10 Foods good for your heart

TNN

Heart

18 Jan 2012: Cardiovascular diseases are becoming an increasing health concern these days due to various reasons like unhealthy eating habits, work and personal life related-stress, sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercises. Heart problems also get coupled with high cholesterol levels and blood pressure too. Only exercising isn’t sufficient to maintain a healthy heart. One needs to eat the right foods for if too!

 

Here’s a list of foods that are good for your heart:

 

Green leafy vegetables

Green leafy vegetable like spinach, fenugreek, pak choy, radish leaves, lettuce, etc. are healthy and are known to reduce the risk of heart diseases and cancer as well. That’s because they are extremely low in fat, calories and high in dietary fibre. They also contain folic acid, magnesium, calcium, potassium, etc. These minerals are beneficial for the optimum functioning of the heart. Studies have shown that one daily serving of green leafy vegetables can lower the risk of heart diseases by 11 per cent.

 

Oats

Oats are one the most healthiest options available for breakfast. Not only do they make you feel full and energetic, they are great for your heart too. Oats contain beta glucan, which is a soluble fibre that helps bring down cholesterol levels especially LDL (bad cholesterol) in the body. Have oatmeal for breakfast or have oatmeal bread or cookies to absorb their benefits.

 

Whole grains

Whole grains whether its wheat, barley, millet, pulses and even beans for that matter are good for the heart because they provide natural fibre and vitamins. They contains vitamin E, iron, magnesium and a host of anti-oxidants. Regular consumption of of whole grains reduces blood pressure too.

 

Soy protein

Soy is essentially soyabean curd. They are also available in the form of soya chunks and soya mince easily in the market today. Soy is an excellent healthy substitute for red meats which are high in fat, increase the bad cholesterol and saturated fats which are very bad for the heart.

 

Olive oil

Olive oil is one of the most healthiest oils available, whose consumption is actually good for the heart. Having olive oil as a regular part of your diet, helps ion lowering LDL (bad cholesterol) in the body. Also, olive oil contains monounsaturated fats that are good for the heart and are packed with anti-oxidants. Extra virgin olive oil contains polyphenols and gives even greater health benefits. Drizzle some olive oil in your salad as a dressing instead of that unhealthy mayonnaise and high-calories dressings, or better still substitute it for your normal cooking oil and see the difference.

 

Tomatoes

Tomatoes is a good source of vitamins and acts as a blood purifier. Regular consumption of tomatoes is known to reduce the risk of heart diseases. Vitamin K present in tomatoes helps to prevent occurrences of hemorrhages. Eat tomatoes in the raw form in salads or sandwiches, cooked form in gravies or simply good old ketchup.

 

Apples

An apple a day, will surely keep the doctor away because they contain guercetin, a photochemical containing ant-inflammatory properties. It also helps in prevention of blood clots. Eat apples for breakfast with your cereal or eat them as a snack when you’re hungry instead to pigging out on deep-fried chips.

 

Almonds

Almonds when eaten in moderation is known to lower cholesterol levels in the body and heart diseases. They also contain vitamin B17, E and minerals like magnesium, iron, zinc and are a good source of monounsaturated fats.

 

Red wine

Red wine when drunk in moderation can be very good for the heart because they contain a powerful antioxidant called resveratrol. Also, red wine contains flavanoids. Have red wine in moderation instead of guzzling other hard alcohol drinks that are high in sugars.