“You are what you eat.” The quote is especially true when you are suffering from a disease. Consequently, slight mismanagement can send your health downhill. Atrial fibrillation is such an ailment where your diet helps you cope with it and manage it better. AFib occurs due to cardiac mayhem when your atria beat out of sync. Inevitably, putting you at risk of a stroke or heart attack. Nevertheless, with proper treatment and diet, you can contain AFib. Here are foods to avoid if you have AFib.
Caffeine:
Caffeine acts as a stimulant by increasing the heart rate and blood pressure. Thus, many prefer to avoid caffeine due to AFib. However, studies have shown that caffeine within moderate limits will not increase the risk of an AFib episode. Hence, a cup or two of mild coffee might not harm. On the other hand, energy drinks are entirely another story. As energy drinks contain a high caffeine dosage, sugars, and other stimulating chemicals, try to avoid them. Nevertheless, a doctor will guide you better about the restriction on your caffeine intake.
Fats:
This notorious dietary element can cause high blood pressure. Therefore, for cardiac wellbeing, it is best to practice social distancing from a high amount of fatty foods. Moreover, cardiologists isolated certain types of fats you should avoid due to AFib. Specifically, trans and saturated fats. Butter, cheese, meat, margarine, and margarine are few food examples that contain these types of fats.
Sugar:
Sugar is another dietary substance that negatively impacts your overall cardiac health. Sugar contributes to obesity, high blood pressure, and increased blood glucose, so abstain from high sugary foods like processed foods.
Salt:
Studies linked high sodium content to increased AFib occurrence. Once again, salt can elevate your blood pressure. Thus, many dieticians do not recommend salty foods to patients at risk of AFib or any other heart disease. However, this does not mean you will have to work your way with bland foods. You can always use different herbs and spices to add flavour.
Vitamin K:
Vitamin K helps boost blood clotting; thus, it can undermine the effect of blood thinners prescribed for AFib. It is in your best interest to keep your vitamin K level normal and avoid diets that can cause massive shifts. Hence, it is best to discuss the role of vitamin K in your diet with your doctor. Some foods that include vitamin K are as follows:
- Leafy vegetables such as spinach or kale.
- Green tea.
- auliflower.
Conclusion:
People with AFib should try to avoid fatty and sugary foods, so you need to cut down on processed, frozen, and fast foods. Inevitably, the inclusion of such foods also leads to other heart diseases and weight gain. Therefore, when you distance yourself from such foods, you welcome a healthy lifestyle. Nevertheless, it is essential to visit a doctor for better guidance before you take up a new diet. Visit Atrial Fibrillation Center Of America for detailed guidance and evaluation, or call us at 832-478-5067.