The heart pumps about 10,000 liters of blood around the body every day. The blood acts as a carrier to deliver oxygen and nutrients to muscles, cells, and tissues. If something is happened to the heart, the functions of various parts of the body may be affected in one way or the other. A healthy diet can not only reduce the risk of developing heart disease but also increase the chances of survival after a heart attack. Maintaining an ideal weight as a result of healthy diet can reduce the strain on heart; blood cholesterol level and hence the blood pressure; and lower the risk of stroke.

During World War II, beri-beri heart disease was very common because of Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency. But, nutritional deficiency is not a major cause of heart disease nowadays. The main problem facing most people now is eating too much sugar and fat but not getting enough vitamin and mineral required.

The diet we consume consists of two components: macro-nutrients and micro-nutrient. Macro-nutrients are carbohydrate, protein and fat, while micro-nutrients are vitamins and minerals. The key is you need to strike a balance between these two. Because of the bad effect of fatty foods (those consist of bad fats, of course), people tend to replace fat and protein with pure carbohydrates. Eating a lot of carbohydrates can probably reduce the risk of heart disease because of low cholesterol level. The weight, however, will be gained and so obesity, one of the risk factors for heart disease, may come into picture. Intake of pure carbohydrates can also cause vitamin deficiency. Vitamins B12 and folic acid are good at preventing anaemia that can weaken body, including the heart.

Taking vitamin supplements may not help you in preventing heart disease, but insufficient intake of the required vitamins may make you a possible candidate of heart disease. In The Food Doctor, a book written by nutritionist authors Ian Marber and Vicki Edgson, used ACE to describe three essential vitamins that keep the heart healthy. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, together with vitamins A and E, can stop food from oxidizing and protect the heart by attacking the harmful chemicals in the blood that are known as free radicals. It is believed that free radicals speed up the process of hardening of the arteries.

A balance diet is one with less fatty foods, less saturated fat, less sugar, and less salt. A small change in the salt intake can reduce the chances of hypertension. Meantime, you should include Omega 3 fatty acids that can be found in fish and fish oils to protect against coronary heart disease. Drinking a glass of wine a day with your meal is acceptable but do not over-drink. Brisk walking for 20 to 30 minutes a day and swimming can both make your heart happy. Nevertheless, you cannot bring along a swimming pool wherever you go, therefore, it is imperative to develop a habit for brisk walking for most of the days.