Food is the fuel that powers our bodies on a daily basis. Choosing the right foods is important to maintaining a healthy body, especially when it comes to our hearts. Adding a couple of specific foods to your diet can drastically reduce your chances of suffering heart disease.
- Oatmeal. Diets high in soluble fiber reduce the amount of LDL, or bad, cholesterol from being absorbed into our blood. Steel-cut oats are a fantastic source of soluble fiber.
- Fish. Omega-3 fatty acids can help to lower the triglyceride levels in your blood which lowers your chances of suffering from heart disease. Salmon, herring, tuna, and sturgeon are all great examples of fish that are packed with Omega-3s.
- Nuts. In addition to being good sources of protein, nuts contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These are essentially the good fats that reduce the levels of bad fats in your blood and provide nutrients that your body can’t produce naturally.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Just like nuts, extra-virgin olive oil is a fantastic source of monounsaturated fats.
- Berries. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries help reduce inflammation in our blood vessels. Inflammation is caused when unfamiliar materials, often found in junk foods, enter the bloodstream and set off the body’s natural inflammatory response. Continued inflammation can cause stress and scarring in our blood vessels, so berries are an important addition to daily diet.
- Beans. Studies show that people who consume beans on a regular basis have a significantly lower risk of heart disease than people who do not.
- Green Veggies. Broccoli, kale, and spinach have similar anti-inflammatory effects on our blood vessels as berries do.
They may not be our favorite foods, but adding these foods to our regular diet is something simple we can do to improve our heart health. The heart is meant to last us a lifetime, and it’s important we give it what it needs.
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