Friendly foods that help fight heart disease

Whole grains are better for us. Nutritionists often suggest that you try to substitute whole wheat pasta for white pasta. If you buy whole wheat bread, check to see if they use whole grain. In buying breakfast cereal, watch out for whole grain cereals. Lower your salt intake. This is an important element in preventing […]

Whole grains are better for us. Nutritionists often suggest that you try to substitute whole wheat pasta for white pasta. If you buy whole wheat bread, check to see if they use whole grain. In buying breakfast cereal, watch out for whole grain cereals.

Lower your salt intake. This is an important element in preventing high blood pressure and in turn helps make your heart work better for longer time. High blood pressure is known to increase your risk for stroke. Even if you don’t have high blood pressure you might want to be careful how much salt you put in your diet to prevent it from going up years later. Cook with lots of spices that don’t have sodium as an ingredient. You can use chili powder, garlic, onions, and celery to bring flavour without the sodium.

Eating legumes or beans are good for your heart because they are high in fibre and they are a low fat protein source. High fibre diets have been shown to help reduce blood pressure. High fibre diets also help to control blood sugar levels. Eating a diet throughout the day that is high in fibre will make you feel fuller all day and can help make it easier to eat less calories, while at the same time you feel full. Health experts say this often leads a person to lose weight.    

Extra olive oil is healthier to cook with but in moderation of course. Any fat has nine calories per gram which is considerably more calorie densed than eating carbohydrates or protein which are only four calories per gram. So even though olive oil is an unsaturated fat and is promoted as being good for your heart, too much can make you gain weight, and excess body weight is not healthy. If you are heavier, your heart has to work harder to pump the blood through your body.

There are other foods that promote heart health, or studies that have suggested that eating these foods would be good for your heart. However eating a healthy diet is so important and not to be overlooked just because a few foods are picked out from the whole bunch.

Here are some of the foods that might be heart healthy foods:

Green tea and black tea have antioxidants that might help protect your heart.

Nuts have healthy fats and are good for the heart. Eating nuts have nutrition packed in them.

Try to eat more colorful vegetables on a regular basis. You will find that foods all have different nutrient values and if you don’t eat a variety of foods you are very likely missing out on nutrition. There are researchers that believe that there are nutrients in food that they are not yet aware of and by not eating the whole food you might be missing out on vital nutrition.

Grill or bake instead of frying your meat. Every time you add fat to the mix you add calories, and this promotes weight gain. So you should always get a checkup at your doctors for your blood pressure as well as your cholesterol to make sure you are doing well.