Prevention of Coronary Artery Disease (Heart Attack)

Lifestyle Changes
• Quit smoking.
• Control your cholesterol. This can be accomplished with diet, exercise, and medicines, if needed.
• Control your blood pressure. Follow the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet-which is designed to reduce high blood pressure with foods rich in potassium, calcium, and phosphorous-increase exercise, decrease alcohol intake, and take medicines, if needed, to control your blood pressure
• Exercise. Try to do activities that raise your heart rate. Exercise for at least 30 minutes daily.
• Relax and reduce stress. Stress can negatively affect your heart in many ways, but you can lower your stress level through talking about your problems and your feelings, exercising, and doing deep breathing, meditation, or yoga.
• Manage depression and anger. Treating depression and managing anger are important steps in improving your overall health.

General dietary considerations

•  The main focus is to reduce the amount of saturated fat you eat because it elevates your cholesterol.
• It is recommend limiting saturated fat and cholesterol intake, increasing fruits and vegetables, and limiting salt and alcohol.
• Some experts believe antioxidants may be helpful in treating coronary artery disease Fruits, red wine, and some teas contain flavonoids which may have especially potent antioxidant effects.
• In people with heart problems, omega-3 fatty acids may help reduce their risk of death.15
• Fiber to lower cholesterol. Eat foods that are high in soluble and insoluble fiber.
• Soy protein for animal protein should be beneficial to your overall health because of the fiber, vitamins, minerals, and low saturated fat in soy.
• Mediterranean diet. This diet allows fat mainly from unsaturated oils, such as fish oils, olive oil, and certain nut or seed oils.
• Alcohol and heart disease. If you drink alcohol, drink moderately (1 alcoholic drink a day for women or 2 drinks a day for men).