Best Foods to Maintain a Healthy Heart

Best Foods to Maintain a Healthy Heart - The heart is one of the vital organs in the life of a human being. Then the heart health should always be maintained. Heart disease is still one of the highest causes of death in the world. In addition, more and more evidence showing that the food we eat holds an important role in heart health, which means that food can be the biggest factor in the causes of heart disease risk.

Julie Zumpano, an expert in diet in Preventive Cardiology and Nutrition Program at the Cleveland Clinic said that reduces the risk of the development of heart disease can be done by consuming healthy and nutritious food every day.

Consume a healthy diet, take notice of the amount of fiber, limiting the consumption of fat and salt, as well as exercising regularly is a good effort to improve heart health.And one way to keep your heart stay healthy is by eating healthy foods.

Best Foods to Maintain a Healthy Heart

Some types of foods also provide more benefits to our heart. What's it? Note the foods that are good for heart health.

1. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is very suitable to serve as the ingredient of food at breakfast. Oatmeal is very rich in fatty acids, folate, and potassium. Foods rich in fiber can help to lower cholesterol levels in your blood. Read The Best Source of Carbohydrate in Food

2. Salmon

Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids that have anti-clotting effect, so as to ensure a smooth flow of blood. Omega-3 fatty acids can also reduce triglycerides, that fat can be the cause of heart disease and prevent irregular heart rhythms.

Consume 2 or more salmon in a week can reduce the risk of the development of heart disease by 30%. In addition to salmon, you can also consume the sardine, tuna, and mackerel.

3. Nuts

The nuts contain a lot of vitamins, minerals, unsaturated fats that are good for the heart, and the low level of saturated fat. The researchers showed that those who consumed nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts also 2 to 4 days a week they risk heart disease are lower.

4. Spinach

This one green vegetable also proved to be good for your heart. Spinach contains lutein, folate, potassium, and fiber. In addition to spinach, you can also consume other types of vegetables to maintain the health of your heart.

5. Tomato

Tomatoes are a source of vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium and fiber. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene which also works well with vitamins and minerals to prevent the body from catching the disease. Consume the cooked tomatoes can improve heart health because even though the levels of Vitamin C in them is reduced, but the antioxidant and lycopene they contain are still available.

6. Pomegranate

Pomegranate can reduce the buildup of plaque in the arteries and reduce blood pressure. The researchers believe the benefits obtained from pomegranate come from polyphenols and tannins contained in it.

Based on research conducted in 2008, compared with beverages rich in antioxidants such as blueberry juice and cranberry juice, Pomegranate juice has the most antioxidant capacity.

7. Apple

Apple proved to be able to reduce the risk of heart disease and cardiovascular disease. Origins of the Finland researchers collect data from 9,208 men and women over the age of 28 years and found that those who frequently consume the apples have a lower risk of stroke than those who don't.

In the study described that antioxidant compounds flavanoid found in apples is an important key to prevent bad cholesterol from oxidation process that results in the buildup of plaque in the arteries, as well as inhibiting inflammation.

Apples also contain pectin fiber that helps lower cholesterol levels and contains a lot of Vitamin c.

8. Banana

In one banana fruit contains 12% the amount of potassium that is recommended for daily consumption. Potassium contained in bananas keep heart function remains normal and helps balance sodium and water in the body. Potassium helps the kidney secreting excess sodium that contributes to blood pressure is normal and healthy.

9. Avocado

One of the fruits that are very healthy and contain good fats are Avocados. The content of unsaturated fats can lower cholesterol levels in the blood, which is often so causative of heart disease.

10. Green Tea

Antioxidant compounds called catechin in green tea is believed can boost heart health. Catechin inhibits the inflammatory response of the body against bacteria that cause gum disease. Those with gum disease, they would risk twice as big as suffering from heart problems.

11. Olive Oil

Based on the traditional diets of the Mediterranean, olive oil is the right choice when you want to limit saturated fats (which can be found in meat, milk, and butter) enters your body. Fat derived from animal and trans fats raise bad cholesterol and can store fat in the arteries.

12. Fruit Berry

Assorted fruit berries contain polyphenols which can increase levels of nitric oxide, that is molecules that produce effects that are beneficial for cardiovascular health. One is the launch of the blood vessels that can reduce blood pressure.

Based on research conducted against 72 people middle age, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that consuming one glass just berry a day for 8 weeks has been proved can improve the levels of good cholesterol and reduce blood pressure.

13. Dark Chocolate

The researchers found that consuming reasonable amounts of dark chocolate can be beneficial to heart health and may boost the immune system by reducing inflammation.

Several studies have also found that chocolate can reduce blood pressure, this is because the compound, epicatechin found in cocoa increases nitric oxide which is very good for heart health.

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These are some good foods to maintain heart health. Thanks and hopefully useful for you.