Are you taking good care of your heart? Well, we only have one heart. So, it’s a must to make sure that our heart beats perfectly fine and is healthy enough to support us with our daily activities. Tell me, what do you do to maintain a healthy heart? Exercise? How about the food you eat? Are you sure that they are heart friendly?
Well, let’s all eat with love. Not just with a loved one but with healthy foods for the heart. Here are 5 foods for a healthy heart that you’ll surely want to try.
1. Oatmeal
Oatmeal is rich in soluble fiber. It’s rich in fiber and fiber has a lot of benefits. One of it is it helps you to feel fuller longer. Oatmeal helps in weight maintenance and even in weight loss. But in terms of heart, this fiber helps reduce your blood pressure. There are some researches that have shown that diet rich in fiber helps the risk in coronary heart disease just by the fiber content alone. Researches have shown the relationship of water-based yogurt and healthy heart when incorporated on a lifestyle on a daily basis. Oatmeal has heart health benefits because of the fiber that is in the oatmeal. It can help reduce your blood pressure and reduce your cholesterol.
2. Berries
Blueberries and even raspberries and blackberries and strawberries. Berries have anti-oxidants in them and anti-oxidants are so good for you because they also help to decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The reason is that this anti-oxidant helps to neutralize free-radicals. We hear a lot about free radicals because of their cancer-fighting properties. But the free radicals are also beneficial and harmful in terms of our hearts. So, the anti-oxidants in the berries can also help to produce this heart health benefit. Things like blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, they have anti-oxidants in them that can help prevent the build-up of the bad cholesterol in your artery walls and that is a known contributor to cardiovascular disease and even strokes. So the anti-oxidants in berries have to fight up with those free-radicals and those are also good for your heart.
3. Almonds
Almonds are great for a variety of reasons. They have healthy fats, they have fiber, they have protein, they even have magnesium in them, even Vitamin E. But, in terms of the heart health benefits, Almonds can help to lower your blood pressure and lower your cholesterol level. And the reason is that they are rich in unsaturated fatty acids and this help to keep your blood vessels healthy. A handful of almonds is a great snack.
4. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate contains flavonoids. There is a research and it was shown that these flavonoids have a very positive effect on heart health because they help to lower blood cholesterol and improves blood flow to the heart. They help your platelets less sticky and that helps to decrease the clumping of the blood. They can reduce blood clots and even strokes.
5. Red Wine
Red wine is associated with improved health of the lining of your blood vessels. This improves the blood flow to your heart and to your body overall. There is an ingredient found in the skin of grapes that offers this cardiovascular protection. By helping to improve the lining of your blood vessel, that improves blood flow to your body and to your heart.
Now that you know the right foods to eat for your heart, it’s time to check your fridge if you still have some of these. If not, get dressed because it’s “grocery time!” Make sure to have enough of these to maintain a healthy heart.
ABOUT DR. JAMIE HARDY
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Dr. Jamie Hardy (aka The Lifestyle Pharmacist™) helps young women who are busy juggling careers, businesses, and relationships be fit, fabulous, and fulfilled without prescribed pills. Cutting corners in your lifestyle to save time, is making you sick--literally.
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