Home Health Care: Not Just for The Extremely Ill

Getting in-home care for your loved one can help them eat right and lead healthy lives. Eating right is advisable for everybody, but it's particularly necessary for those living with health conditions that are easily affected by nutrition. For example, if your loved one is living with a damaged heart, they need to follow these nutritional guidelines:

Moderation of Salt Intake

People suffering from heart diseases should moderate their amounts of salt intake. High salt intake isn't good for the heart because it raises the blood pressure. High blood pressure is bad for the heart because:

• It forces the heart to work hard and thickens its walls; this can enlarge the left side of the heart and limit its ability to pump blood.
• The constant strain of dealing with high blood pressure strains the heart and weakens its muscles; a weakened heart can eventually lead to heart failure.
• High blood pressure damages the walls of the arteries, which reduces blood flowing to the heart and can cause heart damage.

Moderation of Fat Consumption 

Just like salt, abnormal fat levels aren't good for the heart either. Not all fats are bad, so avoiding all fats isn't advisable. Rather, a heart patient should eat the type and amount of fats as advised by the doctor. Trans fat, for example, raises the level of bad cholesterols in the body while simultaneously lowering the level of good cholesterols in the body. Trans fats are mostly found in hydrogenated vegetable oils (hydrogenation is the process of adding hydrogen to vegetable oils to make it solid at room temperature).

High Intake of Vegetables, Fruits, and Whole Grains

Lastly, a generous intake of vegetables and fruits also helps in lowering high blood pressure and the risk of heart disease. All vegetables and fruits are beneficial here as long as they have low carbohydrates content (this means potatoes aren't as good as other vegetables). It's also advisable to eat a mix of vegetables and fruits since they contribute different nutrients to the body. When it comes to whole grains, the main benefit is fiber, which prevents the body from absorbing too much cholesterol.

If your loved one is already frail with heart-related complications, do you really expect them to have the kind of energy needed to cook healthy meals? In fact, even the "simple" tasks of washing dishes may be too much for some invalids, and they may resort to unhealthy takeouts. Home health care service provided by a company like In Your Home Care will give your loved one the chance to look after their heart too.