your own plain water everywhere you go.
(ii) Keeping water nearby you at home and workplace so that you have water to drink whenever you’re thirsty.
(iii) Adding in some chopped fresh fruit or vegetables to cold still or sparkling water for a refreshing drink. Mint, lemon or cucumber are good options that you can try.
[Read: Fats, Oils & Heart Health]
Alcohol
Healthy men and women should drink no more than ten standard drinks per week and no more than 2 standard drinks a day for men and 1 for women on any one day.
The less you drink, the lower will be your risk of alcohol related harms and for some people not drinking at all is the safest option.
Children and young people under 18 years of age should avoid alcohol.
To cut down on the risk of harm to their unborn child, women who are planning a pregnancy or pregnant should avoid alcohol. For women who are breastfeeding, staying away from alcohol is safest for their baby.
For people having cardiovascular disease or risk factors, the evidence is not strong enough to recommend a safe amount of alcohol and some individuals may need to avoid alcohol entirely.
Watch This Useful Video “How To Lower Cholesterol”
