Food is the new medicine; there’s no doubt about that. What you eat can affect your health, both positively and negatively.
We’ve come to understand that diseases don’t just happen, we cause them with bad habits and overall, with a bad diet. If you want to take care of your heart, start paying attention to what you eat. As you’ll soon find out, it’s not that hard, and it’s quite tasty.
Here are 11 foods you should start eating if you want a healthier heart.
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.
Avocados
Avocados provide us with plant-based fats that, like olive oil, are also mono-unsaturated and, therefore, suitable for your circulatory system and heart. The green, mushy fruit also has lots of minerals, including potassium.
Not only eat avocados but substitute animal fats with it. People are using avocado instead of butter to make cakes! That way, you reduce the consumption of heart-threatening foods while consuming hearty-friendly ones.
Beans and legumes
Beans and legumes are fabulous sources of plant-based proteins, which are a much better alternative to animal-based proteins in meat. You’ll be getting all the proteins you need without all the fat associated with red 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Whole Grains
Whole-grain bread and flour are a far better alternative than white flour baking goods because they’re not only carbs but have proteins, healthy fats, fiber, and minerals.
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.
Dark Chocolate
Because you also deserve a treat, dark chocolate with over 70% of cacao beans has adequate amounts of heart-friendly antioxidants and has less sugar than other types of chocolate.
In moderation, a regular intake of dark chocolate will not only protect your heart but will also be a pleasant reward for taking care of yourself.
Be a Heart-minded Person
Once your heart is gone, it’s over. It would help if you took care of your ticker starting today, instead of waiting for a cardiologist to assign you a diet.
Eating healthy, you will agree, is quite tasty too. Avoid saturated fats, too much salt, and sugar and enjoy the foods above often.
And please work out a little. At the end of the day, your heart is a muscle, and it loves to exercise. Keep your heart happy, and you’ll enjoy a long, plentiful life.
