How to Treat Atrial Fibrillation Naturally
Increase the amount of fresh produce in your diet., Switch to organic foods as much as possible., Keep junk and processed food to a minimum., Cut back on the fat in your diet., Avoid sugar and sugary foods., Limit red meats and meats in general...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Increase the amount of fresh produce in your diet.
Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and veggies contain high levels of antioxidants which may protect against heart disease in general.Choose brightly colored fruits and vegetables for the highest level of antioxidants.
These include berries (blueberries, raspberries), apples, plums, oranges and citrus fruit (vitamin C is an excellent antioxidant), leafy green vegetables, squash, and bell peppers.
Fresh produce is best, but frozen vegetables and fruits can also be used if that's what available or if the fruit or vegetable is not in season.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure that half of your plate is fruits and vegetables.
Avoid eating vegetables in any sort of creamy sauces that may add fats to your diet.
You should also avoid fruits that have sugar or are accompanied by a heavy syrup (with added sugars).
Note that reduced amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables have been associated with heart disease.The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that adult women should eat about
2.5 cups of vegetables per day and adult men should eat 3 cups per day. -
Step 2: Switch to organic foods as much as possible.
Produce and foods labelled "organic" contain no pesticides or other chemicals like hormones and antibiotics that may be related to an increased risk of heart disease.
If you can't afford to buy all organic foods, stick to the foods that you consume heavily and those that are more likely to be sprayed by pesticides, such as fruits and vegetables, like lettuce greens, spinach, strawberries and other berries, and so on. , Oily food, saturated fatty food, junk food, fast food, processed food, and food with MSG are all examples of known trigger factors for atrial fibrillation.
If you are used to consuming any of these in large quantities on a daily basis, then stopping all of them at once is the best option.
If you want to determine the one culprit, you may try stopping any one, one at a time and observe the effects.Limit the amount of processed and prepackaged food you because the additives and preservatives in such foods not only lack vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, but can also cause adverse health reactions.
Stick to complex carbohydrates.
If you avoid processed foods, you have essentially included only complex carbohydrates, since the processing of food breaks down the carbohydrates into the simple carbohydrates.
High amounts of simple carbohydrates increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.A good rule of thumb is that if the food is too white (e.g., white bread, white rice, white pasta, etc.), it has been processed.
Instead, eat whole grain breads, brown rice and whole grain pasta.It may take some extra practice and planning, but the closer you can get to cooking from scratch, using whole foods that have NOT been processed (and therefore retain most of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients) the healthier you (and your heart!) will be. , The American Heart Association recommends that you cut back all trans fats and limit saturated fats to less than 7% of your total daily calories.
The best way to reduce saturated fats in your daily life is to avoid cooking with butter, margarine and shortening.
Use olive oil or canola oil instead.Make a concerted effort to avoid fat by, for example, trimming the fats off any meats and getting rid of skins on poultry, for example.
Substitute low-fat alternatives, such as salsa or yogurt for a baked potato instead of fatty butter. , Avoid sugar and sugar substitutes including aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One), high fructose corn syrup (HFCS is believed to increase obesity and the risk of diabetes and heart disease), neotame, saccharin (Sweet’n Low) and sucralose (Splenda).
Limit the sugar that you add to things, including your coffee in the morning or on top of your cereal at breakfast.Avoid sodas and fruit juices, which are loaded with sugar (even the diet ones, which use a chemical substitute instead of sugar).
If you still need some sweetness, try using the herb stevia (Truvia) to give some extra sweetness but with no additional calories. , Opt instead for poultry, fish, low-fat dairy products, and eggs to get your protein fix.
If you do eat red meat, make sure the beef is lean (preferably grass fed as this meat has the natural ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fats), and the poultry is skinless.It's best to buy organic, locally sourced meat whenever you can.
You want to choose meat (red meat but also poultry) that is raised without hormones or antibiotics. , Legumes include foods like lentils, peas, and beans and contain many of the vitamins (eg.
B vitamins) and minerals (Magnesium, Calcium) needed to help maintain healthy heart function.
Legumes are excellent sources of protein that are also low-fat.Many of these foods, such as black beans, chickpeas, soy beans, are also complete proteins, meaning that they provide all of the nine essential amino acids required for human dietary needs. , Fish is another excellent source of protein that is also low-fat.
Cold water fish, such as salmon, herring, and mackerel, contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids that have been proven to be healthy for the heart by lowering blood fats called triglycerides.
