Heart diseases are appearing an increasing health concern these days due to several causes like unhealthy eating habits, work and personal life related-stress, inactive lifestyle and lack of exercises. Heart problems are also accompanied by high cholesterol levels and blood pressure too. Only exercising isn’t enough to maintain a healthy heart. One needs to eat the proper foods for if too! Here’s a list of heart-y foods that will leave you satisfied.
A balanced diet that is good for heart and the rest of your cardiovascular system should contain more fresh fruits, vegetables, fiber, and fish; less sugar and sodium, and for many people, fewer total calories.
Fish
Salmon is a wonderful source of omega-3 fatty acids that protect your heart by reducing both the risk of blood clots and inflammation. These fats also function to keep your cholesterol levels healthy. Eat salmon or other oily ocean fish like tuna, sardines or herring at least two times per week. For a heart-healthy recipe, try grilled salmon steaks with a green vegetable and a side salad with a sprinkling of lemon juice instead of high-calorie salad dressing.
Green vegetables
Green leafy vegetable like spinach, radish leaves, fenugreek, pak choy, lettuce, etc. are healthy and are known to provide many vitamins and reduce the risk of heart diseases and cancer as well. That’s because they are very low in fat, calories and high in dietary fibre. They also consist of calcium, folic acid, magnesium, potassium, etc. These minerals are helpful for the optimum functioning of the heart. Studies have suggested that one daily serving of green leafy vegetables can reduce the risk of heart diseases by 11%.
Olive oil
Olive oil is one of the healthiest oils available, whose consumption is actually good for the heart. Olive oil reduces your risk of heart disease by decreasing your LDL cholesterol levels. Extra virgin olive oil contains polyphenols and provides even greater health benefits. Choose olive oil for normal cooking, or drizzle some olive oil in your salad as a dressing instead of that unhealthy mayonnaise.
Oats
Oats are one the healthiest options available for breakfast. Not only do they make you feel full and energetic, they are great for your heart too. They contain beta glucan, which is a soluble fibre that helps bring down cholesterol levels especially LDL (bad cholesterol) in the body. Soluble fiber also helps maintain your digestive system healthy. Enjoy oatmeal with just a small amount of brown sugar and plenty of strawberries and walnuts for breakfast. Cold cereals made with oats and low-fat milk or soymilk add slices of fresh fruit are great.
Apples
An apple per day, will surely keep the doctor away because they contain guercetin, a photochemical containing ant-inflammatory properties. It also helps in prevention of blood clots. Eat apples for breakfast with your cereal or eat them as a snack when you’re hungry instead to pigging out on deep-fried chips. Adding apple slices to your healthy salads is also a good idea.