Your heart has a great duty: It is responsible for transporting blood throughout the body and protecting your health. blood pressure and keep you alive. Since the heart is such a vital organ, it needs to stay healthy and your nutrition plays an important role in this.
Everyone from the American Heart Association to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends making certain food choices to support a healthy heart. Since heart-healthy foods can reduce other potential cardiovascular problems, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, you need to keep this in mind when planning your weekly meals.
Read on to learn what foods to look for, what foods you probably already eat, and what an overall heart-healthy diet looks like.
Read more: Mediterranean Diet for Beginners: Health Benefits, Foods to Eat and How It Works.
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What is a heart-healthy diet?
Research has revealed two things: foods that are riskier for your heart and foods that strengthen it. Luckily, you’re about to be hit with a bunch of curveballs. The best foods for heart health are probably the ones you already think are healthy. Similarly, not-so-heart-healthy foods are probably already on your radar because they don’t do your body any good.
Before we dive in, let’s just say this: everything in moderation. Unless you already do I know you have heart health problems., you don’t need to cut out any foods or make any drastic changes. We’re not saying you can never eat bacon again or open another soda. Instead, paying attention to what a heart-healthy diet looks like can help you include more of these foods in your meals.
Now let’s talk details. According to the AHA and the Department of Health, a heart-healthy diet is rich in:
- To produce
- Lean proteins
- Fiber-rich complex carbohydrates
- healthy fats
A diet full of colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy proteins and fats will give your body the fiber, vitamins and minerals it needs to support a healthy heart.
Conversely, if you’re trying to improve your cardiovascular health, you’ll want to limit your intake of:
- trans fat
- saturated fats
- Processed meats (e.g. luncheon meat, salami and hot dogs)
- excessive salt
- excessive sugar
- Refined carbohydrates (e.g. white breads and snacks)
- Red meat
- excessive alcohol
If many of your favorites are on the less heart-healthy list, don’t panic. You can still include them in your diet (unless your doctor tells you otherwise). Make sure these foods aren’t included at every meal, and try to include as many heart-healthy foods as possible in your day.
Heart-healthy foods
If you want to feel good about how your next shopping trip will benefit your heart health, you can shop products in these special categories.
1. Fruits and vegetables
Do you remember the food pyramid of the past? He was onto something. Your body benefits from eating lots of produce.
This is because vegetables and fruits pack a lot of nutrient density per bite. Bananas and sweet potatoes provide potassium, an important mineral for heart health. Cruciferous vegetables may help prevent clogged arteries. Leafy greens provide fiber, which can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
Long story short, the more items you pack, the better. If fresh produce doesn’t fit your budget or lifestyle, don’t worry. You can get plenty of nutritional benefits from frozen, dried and canned options. Just make sure it’s marked low sodium.
2. Whole grains
Not all carbohydrates are bad. Refined carbohydrates, like those in white bread, float around in your body and often do you more harm than good. But the complex carbohydrates you’ll find in whole grain products provide fiber, which we mentioned earlier boosts heart health.
They are also often full of vitamins and minerals such as iron, selenium, thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), folate (vitamin B9) and magnesium. If you’re looking for a heart-healthy diet, choose products that include whole grains in the ingredient list. Complex carbohydrates can also be found in beans, potatoes, peas and corn.
3. Lean and plant protein
While some proteins, like red and processed meat, can harm your heart, others top the list of heart-healthy foods. The key here is to look for plant-based protein, lean animal protein and fish. Experts recommend mixing your protein sources. So you have many options, stock up:
- lentil
- Bean
- Hazelnut
- seeds
- bean curd
- Fish, especially those rich in omega-3 fatty acids
- Eggs
- Low-fat dairy products
- Poultry
- seeds
Replace some of your red meat and cured pork with the above options; You will be doing your heart a favor.
4. Healthy fats
You may think fat causes heart problems, but the important thing is medicine from fat. Although trans and saturated fats have been linked to cardiovascular problems in numerous studies, your body, including your heart, needs healthy fats. You can get them from fish, nuts and seeds, as well as avocados and moderate amounts of vegetable oils:
- olive oil
- Sesame oil
- Sunflower
- Soy oil
- canola oil
- corn oil
- safflower oil
As a general rule, if the oil is solid at room temperature, it is probably saturated. If it is liquid, it most likely falls under the unsaturated variety. To think butter (controversial from a health standpoint) versus olive oil (definitely part of a heart-healthy diet).
Sesame oil is a healthy oil.
5. Foods that provide heart control
The American Heart Association has certified some foods for heart health and given them the Heart-Check seal, which you can find on some food packaging. Once you know this seal, it may be easier to fill your cart with heart-healthy foods.
For best results, pair your heart-healthy diet with: other heart health boosters like regular exercise, to sleep and stress management techniques. It may also be helpful to know your blood type. what does it mean For your risk of specific cardiovascular conditions.