Try to incorporate fresh cold water fish into your 2-3 times a week.You can also find alternative sources of omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed, walnuts, soybeans, and canola oil.
Be aware that higher omega-3 fat intake is associated with a decreased risk of heart disease., Controlling how much salt you are consuming on a daily level can help some people control their blood pressure.Recommended salt intakes vary, but you should aim for between 1500mg
- 2300 mg of sodium per day.
Be sure to read all food labels carefully.
The Food and Drug Administration requires food producers to note how much salt is in a product and what percentage that makes of your daily recommended intake of sodium.
Avoiding processed foods like canned soups and other prepared meals can help you reduce your salt intake.
Instead, make more of your own food at home and from fresh ingredients! , Eat a small handful of almonds (10 to 12 per day), but stay away from peanuts and cashew nuts, especially the salted variety.
Almonds, due to their high content of vitamin E, have a relaxing effect on the muscle fibres of the heart.Bananas – due to their high potassium content – are known to lower blood pressure.
Their serotonin content acts as a mood elevator, mimicking the natural serotonin in our bodies, thus making the body less responsive to stress that could worsen the fibrillation.
Eat a banana a day., Food and drinks, in any form, natural or junk – if consumed beyond the required quantity at one go – is also bad news for your heart.
Overeating diverts the blood circulation from the heart to the stomach and that causes the heart to feel inadequacy in being able to transport the electrical impulses.
In other words, arrhythmia will rear its ugly head.
Being more aware of your portion sizes may also help you lose weight, which can reduce your risk of heart disease.To start, try using smaller bowls or plates to help limit your portions while also tricking your mind.
A full plate always looks more appetizing.Track how much your eating by becoming aware of serving sizes.
A serving size is a the amount of food (measured in cups, ounces, or pieces) you should be eating according to FDA guidelines.
For example, one serving of pasta is 1/2 cup, or about the size of a hockey puck, while a single serving of meat ranges from two to three ounces and is roughly the size and thickness of a deck of cards.
It will take time to learn appropriate portions so you may want to start training your mind by using a scale and/or other measuring instruments.Note that restaurants typically give much larger portions of food than we should actually be consuming during a given meal. -
Step 3: Keep junk and processed food to a minimum.
-
Step 4: Cut back on the fat in your diet.
-
Step 5: Avoid sugar and sugary foods.
-
Step 6: Limit red meats and meats in general.
-
Step 7: Include legumes in your diet.
-
Step 8: Eat plenty of fish.
-
Step 9: Reduce your salt intake.
-
Step 10: Go nuts about nuts and go bananas for bananas.
-
Step 11: Control your portion sizes.
Detailed Guide
Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and veggies contain high levels of antioxidants which may protect against heart disease in general.Choose brightly colored fruits and vegetables for the highest level of antioxidants.
These include berries (blueberries, raspberries), apples, plums, oranges and citrus fruit (vitamin C is an excellent antioxidant), leafy green vegetables, squash, and bell peppers.
Fresh produce is best, but frozen vegetables and fruits can also be used if that's what available or if the fruit or vegetable is not in season.
A good rule of thumb is to make sure that half of your plate is fruits and vegetables.
Avoid eating vegetables in any sort of creamy sauces that may add fats to your diet.
You should also avoid fruits that have sugar or are accompanied by a heavy syrup (with added sugars).
Note that reduced amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables have been associated with heart disease.The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that adult women should eat about
2.5 cups of vegetables per day and adult men should eat 3 cups per day.
Produce and foods labelled "organic" contain no pesticides or other chemicals like hormones and antibiotics that may be related to an increased risk of heart disease.
If you can't afford to buy all organic foods, stick to the foods that you consume heavily and those that are more likely to be sprayed by pesticides, such as fruits and vegetables, like lettuce greens, spinach, strawberries and other berries, and so on. , Oily food, saturated fatty food, junk food, fast food, processed food, and food with MSG are all examples of known trigger factors for atrial fibrillation.
If you are used to consuming any of these in large quantities on a daily basis, then stopping all of them at once is the best option.
If you want to determine the one culprit, you may try stopping any one, one at a time and observe the effects.Limit the amount of processed and prepackaged food you because the additives and preservatives in such foods not only lack vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, but can also cause adverse health reactions.
Stick to complex carbohydrates.
If you avoid processed foods, you have essentially included only complex carbohydrates, since the processing of food breaks down the carbohydrates into the simple carbohydrates.
High amounts of simple carbohydrates increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.A good rule of thumb is that if the food is too white (e.g., white bread, white rice, white pasta, etc.), it has been processed.
