THE FOOD we consume can either be medicinal or poisonous to the heart. A healthy meal is beyond good taste, aroma, and appearance; it contains all the food values and the right proportion. Eating unhealthy food is one of the causes of heart disease. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year.

CVDs are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels and include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease, and other conditions, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

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Nutrition experts highlight the common unhealthy foods that harm the heart, and healthy habits or activities to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Claudine Umulisa, a nutritionist and dietician in Kigali, explained that poor feeding can affect the heart and result in malnutrition.

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Umulisa noted that some people believe that a poor diet is for those who can’t afford food high in fats, salt, and sugars, "which is wrong.”

"When people consume unhealthy diets with excess fats especially saturated and trans fats, the heart is affected. Saturated fats are found primarily in foods from animal sources and some plant-derived oils and fats.”

According to Private Kamanzi, the chairman of Rwanda Nutritionists Society (RNS), saturated fats are partially hydrogenated fatty oils. These are oils mainly made by industries that manufacture fats that add hydrogen in the process. The hydrogen atom added to oils and fats during the processing of oils produces trans fatty acids.

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Umulisa stressed that unhealthy food linked to heart disease are all foods high in saturated and trans fats either processed or homemade because such food builds up plaques in arteries which leads to atherosclerosis – a progressive disease characterised by the accumulation of lipids and fibrous elements in the large arteries.

"Food high in salt either processed or homemade can increase blood pressure, just as food high in sugars,” Umulisa said.

Alcohol consumption, Kamanzi noted, especially taken in excess is hostile to the heart as it compromises and affects the way the heart operates, like pumping.

Martine Umuhire, a nutritionist and dietician at Nutri-Sante Rwanda, said that alcohol contributes to heart diseases as it adds calories to one’s diet which increases weight, raises blood pressure, and increases cholesterol and triglycerides level in blood. Triglycerides are a type of fat (lipid) found in human blood. When you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn't need to use right away into triglycerides which are then stored in your fat cells.

"The heart is an essential organ in the body because it pumps blood around the body. The blood carries nutrients and oxygen in the body. It contains the body's defensive mechanism which makes it essential in the body,” Kamanzi stated.

Kamanzi added that when an organ that works like an engine to pump blood possess a problem, the entire body is affected. He also highlighted the dangers of smoking, stressing how it harms the heart and increases one’s risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases.

How to keep the heart healthy

Kamanzi urges consumption of food high in fibers because it regulates the bad fats, some of these include vegetables, whole grains, whole rice, and whole wheat like sorghum, bananas, and cassava. These assist the heart to function well, he said.

The chairman of RNS advises people to eat food with a high content of magnesium, and copper as it strengthens the walls of the heart. "Both the food and supplements of magnesium, like fruits such avocado, berries, pineapples, apples, and others are essential to the heart.”

According to Kamanzi, use good fats for cooking; these are mostly from plants, like olive oil, sunflower oil, and soybean oil.

"People complain that these oils are expensive, but they curb diseases. It is more expensive to treat diseases that occur due to using bad oils.”

Kamanzi recommends regular, moderate and vigorous-intensity physical activity as that strengthens the heart muscle. This improves the heart’s ability to pump blood to the lungs and throughout the body

Drinking water every day is advised for improving the functioning of the heart since keeping the body hydrated helps the heart pump blood more efficiently through the blood vessels to the muscles, he added.

Education for behavior change

On the other hand, Umulisa highlighted the need for education for behavior change, stressing that eating healthy balanced diets reduces the amount of fats, salt, and sugars, highlighting the need to alternate trans and saturated fats with unsaturated fats.

She warned against overconsumption of processed food like fried or junk food and sugary beverages or soft drinks as they are high in simple sugars.

"Watch your body mass index (BMI) to avoid being overweight and obese. Overweight and obesity result from an imbalance between energy consumed (too much) and energy expended (too little). Globally, people are consuming foods and drinks that are more energy-dense (high in sugars and fats), and engaging in less physical activity. That’s why they become obese and overweight.”

Health policies that create conducive environments for ensuring healthy choices are essential for motivating people to adopt and sustain healthy behaviors, Umulisa added.

She called upon health experts to identify people at the highest risk of coronary heart disease and ensure that they receive appropriate treatment to prevent premature deaths.

According to Umuhire, heart diseases are a leading cause of death, and some risk factors such as family history, sex, and age, can’t be changed, but there are plenty of other steps to lower one’s risk of heart disease.

A healthy heart eating plan includes vegetables and fruits, beans or other legumes, lean meats and fish, low-fat or fat-free dairy foods, and whole grains.

"Opt for healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado, and canola oil and be physically active by aiming for at least 30 to 60 minutes of activities per day. This can lower the risk of developing heart diseases and other conditions that can impose a strain on the heart such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes,” Umuhire said.

She advised getting quality sleep, noting that people who don’t get enough sleep have a higher risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes and depression.

Good sleep for an adult is at least seven hours per day but children should sleep more, Umuhire added.

She encouraged managing stress, explaining that stress can play a big role in higher blood pressure and other heart diseases.

"Stress can be managed through physical activities, relaxation, yoga, meditation, among other means.”

Umuhire stressed the essence of having regular health screening tests, for example, for high blood pressure and high cholesterol to prevent the risk of heart disease because these conditions can damage the heart and blood vessels.