Following a 7-day healthy meal plan not only helps lower your risk of cardiovascular disease but also helps you lose weight in the process. You do not need to skip meals or eat very little to lose weight. You just need to make careful reductions in the number of calories you take on a daily basis to support weight loss. When you manage to lose weight, you also do your heart a favour because it does not have to pump harder.
In order to lose weight in 7 days, you need to pay attention to how many calories you are consuming at the moment. If you are obese, the chances are you are eating well over 3000 calories a day. Even when you consume 2500 calories a day and are not physically active, you will eventually gain weight. Whatever the case, your goal should be to eat 500 fewer calories on a daily basis. You need to follow a meal plan that offers 2000 or 1800 calories a day. Just keep in mind that you should not make sudden reduction in calories or your body may get into a starvation mode. You can use online meal delivery services to order meals as per your calorie requirements. They let you order meals with 1800 or 2000 calories a day. Ordering food online saves you from the hassle of finding healthy stuff – you just need to place your order and your food arrives at your doorstep.
Here, it is worth mentioning that you need to follow a 7-day heart-healthy meal plan that offers several smaller meals. You will benefit more by splitting your 1800 calories into 5-6 smaller meals, which each meal containing about 300 calories. This way, you will not feel hungry even if you are switching from a 2500-calorie diet. Moreover, eating smaller meals more frequently is likely to improve your metabolism, which in turn will help support weight loss. Simply by lowering a couple of pounds, you will put your heart under less strain and your blood pressure will come down as well.
However, if you are specifically interested in finding a 7-day heart-healthy meal plan, you should ensure that it contains foods rich in antioxidants and healthy fat. You can opt for meals that contain nuts that you can include in your salads. Fruit salads may help as well. You may also want to include avocados in your diet because they provide you with healthy fat. Similarly, beans can be a good addition to your heart-healthy diet because they offer protein and antioxidants. Whole grains should be your choice – you can include brown rice, breads, buckwheat, or even barley in your diet.
In addition to following a restricted diet, you should also pay special attention to consistent hydration, portion control, and avoiding foods rich in sodium. Be sure to work with a nutritionist to devise an appropriate meal plan or you can also opt for online meal delivery services where experts have prepared heart-healthy meals for you to try.