Instead, eat whole grain breads, brown rice and whole grain pasta.It may take some extra practice and planning, but the closer you can get to cooking from scratch, using whole foods that have NOT been processed (and therefore retain most of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients) the healthier you (and your heart!) will be. , The American Heart Association recommends that you cut back all trans fats and limit saturated fats to less than 7% of your total daily calories.
The best way to reduce saturated fats in your daily life is to avoid cooking with butter, margarine and shortening.
Use olive oil or canola oil instead.Make a concerted effort to avoid fat by, for example, trimming the fats off any meats and getting rid of skins on poultry, for example.
Substitute low-fat alternatives, such as salsa or yogurt for a baked potato instead of fatty butter. , Avoid sugar and sugar substitutes including aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One), high fructose corn syrup (HFCS is believed to increase obesity and the risk of diabetes and heart disease), neotame, saccharin (Sweet’n Low) and sucralose (Splenda).
Limit the sugar that you add to things, including your coffee in the morning or on top of your cereal at breakfast.Avoid sodas and fruit juices, which are loaded with sugar (even the diet ones, which use a chemical substitute instead of sugar).
If you still need some sweetness, try using the herb stevia (Truvia) to give some extra sweetness but with no additional calories. , Opt instead for poultry, fish, low-fat dairy products, and eggs to get your protein fix.
If you do eat red meat, make sure the beef is lean (preferably grass fed as this meat has the natural ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fats), and the poultry is skinless.It's best to buy organic, locally sourced meat whenever you can.
You want to choose meat (red meat but also poultry) that is raised without hormones or antibiotics. , Legumes include foods like lentils, peas, and beans and contain many of the vitamins (eg.
B vitamins) and minerals (Magnesium, Calcium) needed to help maintain healthy heart function.
Legumes are excellent sources of protein that are also low-fat.Many of these foods, such as black beans, chickpeas, soy beans, are also complete proteins, meaning that they provide all of the nine essential amino acids required for human dietary needs. , Fish is another excellent source of protein that is also low-fat.
Cold water fish, such as salmon, herring, and mackerel, contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids that have been proven to be healthy for the heart by lowering blood fats called triglycerides.
Try to incorporate fresh cold water fish into your 2-3 times a week.You can also find alternative sources of omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed, walnuts, soybeans, and canola oil.
Be aware that higher omega-3 fat intake is associated with a decreased risk of heart disease., Controlling how much salt you are consuming on a daily level can help some people control their blood pressure.Recommended salt intakes vary, but you should aim for between 1500mg
- 2300 mg of sodium per day.
Be sure to read all food labels carefully.
The Food and Drug Administration requires food producers to note how much salt is in a product and what percentage that makes of your daily recommended intake of sodium.
Avoiding processed foods like canned soups and other prepared meals can help you reduce your salt intake.
Instead, make more of your own food at home and from fresh ingredients! , Eat a small handful of almonds (10 to 12 per day), but stay away from peanuts and cashew nuts, especially the salted variety.
Almonds, due to their high content of vitamin E, have a relaxing effect on the muscle fibres of the heart.Bananas – due to their high potassium content – are known to lower blood pressure.
Their serotonin content acts as a mood elevator, mimicking the natural serotonin in our bodies, thus making the body less responsive to stress that could worsen the fibrillation.
Eat a banana a day., Food and drinks, in any form, natural or junk – if consumed beyond the required quantity at one go – is also bad news for your heart.
Overeating diverts the blood circulation from the heart to the stomach and that causes the heart to feel inadequacy in being able to transport the electrical impulses.
In other words, arrhythmia will rear its ugly head.
Being more aware of your portion sizes may also help you lose weight, which can reduce your risk of heart disease.To start, try using smaller bowls or plates to help limit your portions while also tricking your mind.
A full plate always looks more appetizing.Track how much your eating by becoming aware of serving sizes.
A serving size is a the amount of food (measured in cups, ounces, or pieces) you should be eating according to FDA guidelines.
For example, one serving of pasta is 1/2 cup, or about the size of a hockey puck, while a single serving of meat ranges from two to three ounces and is roughly the size and thickness of a deck of cards.
It will take time to learn appropriate portions so you may want to start training your mind by using a scale and/or other measuring instruments.Note that restaurants typically give much larger portions of food than we should actually be consuming during a given meal.
About the Author
Abigail Vasquez
Enthusiastic about teaching hobbies techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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