Recommendations for the prevention and control of cardiovascular disease

The ultimate goal of diet is to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, by reducing the more risk factors the better. Diet, within a global lifestyle change, has a very significant influence on all factors of cardiovascular risk modifiable: dyslipidemia, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity and others.

Those in the Spanish population in recent years They are being modified substantially, moving away from what would turn out to be the traditional Mediterranean diet, to acquire foreign customs more typical of Anglo-Saxon countries, a circumstance that is more evident among children and young people. Similarly, the Spanish population is more sedentary, spends more time watching TV and spending more time in front of the computer, and spends less time in leisure time physical activity. The smoking habit it has dropped slightly in recent years. The obesity and diabetes mellitus are increasing rapidly. For all these reasons, the recommendations to prevent cardiovascular diseases must include several aspects: modifying eating patterns, doing physical exercise, abstaining from tobacco and moderating calories consumed.

Feeding

The recommendations to prevent cardiovascular diseases are the following:

• Fats should represent 30-35% of the total energy consumed daily, distributed as follows: saturated fats less than 10%, polyunsaturated fats between 7% and 10%, and monounsaturated fats between 15 and 20%. Trans fat should be less than 2% of fat.
• The cholesterol of the diet should not exceed 300 mg / day, preferably 200 mg / day.
• Carbohydrates will be 45-50% of energy and proteins 15%.
• Fats, including cholesterol, carbohydrates and proteins are the nutrients that provide calories, so they will be adjusted to maintain the ideal weight.
• It will be recommended to reduce the intake of salt, and to eliminate salt at the table in the case of hypertensive individuals: it is enough to eliminate the table salt shaker and not consume foods that are very rich in salt (salted fish, hams, sausages in general, bread and biscuits with salt , chips, canned food).
• The alcohol it should not exceed 20-30 g / day of ethanol in men, that is, two glasses of wine a day; and 10-20 g / day of ethanol in women, that is, a glass of wine a day. Alcohol is not indicated in young people, as in abstainers.
• Consume fish (especially blue) at least two to three times a week.
• Decrease red meat; better the birds and the rabbit to the red meat.
• Reduce cold cuts and other meat products not made at home (hamburgers, sausages, meatballs).
• Use the virgin olive oil as the main culinary source.
• Consume 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day; and, if possible, that they are varied.
• Include legumes, whole grains and whole grains in your consumption with a frequency of several times a week.
• Encourage the consumption of nuts, in moderate quantity ("A handful" a day or at least twice a week).
• The contribution of fiber (through legumes and cereals and whole grains).
• Limit the consumption of ice cream, industrial pastries, industrial pastries, sweets and sweets, snacks, sugary soft drinks, etc.
• Moderate the consumption of precooked foods.
• Check the ingredients of prepared foods, avoiding those made with non-recommended or unidentified fats, for example, labels that state "vegetable fats" without further specifying.
• The dairy and derivatives are necessary but they must be skimmed or semi-skimmed products.
• Eggs are not prohibited; 3 a week is a correct consumption.
• Chocolate is not forbidden either; one small tablet a day is sufficient.

Physical exercise

Physical activity, practiced regularly and with moderate intensity, is a fundamental element to balance the energy balance, maintain weight, as explained in another section.

Tobacco

Quitting smoking should be one of the goals to improve the cardiovascular health of individuals.