Choosing the right food to eat is the first and most crucial step in preventing heart disease– a ticking time bomb that is on its way to becoming the killer for most Kenyans.
Heart attack, stroke, and heart failure account for about a quarter of hospital admissions and 13 per cent of all deaths in Kenya. This death rate is higher than any other African country other than Namibia. These diseases which are collectively called cardiovascular diseases (CVD) kill more people globally every year than any other ailment. The WHO notes that these diseases are the fastest rising among Kenyans, and with people in their 20s and 30s increasingly being affected, at current rates, the country is on it’s way to following suit.
From green leafy vegetables, legumes, whole grains and berries these are the foods you should be eating to keep off the grim reaper that is heart disease.
Green leafy vegetables
These include the usual suspects; sukumawiki, spinach, and cabbage as well as the nutrient-dense indigenous vegetables such as jute mallow (mrenda), african nightshade (managu) spider plant (sagaa, saget), amaranthus (terere), cowpea leaves (kunde) and pumpkin leaves.
They are cheap– ten shillings can buy the amount of leafy greens recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). They are also readily available as well as being prolific in their yield and easy to grow in small spaces such as your back garden or in sack gardens in just two months.
Studies have found that consumption of at least 60mg or one cup of green leafy vegetables a day reduced the risk of diseases of the heart and blood vessels. It lowerd the risk of various types of heart attacks and strokes from between 12 and 26 per cent.
The USDA recommends a serving of two to three cups of raw leafy green vegetables per day for adults. When cooked, vegetables shrink and this translates to a cup of vegetables.
Green vegetables are rich in nutrients and importantly for preventing heart diseases they contain nitrates that strengthen the body’s arteries crucial for pumping blood to the heart. Arteries are often damaged by high-cholesterol foods such as red and processed meats, fried foods, baked goods and sweets, and full-fat dairy like whole milk, and butter which form plaque along the artery’s walls. This narrows and eventually blocks arteries leaving less room for blood to flow to the heart and leaving you susceptible to heart attacks.
Legumes
These include all the common beans from rose coco to njahi, peas or minji, green grams, cowpeas, peanuts, and soybeans.
They are rich in fat-free protein and are a perfect meat substitute. They are high in fiber and help reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels all key contributors to heart disease and heart attacks.
Studies have shown that fibre-rich foods lower the risk of heart attack and stroke. According to Harvard Health men and women aged 50 and under should consume at least 38 and 25 grams of fiber respectively each day and 30 and 21 grams daily after 50.
A diet of at least half a cup of legumes every day for a month and a half has been shown to regulate blood glucose levels. High blood glucose from diabetes can damage your blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart and blood vessels.
Whole grains
These are foods that contain every part of the maize or wheat grain. Unlike milled refined grains they still contain the outside skin (bran) and part of the grain that grows into a new plant (germ).
Whole grain maize flour can be obtained from milling your maize or from store-bought options such as Soko Nutrigo Wholegrain Maize Flour. Fortified whole wheat flour can also be bought from any major supermarket in the country. There are also options for wholegrain bread, cereal, and confectionery.
Replacing refined grains with wholegrain foods has been shown to improve your heart health and reduce the risk of developing a heart attack. This is because fibre found in wholegrains is not absorbed in the intestine but binds itself to cholesterol which clogs the intestines and removes it from your body. Eating five to 10 grams of soluble fiber daily reduces cholesterol levels by five to 10 per cent.
The sugars in refined grains raised blood sugar levels 60 per cent faster than those in whole grains. High blood sugars are a leading cause of diabetes which crushes blood vessels and nerves controlling the heart and blood vessels which eventually leads to heart attacks.
Berries
Unlike most other fruits, berries do not turn brown when they are cut. This is thanks to their being high in antioxidants that prevent the initiation of browning.
These antioxidants also lower the risk of heart disease in both healthy people and those at high risk for the condition.
This is verified by a study that found that people who consumed three servings of strawberries and blueberries weekly had over a 30 per cent lower risk of heart attack than those who did not.
Thanks to their newfound appreciation as a superfruit and their lucrative prices berries are increasingly being farmed in Kenya in the form of blueberries, gorge berries, raspberries, blackberry grapes, and strawberries
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