10 Best Foods for Your Heart Health
A healthy and wholesome diet doesn’t always have to be boring or depriving. You can pack up all your meals, from breakfast, to lunch and dinner along with the snacks in between, with essential nutrients and appetizing recipes. We’ve picked out some amazingly satisfying and hearty superfoods that will satiate your appetite and fortify your heart.
Here, take a look:
1. Nuts
Nuts are brimming with fiber, and they are one of the best sources of healthy fats that strengthen the heart and enhance its functioning. Walnuts are incredibly rich sources of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, while macadamia nuts and almonds are packed with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.
2. Berries
Berries, such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries amongst others, are packed with antioxidants and powerful anti-inflammatory agents, which cut down the risk factors contributing to heart ailments and cancer. Blackberries and blueberries are amazingly healthy for the heart, and all other berries also promote enhanced vascular health. Be sure to munch on a bowl of mixed berries every day for effective results.
3. Avocado
Avocados are brimming with monounsaturated fats and countless heart-healthy nutrients, which is why they are excellent at reducing LDL or bad cholesterol levels and increasing good or HDL cholesterol levels.
They are delicious, hearty and extremely healthy for the heart as they encourage the absorption of the carotenoids, particularly lycopene and beta-carotene, which are vital to boost the health of the heart.
Fix yourself a delicious avocado and spinach sandwich, and you can also add these delights to your salads, sea foods and even baked delights.
4. Legumes
Lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas and black beans are one of the richest sources of fiber offered by nature. They are also brimming with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, soluble fiber, and calcium.
You can fix yourself a colourful bean salad, or a spicy bowl of hummus perhaps.
5. Oatmeal
A hot and piping bowl filled with oats makes a hearty and energetic breakfast, which will brim up your body with heaps of potassium, fiber, folate and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Oatmeal is one of the richest sources of appetizing fiber, which cuts down bad or LDL cholesterol levels and prevents the arteries from getting clogged.
Be sure to pick out coarse and steel-cut oats instead or processed and instant varieties as they contain far more fiber and essential nutrients. Fill up your bowl with a banana to give yourself another 4 grams of fiber, or a colourful assortment of dark berries perhaps.
6. Salmon
Salmon is one of the richest sources of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which cut down blood pressure levels to and prevent clotting from taking place. Be sure to consume at least two servings of salmon every week, as it will help you cut down your risk of developing a heart attack by one-third.
Salmon is brimming with carotenoid astaxanthin, an intensely powerful antioxidant that works wonders at lowering blood pressure levels. Just make sure you always pick out wild salmon instead of farm-raised varieties, which are loaded with toxic metals, insecticides and pesticides. You can grill salmon, bake it, add it to salads, or fix yourself a delicious treat of salmon scaloppini with almond orzo.
If you can’t seem to stomach the thought of eating salmon, pick out other fatty fish varieties, such as tuna, herring, mackerel and sardines, which will provide your heart the same nutrient properties and strengthening boost.
7. Olive Oil
Olive oil is one of the richest source of monounsaturated fats, which allow it to cut down both, bad or LDL cholesterol levels and the risk factors that contribute to the development of heart ailments.
A recent study attempted to examine cardiovascular disease case from all over the world. The results revealed that men in Crete exhibited a predisposition to develop ignited cholesterol levels, however, those who consumed olive oil in their daily diet cut down their risk for heart ailments due to the healthy fats their bodies received.
Be sure to pick out extra virgin or virgin olive oil varieties as they are the least processed and most nutritious varieties. Use olive oil instead of butter, and you can add it to all your baking, frying and grilling recipes. Fix yourself a hearty and healthy meal of shrimp with olive oil and homemade garlic sauce.
8. Flaxseed
Flaxseed is brimming with the incredibly heart-healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, along with being packed with fiber. Adding a little flaxseed to your meals, teas and smoothies can exhibit extraordinary benefits for the heart.
You can sprinkle some flaxseed on your bowl of oatmeal or whole-grain cereal to give your heart a healthy boost at breakfast.
9. Spinach
Spinach is packed with an incredibly rich nutrient profile, and it boosts powerful amounts of fiber, lutein, potassium and folate. All vegetables are incredibly healthy for the heart, so be sure to eat up as many as you can.
A recent study attempted to examine the lifestyle patterns of individuals who weren’t suffering from heart disease over the span of 12 years. The results revealed that those who devoured at least two and a half servings of vegetables of every day reduced their risk for developing heart disease by 25% as opposed to those who didn’t eat any vegetables whatsoever. Eating more vegetables further cut down the risk by another 17%.
10. Soy
Soy is one of the richest sources of lean protein, along with being extremely low in saturated fats, which makes it an excellent addition for heart-healthy eating and lowering cholesterol levels. Be sure to pick out natural sources of soy, such as organic silken tofu, edamame, and tempeh.
Soy milk is also an incredibly nutritious addition to your breakfast cereals, whole-grain meals, smoothies and oatmeal. However, you need to steer clear of the amount of salt present within the soy varieties you pick.
Certain processed soy varieties, such as soy dogs, are brimming with added sodium, which is highly hazardous for blood pressure.
