Eating your way to a healthier heart

Your heart is an important organ, and many would say it is the most important. What exactly is it about your heart’s job that makes it the CEO of your body? While your brain is the thinker, your heart is a tireless doer.

Your heart’s job description:

• It beats 115,000 times a day, that’s faster than you can count
• It pumps up to 2,000 gallons of blood 24/7 as it delivers all the goods like oxygen and nutrients to every part of your body
• It also helps you take out the trash by removing waste products

Your heart has an important job, and so do you

Your job is to keep your heart in a healthy condition. When your heart can’t work properly, your entire body is at risk. In Singapore, a heart attack is one of the top three causes of hospitalization and death. But, don’t let that intimidate you, because the road to a healthy heart can start with what you eat.

Tips to feeding your heart

A better heart starts with some bite-sized steps. According to the Singapore Heart Foundation, a Heart Smart Eating Plate diet can help lower the risk of heart disease by managing the portions of the food you eat. Portion control is key here. The Health Promotion Board of Singapore recommends avoiding “super-sized” portions that can lead to obesity while maximizing the nutrients your body gets with each meal.

The Ideal Ratio of a Heart Smart Eating Plate

The Highs and Lows of your Hearty Plate

The ideal ¼ portion of protein contains HIGH amounts of:

• Fibre
• Fresh Food
• Plant-based protein

The ideal ¼ portion of whole-grain contains LOW amounts of:

• Alcohol
• Fat
• Cholesterol
• Salt
• Sugar

A variety of fruits and vegetables can help maximize your nutrient intake. One tip is to make this ½ portion of your plate as colourful as possible. Every colour represents a different type of nutrient. it’s called “Eating the Rainbow” but don’t mistake this for candy!

Spoons full of diet tips

Here are additional diet tips shared by Mount Elizabeth Hospital to help prevent heart disease.

Ditch white rice and go for brown rice – It naturally has more fibre which can help lower your cholesterol.

Unsaturated oil is the way to cook – Olive, soybean, or canola oil helps lower your bad cholesterol (LDL) level and raise good cholesterol (HDL) level.

More fish, less fatty meat – Red and processed meats have high saturated fat and salt that contributes to higher risk of having a heart disease.

Snack on fruits to soothe your sweet tooth – Antioxidants, fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid, and potassium are just a few of the beneficial nutrients your heart can get from a daily boost of fruits.

Prevention goes hand-in-hand with protection

While the preventive tips above can help lower your risk, it is also worth having an insurance plan that covers you for heart attack.

A heart attack can cause significant financial distress. Like other critical illnesses such as cancer and stroke, a heart attack can cause up to 40% loss in earnings due to the inability to work during the recovery period. Having suitable insurance coverage can provide you the financial protection you need, should trouble strike suddenly.

FWD’s Heart Attack insurance offers coverage for heart attack – one of the top critical illnesses in Singapore for which claims are made:

• Get S$50,000 of coverage from as low as S$9/month*
• Available coverage for one year with the guaranteed option to renew up to age 85
• A death benefit lump sum of S$5,000
• Coverage options of S$100,000 and S$200,000 are available

You can also consider enhancing your FWD Heart Attack insurance with a Heart Disorder rider that covers an additional 13 conditions and procedures^.

Find out more about how you can get financial protection with FWD’s Heart Attack insurance and get a quote today.