Eating Heart Healthy Foods protects you from heart diseases. The human heart is one of the important part of the body, if not the most important part of the body. It is an organ that pumps blood throughout the body from the circulatory system, supplying oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and removing carbon dioxide and other wastes.
The human heart needs proper care and the kind of food we eat should provide a lot of minerals or vitamins that help keep the heart healthy.
Heart Healthy Foods
Here are eight foods that can keep the heart healthy:
1. Vegetables
Vegetables such as Spinach, kale, cabbage and broccoli are low in fat and calories but rich in fiber, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.
It is a great source of vitamin K that helps protect your heart, decrease the rate of arterial blockage or stiffness and promote proper blood clotting.
2. Fish
Fish are heart-healthy foods. That’s because they contain copious amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Certain types of fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower blood fats called triglycerides.
You’ll find the highest amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in cold-water fish, such as salmon, mackerel and herring.
3. Legumes
Legumes such as Beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils are a significant source of protein, dietary fiber, carbohydrates, dietary minerals and an excellent source of resistant starch which is broken down by bacteria in the large intestine to produce butyrate.
Consuming legumes reduces the risk of all forms of cardiovascular disease, lowers blood pressure, reduce inflammation and blood triglycerides
Related: 9 Health Benefits of Banana
4. Tomatoes
Tomatoes has a lot of nutrients and vitamins that are good for the health and heart such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Lycopene, folate and potassium.
The mineral potassium in tomatoes helps the heartbeat stay regular and offset some of sodium’s harmful effects on blood pressure.
5. Avocado
Avocado contains healthy fat that can be good for the heart, they are one of the fruits that provide heart healthy “good” fats which are also known as monounsaturated fat, which may help lower the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol.
They also contain lots of dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which also help to keep your heart healthier.
Related: 10 Foods That Can Help You Lose Weight
6. Whole grains
Whole grains such as brown rice, barley, wheat, buckwheat (kasha), whole-grain pasta and oatmeal(steel-cut or regular) are high in fiber which may help reduce the risk of heart diseases.
7. Olive Oil
Olive oil are rich in monounsaturated vegetable fat, it helps to develop and maintain your cells and can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Olive oil is packed with antioxidants, which can relieve inflammation and decrease the risk of cardiovascular problems. To obtain it’s full benefits it can be mixed into salads, use in marinades or sauces for meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables.
8. Healthy Nuts
Most nuts has their health benefits but some has more heart healthy nutrients, some of which are, walnut, almond, macadamia nuts and hazelnuts.
Research suggests that eating nuts may improve the health of the lining of your arteries, lower levels of inflammation linked to heart disease and reduce the risk of developing blood clots, which can lead to a heart attack and death
Related: 7 Foods That Make You Taller