Have you ever been told that one of the best things you can do for your heart is to maintain a healthy diet? Your diet has a big effect on the health of your heart and can increase the chances of developing heart disease. You may not realize it, but certain meals can increase blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and inflammation.
If you want to eat healthily and avoid heart disease, you need to know what foods to eat to improve your heart health.
Here are 10 foods that can help you:
1. Berries
Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are high in nutrients that are essential for heart health.
Berries are also high in antioxidants like anthocyanins, which protect against oxidative stress and inflammation that contribute to heart disease development.
Berries may be a filling snack or a tasty low-calorie dessert. Try including a few different varieties in your diet to get the benefits of their distinct health benefits.
2. Walnuts
Walnuts are high in fibre and micronutrients such as magnesium, copper, and manganese. A few walnut servings each week can help protect against heart disease.
3. Tuna
Tuna has a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, which may help lower the amount of omega-6 fatty acids and LDL cholesterol that can build up in the heart’s arteries.
4. Beans
Beans contain resistant starch, which resists digestion and is fermented by your gut microbes. Resistant starch has the potential to be beneficial to the gut and specific members of the microbiota that live there. Several studies have also found that eating beans can lower certain heart disease risk factors.
5. Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate contains antioxidants such as flavonoids, which can help improve heart health.
Several studies have found an interesting link between eating chocolate and a lower risk of heart disease.
If you eat chocolate in moderation, you may be less likely to get coronary heart disease, a stroke, or diabetes.
6. Tofu
According to new research, eating tofu and other plant-based proteins may provide further health benefits than people realise. Foods like tofu that are high in isoflavones, an estrogen-like molecule made by soy plants, may lower the risk of heart disease.
7. Flaxseeds
Flaxseed may aid in the control of blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The addition of milled flaxseed to your diet has several health-promoting properties. There is evidence that consuming flaxseed reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as helps with problems such as gastrointestinal health and diabetes.
8. Almonds
Almonds are high in vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to heart health, making them a particularly healthy diet.
They’re also high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and fibre, two essential nutrients that can help prevent heart disease. Researchers have found that eating almonds can also have a big effect on your cholesterol levels.
9. Garlic
Garlic has been used as a natural cure for a range of diseases for millennia. Garlic has powerful therapeutic effects, according to research, and it can even aid in improving heart health. This is due to the presence of a molecule known as allicin, which is thought to have a wide range of medicinal benefits.
10. Edamame
Edamame, like other soy products, is high in soy isoflavones, a kind of flavonoid that may decrease cholesterol and enhance heart health. Soy protein consumption may lessen your risk of cardiovascular disease. Even just lowering your cholesterol levels, along with other changes to your diet and lifestyle, can make a big difference in how likely you are to get heart disease.
Don’t stop here because a healthy diet should be combined with a healthy lifestyle. So take long walks, jog and exercise to minimise the chances of heart disease.
