We don’t want to alarm you, but heart decease is still the number one cause of death in the country.
We eat too much junk, but there’s always time to turn things around. To help you begin your journey on the right foot, we’ve compiled a list of foods that will help you improve your health, especially your heart.
With a balanced diet, exercise, and the right foods, you’ll have a robust and healthy ticker. If you deprive yourself completely, you might feel too constricted and then end up binge-eating. To avoid that, you can follow the 80/20 rule: 80% of your diet should consist of healthy foods, and the other 20% can be treated.
Here are the best foods to add to your diet to have clean arteries and a strong circulatory system.
Of course, you should always discuss health with your doctor, as they know best what will help you specifically.
Citrus
Whether you prefer limes, lemons, or grapefruits, all citrus fruit is packed with artery cleansing vitamin C. They’re valuable sources of good sugars and antioxidants too. Add them to your salads or eat them as is, but enjoy a few citrus fruits every few days.
Cinnamon
This exotic spice has been used in traditional medicine throughout the generations. In fact, recent studies have shown that cinnamon is one of the most delicious and healthiest spices around. The wonder spice is packed with fiber, calcium and manganese that can regulate glucose levels, lower cholesterol, improves cognition and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Nuts and seeds
Almonds, cashews, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, you name it! There are so many nuts and seeds available on the market that you’ll never get bored of them.
That’s good because seeds and nuts have many heart-related benefits: they’re great sources of plant-based proteins, healthy fats, lots of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
A few fistfuls of your favorite nuts or seeds a day will keep your heart and arteries healthy and robust, and your cholesterol and blood pressure markers low.
Avocado
Avocado is another excellent source for good cholesterol and is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, some of which strengthen your arteries like potassium. Avocados are delicious too, so top your every meal with a few slices of silky green avocados and take care of yourself.
Berries
Berries are not only the main characters in sweets, jams, desserts, and cakes; they’re one of the best sources for antioxidants in the form of anthocyanins, the stuff that gives them their red and blue colors.
Antioxidants in berries protect our cellular tissue from free radicals and relieve inflammation, two essential health benefits directly correlated with a healthy heart.
Leafy Greens
Leafy greens like kale, spinach, and collard greens, but also broccoli and Brussels sprouts are ideal additions to a heart-friendly diet. Lots of minerals and dietary fiber and definitely healthy, but it’s the high amounts of vitamin K that makes them stand out.
Vitamin K promotes adequate blood clotting and strengthens your veins and arteries.
Pomegranate
The ruby-red pomegranate seeds are incredibly high in Anthocyanins, which gives berries their color and gritty texture. Anthocyanins are excellent antioxidants that protect your arteries from going bland and collapsing or too stiff to function correctly.
Asparagus
Asparagus are favorable for arteries for their ability to reduce your blood pressure and protect you from artery-damaging inflammation. Asparagus are excellent fiber sources too, so there’s no excuse to include them to your diet.
Tomato Sauce
As a tangy accompaniment to any dish, a tasty pizza base or a great dipping sauce, there’s nothing that beats a mean tomato sauce. Actually tomato juice is has been found to reduce blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol) and contains lots of lycopene, which can help make your skin look younger, help reduce the risk of heart disease or suffering a heart attack.
Turmeric
Consuming antioxidants is a fantastic way to maintain your artery walls healthy, and turmeric, a yellow powder got from a root, and the main ingredient of Indian curry, is an is an outstanding source for them. It has anti-inflammatory benefits too, which help you maintain a healthy circulatory system.
Red Wine
In moderation, wine’s antioxidant properties help keep your arteries strong and healthy and lower your blood pressure. A glass of red wine every day can go a long way.
Garlic
Garlic gives flavor to many dishes around the world, and it’s been used in traditional medicine for centuries. Allicin, the active compound in garlic can reduce blood pressure and lower harmful cholesterol levels, making garlic a well-rounded heart-protective superfood.
Consuming garlic regularly can extend your life while keeping your heart strong and healthy.
Fatty Fish
The secret behind salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, and other oily fish is Omega-3 fatty acid essential to our heart health. The compound reduces your blood pressure, and it lowers your cholesterol and triglyceride levels, both leading causes of heart disease.
Try eating fish at least three times a week to take full advantage of the heart health benefits of the tasty oily fish.
Green tea
Green tea is by far the most abundant source of antioxidants in our diets; it can have up to ten times more antioxidants than berries. Not bad for an herbal drink.
Antioxidants in the form of polyphenols and catechins protect our cells from damage, strengthen our arteries, reduce inflammation, and can lower cholesterol levels.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is perhaps the best thing to add to your diet today to improve your heart health. It’s incredible to see how something as tasty and versatile can have so many health benefits.
Olive oil has many antioxidants, like many items on this list, and that’s important because antioxidants protect our arteries and hearts from free radicals that attack our cells.
Olive oil is also a super source for mono-unsaturated fats that lead to increases of the good HDL cholesterol while lowering the bad HDL cholesterol, and your heart loves that.
Whole Grains
Cholesterol is the worst enemy of arteries, and we can control it in several ways. One is by eating fiber, and whole grains are fabulous sources of it. Whole grains also have good unsaturated oils and lots of protein.
Substituting white bread with whole-grain could be the easiest way of taking care of your heart, with the added benefit of losing a few pounds in the process.
Beans and Lentils
Plant-based proteins like beans, chickpeas, and lentils are good for your circulatory system since they nourish your body with proteins without the cholesterol-loaded fat from other sources like meat.
Beans, chickpeas, lentils, and soybeans are all equally healthy, so there’s no excuse to add them to your diet and have a few sans-meat days a week.
Broccoli
The easiest and tastiest way to maintain your arteries clean is by adding broccoli to your daily diet. Again, the high fiber content in the little trees helps your body keep cholesterol out of your bloodstream.
Make a broccoli gratin, add them to your broths, soups, or salads, or enjoy them on their own with your favorite dip.
